[Anonymouse]

According to the Times, Cameron's refusing to pay it. We shall see.

I wonder if this could be an excuse for the war the EU was allegedly set up to prevent between member states of Europe? If so, they'll get what they got in WW2 - a sound thrashing!

One question no-one has answered to my satisfaction: in terms of trading with European countries, why do we 'need' to be part of the EU? The States, Japan et al certainly aren't, and the EU doesn't mind trading with them. Why can't we go it alone?

The entire EU concept doesn't work and never did. The member countries are too different and have different cultures and economies - membership of the EU has not changed that fact in the slightest. The same would be true for the 'world government' so beloved to SF. As long as our culture is driven by the profit motive - the acquisition of wealth at all levels from individual up to government and/or corporations (if there's a difference!) - it can't work. Economic unity and free-trade capitalism are mutually exclusive; trading only works when the two or more parties have different goods to offer each other. If they're all the same, as the EU is trying (and failing, fortunately) to make them, there's no point in trading.

Only in a Star Trek type of world would unity have a chance - and even then we'd have to elect politicians who didn't want the job...because otherwise we'd end up with the harshest tyranny imaginable.