I went back to find your analysis of that article I linked the other day - I would have referred to it earlier if I had seen it - sorry I did not and missing it was the only reason.
I see your comments to be pretty much reserved to the aspects of general relationships referred to in the article. Really limited to areas of what could be considered to be 'normal tensions'.
I am assuming that was not deliberate - given the depth of analysis that I have seen from you previously I would have expected you to pick up on the more fundamental areas that the article raised - but to be fair I realise that my initial post could have been deemed to be a bit 'high-handed' and I should have been more explicit. So I will on one subject - debt mutualisation:
1/ What are your general thoughts about the EU aims of achieving debt mutualisation across the EU - what do you think will be achieved and what damage could be done to the Eurozone?
2/ What are your specific thoughts about how that is going to work for the 'Frugal four': Holland, Sweden, Denmark, and Austria?
3/ What do you think that it will mean specifically for Germany - and by extension and related to debt mutualisation - can you understand why Germany have been/were/are keen for the UK to Remain in the EU?
4/ Why do you think that the subject has caused a rift in the Franco/German relationship - but also caused Germany to abandon the Frugal four?
5/ What do you think that it could have meant for the UK over the next 10-20 years if we had Remained in the EU?
6/ Given the prevailing conditions of the Mediterranean Europe group — Greece, Italy, Spain, and Portugal and many other more recent members resulting from the 2004 and 2007 enlargements that are seeking more and more money for staying in the Euro - do you see it as a one-off exercise or will it be required to be repeated? - what are the implications of that?
Also - here are some associated questions that are not specifically touched upon in or logically flowing from the report, but I think are quite relevant and I would really appreciate your views on
What 'motivating characteristic' would you suggest that the countries that joined the EU through the 2004 and 2007 enlargements had in common? and how many of these countries are 'contributors'?
And, similarly, what 'motivating characteristic' would those countries identified as future members have in common? and how many of these countries would be 'contributors'?
How many countries that are currently independent and potential contributors are seeking accession?
Perhaps these would be more interesting questions to debate rather than the level to which the thread has sunk to - afterall, achieving the raising of the thread content up was an aspiration of yours.
You have in the past encouraged me to post openly on the forum rather than in PMs - I wonder if raising such questions as these will lead you to realise why I might have preferred PMs.
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