h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Is Britain going to be put off Europe for years to come by papers who shout their xynephobic(probably spelt wrong but you get the idea!) views around or will Mr. Blair finally have the bottle to make a decision?. Not that I care because I'm off to live in a Bolivian forest....

We'll never quit the EU - that'd be completely dumb. I hope we enter the euro, and the EU sorts itself out, too. Some hope...

(it's Xenophobic)

Well i hope my country (Slovenia) will join EU soon (before i grow white beard)

Point well made about the papers. Consider this: To what extent is public opinion (the newspapers' excuse for selling xenophobic reports) CREATED by the very poeple who sell those reports?

As for Blair, I think he and Brown have both made their minds up to stay in and probably to join the Euro too, I think they just worry about losing voters if they say it too loud because of this aforementioned "public opinion" myth.

This is getting very political and my participation here is starting to look a little too one-sided, but they're interesting points to consider, especially the one abut the tabloids.

Hi there I'm Loki and personally Britains affiliation is best discribed by a little episode of "Yes Minister", Britain needs to be within the EU because it needs to check the Frech German "Axis". Our English friends need to make up their minds if they want to take part in a unified Europe (not too centralized, a Europe of the regions) or go on alone, but beware the day of "Rule Britania" are over.
Something I heard: Within the US Statedepartment they did a reaserched on the results of the UK joining NAFTA. Just the idea of this illustrates that Britain has not committed itself to this "Continental" process.

Probably true.
Interestingly Schröder claims the Germans aren't really thinking in terms of the axis any more, while the French seem to cling to it like driftwood.
I think commitment really is our big problem. "I dunno, dear, I guess I just need my own space, time to think things through, not rush a decision..."