Extreme right wing populism is rising in Europe... What can we do to stop it?

[mikemizanin729]

Poor people come to our nation and believe they deserve a free pass too claim benefits and feel they have the right to certain privileges. Many within our own country claim asylum seekers have taken up most work here they work for lower pay.

 

[oakpope]

Some benefits :

http://www.euromove.org.uk/index.php?id=15296

 

[Kulindahr]

Oh please. That is not how it is. It is about securing a level playing field so that smaller nations can compete with those like France and Germany who have the benefit of resources that others don't. The UK may be doing okay for itself right now, but out of the EU, even we are another small country, even smaller if Scotland splits.

I think his statement says more about him than anything else.

 

[Kulindahr]

There are no benefits. The UK would never export much beef to the USA; they have enough of their own. London is a world financial centre despite the EU, not because of it.

The countries which want to join the EU are eastern European and Turkey which isn't even in Europe at all. They all want to join for the handouts. It will just mean more people for the British taxpayer to subsidise. Norway and Switzerland are both doing very nicely thank you outside the EU and there's no suggestion that they wish to join.

Turkey is either partly or mostly in Europe, depending on where you draw the lines. It makes more sense to consider it mostly in Europe than anything else, if you're trying to keep continental dividing lines simple.

 

[Kulindahr]

While the absolute rejection that anything good comes from the EU is simplistic those that hold up the virtues of a huge bureaucratic "union" are either selling or buying a bill of goods. Top down bureaucrats removed from the concerns of local populations and economies don't give off the air of confidence. There are a number of different regions with different concerns, needs and cultures. One size fits all does not work in that massive a scale... the thought that one cannot even harbor skepticism over the practicality of the EU defies belief. Sorry for this Yank speaking up but I hear more than enough about America's problems from our international Jubbers.

The same is true of the United States. The larger a political unit, the less attention is paid to differences between its smaller components/members.

 

[JohnnyAnger]

Oh please! Am I right in thinking that you recently celebrated your 24th birthday? That would mean you were born in the year Mrs Thatcher left office.

Yes and my earliest memories are going to food banks with my mum because of the destruction of the industry in my home town and the complete lack of jobs in the area for my dad after this. Just because I was born the year she went out does not mean I cannot appraise her and what she did to the country.

There are none.

Maybe the CBI can prove that wrong for you...
http://www.cbi.org.uk/campaigns/our-global-future/factsheets/factsheet-2-benefits-of-eu-membership-outweigh-costs/

http://www.cbi.org.uk/campaigns/our-global-future/factsheets/factsheet-4-no-alternative-to-eu-membership-offers-better-balance-of-pros-and-cons/

I think when it does come down to a referendum (I don't think we will see it any time soon, if Labour win I doubt we will see it and Cameron says he will only do it with a clear majority which seems unlikely) the positives will become a lot more obvious, albeit with major changes to the EU system itself. The main problem seems to be immigration for a lot of people, but leaving the EU wont even solve this. Look at Switzerland and how they have to sign up for the Free Movement of Persons back in 2002, if we want to put ourselves in the same position as them we will have to accept this (as well as the fact they, and all EFTA nations, sign up bilaterally to all major EU laws and have to pay towards the EU). If we don't want this, we have to start removing ourselves completely from European trade.

 

[Kulindahr]

Britain could always just shut down the Chunnel......

 

[unloadonme]

Some benefits :

http://www.euromove.org.uk/index.php?id=15296

Given the source, I'd say that that was little better than propaganda. The supposed economic benefits are largely spurious. The UK has the 5th or 6th biggsst economy in the world and to suppose that it trades with other European countries only because of the EU is just too far fetched. What the article says about freedom of travel is true, but I'd dispute that it was a benefit. One could always travel in Europe; the right not to have to go home is detrimental.

 

[Nishin]

I wish I could answer the OP's question... it is making me very sad

 

[JohnnyAnger]

Given the source, I'd say that that was little better than propaganda. The supposed economic benefits are largely spurious. The UK has the 5th or 6th biggsst economy in the world and to suppose that it trades with other European countries only because of the EU is just too far fetched. What the article says about freedom of travel is true, but I'd dispute that it was a benefit. One could always travel in Europe; the right not to have to go home is detrimental.

Check out the CBI's view on it then if you want a business argument for staying inside.

http://www.cbi.org.uk/campaigns/our-global-future/factsheets/factsheet-2-benefits-of-eu-membership-outweigh-costs/

http://www.cbi.org.uk/campaigns/our-global-future/factsheets/factsheet-4-no-alternative-to-eu-membership-offers-better-balance-of-pros-and-cons/

 

[Kulindahr]

One could always travel in Europe; the right not to have to go home is detrimental.

What exactly is that supposed to mean????

 

[pat grimshaw]

What exactly is that supposed to mean????

What exactly is 'gal'-chasing, gun-toting Christian supposed to mean????

 

[Kulindahr]

I wish I could answer the OP's question... it is making me very sad

We need Jedi mind tricks.

 

[Nishin]

^ I will make good use of these





now... where is Geloge?

 

[pat grimshaw]

I look at the thread title and at the Wiki definition of the word 'populism'—

"Populism is a political doctrine that appeals to the interests and conceptions (such as fears) of the general people, especially contrasting those interests with the interests of the elite."

I say we should be asking about "the elite".

 

[unloadonme]

What exactly is that supposed to mean????

What it means is that a citizen of any EU state has the automatic, uncontrolled right to go and live in any other. Not just to visit or study or whatever, but to live there permanently if they wish. Some people try to sell that as a benefit of EU membership. I consider it a disadvantage.

 

[Alnitak]

Turkey is either partly or mostly in Europe, depending on where you draw the lines. It makes more sense to consider it mostly in Europe than anything else, if you're trying to keep continental dividing lines simple.

The Turgai Sea east of the Ural Mountains separated Europe from Asia about 50 million years ago, but the evolution of Turkey at that time is not very clear, and most of it was probably under water. The Caspian Sea is all that remains of the Turgai Strait, but that's not much help either. Anyway, Turkey is probably within the geologic definition of Europe.

 

[ChickenGuy]

Slightly off-topic:

Some of these vids of 'protests' are just so comical!

"Australian!! English!! Australian!!"

Those two should seriously go on a comedy show together. Hilarious!

 

[Kulindahr]

What it means is that a citizen of any EU state has the automatic, uncontrolled right to go and live in any other. Not just to visit or study or whatever, but to live there permanently if they wish. Some people try to sell that as a benefit of EU membership. I consider it a disadvantage.

Of course it's a benefit, unless you think that parochialism and nationalism are great virtues.

 

[JohnnyAnger]

Of course it's a benefit, unless you think that parochialism and nationalism are great virtues.

Yeah its a huge benefit to my life. The ease at which I could move to the Netherlands was amazing and great, and I will probably be using the advantage again to move countries later in the year. I would hate to have to go through all the hassle of visas, job set up etc. that you need outside of free movement. Moving aboard has made me a much more open and experienced person, and making it harder and possible impossible to do so would be a horrible.

Rather than fighting immigration, we should be fighting austerity and inequality. We need jobs being create and not to blame our lack of jobs on foreigners. We need to enforce minimum wages (something which is not done) and stop people moving here being exploited and at the same time under cutting people in the area anyway. We also need to take control of the executive branch of the European Union (the European Commission) from those who currently control it (the council of Europe - the heads of state for all the EU nations) so they our leaders can stop using it as a body to hide behind. We also need to fight the back door right wing business dealings the EU does, and make it open. If we start to do this the euro skeptics will start to go away again.