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Old 26-02-2016, 13:40   #673
Chris
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re: [Update] The UK votes to leave the EU

Quote:
Originally Posted by Damien View Post
It's not a smokescreen it's a valid point. I am posting it because I am contesting your notion that this is about if we're a sovereign nation or not. Sovereignty is not a black and white issue and there will remain issues on which we do not have complete sovereignty over if we left the EU.

It's not a question of sovereignty it's a matter of what specifically we want and do not want. Which resources and powers we pool together and which we reserve for ourselves. It's a question of degrees not absolutes.
The argument is indeed a smokescreen.

Nobody who is in any way familiar with the EU's enthusiasm for regulating everything from the colour of fire extinguishers to the pre-packaging of olive oil could seriously and with a straight face suggest that it is in the same league as obligations we sign up to bilaterally with organisations like NATO and the UN.

The sovereignty argument is a powerful one, indeed, it is the only one that transcends crises like the Euro and the migrant situation, which will wax and wane over time. It is no surprise to me that we are beginning to see specious arguments attempting to turn what is actually very straightforward into something that is all shades of grey.
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