The state of being British ……….. or Irish, or French, or German or anything else for that matter is an accident of birth. Be grateful because you could have been born in America!
I'm Irish and that's fine with me and a guy I meet in my local sometimes is British and he's happy with that. When I think about it, I'm happy for him too. It would be difficult if he was constantly bitching about having no Nationality.
But being born in this region of the world automatically makes you a European, something you are only aware of when you find yourself on another continent. So I'm Irish most of the time and then a European when the situation demands. Of course, if asked what part of Europe I'll stick my chest out and say the "Emerald Isle."
So if we had voted to leave the EU today, I wouldn't be any less European on those rare visits to the States. I wouldn't be on the Europe 'B' team for example because the little island I live on won't be towed 1,000 miles to the West anytime soon. It's sort of anchored where it is beside the European continent. The Brits therefore are still Europeans in the same geographic way, they're just not in the exclusive members club. Word has it they compared the membership fee with the benefits thereof and reckoned it wasn't value for money.
More tellingly however is the reaction of the remaining democratic members of the club. This democratic vote by UK citizens is incensing some in certain quarters and I'd love to know why. Is membership mandatory? Is it a crime not to in the fucking club? If it is then we don't have a club but a prison. We will see proof it is a prison if the EU elite decide to punish Britain for leaving because they will effectively be accused of breaking out. If it truly is a club then gentlemen will behave like gentlemen and an open invitation to re-join will be issued to the UK if they so wish.
But I'd be a bit concerned. Elitist Governments across Europe rubber-stamped the Lisbon Treaty on behalf of their citizens without consultation and that alone makes their membership non-representative. That's what really happened to make up the club membership. When we paddies voted no we were sent back to get the right answer with dire threats ringing in our ears. The same happened with the Nice Treaty before it. There is nothing voluntary or democratic about that, is there? And all morning I am hearing experts here bemoan the fact that the British people were even allowed to have their say. They're blaming Cameron for being weak. What the hell are these vested interests thinking. Are these people the vanguard of civilized jackboots who would deny us our say?
If that's the EU, I for one want our sovereignty back. Every five years we can have the chance to vote a bunch of different clowns in but at least they're our clowns. Now our clowns can't even get up and give us a laugh because the show has moved to Brussels. Members club how are ya!