Iceland votes on whether to restart talks on joining EU • Hacker News Board

Re: Iceland votes on whether to restart talks on joining EU

#361

Post by ViewTrick1002 » Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 4:44 PM UTC

inigyou wrote: post #359

ViewTrick1002 wrote: post #290

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Shared usage of a limited resource is a hard problem to solve. Given the current system maybe the most honest one would be if the state ”owns” all the quota and then let fishermen bid for fishing rights. But I have a feeling that will quickly become politicized with strange carve outs benefiting a few.

Bidding for rights is basically an ownership system already. Once you win a bid for a right, then you own the right.

Even if time limited?

So you bid for 5, 10 years or whatever becomes a good balance between stability to invest in the business and an agile market.

Re: Iceland votes on whether to restart talks on joining EU

#362

Post by watwut » Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 4:48 PM UTC

WarmWash wrote: post #273

bluegatty wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The most likely outcome is that the EU is more or less what it is now for the decades to come, and the lack of reform costs significantly in terms of progress, and that Europe misses out on leading key industrial elements and becomes less relevant to global affairs especially as a lot of so-called 'global south' countries become more successful. The dynamic of Europe sending all the talent to US is probably just goin…

The EU is cooked unless they can figure out domestic industry. They currently have a US tech stack because they strangled Euro tech in the cradle, and now that things are rough with the US, they are looking to China to be their new, err, "trading partner". Anything other than realize they went way to far with "kill enterprise, embrace relaxation" mindset. Trust beyond anything else, when money gets to be tight, and t…

It is not so much that "things are bad with US". Issue is that US is being destroyed by tech and techs money. The rise of US tech companies is literally one of main contributors to its descend.

EU should have been more protective and aggressive against US companies. But, reproducing US economy choices would just make EU get loose democracy sooner.

Re: Iceland votes on whether to restart talks on joining EU

#363

Post by alasano » Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 4:50 PM UTC

If in any way this allows me to import Icelandic hot dog sausages to Canada, it's a step in the right direction.

Last time I paid something like 25$ per hotdog (w/ buns & toppings) to import them from some guy and it could have gotten seized. Worth every penny though.

Re: Iceland votes on whether to restart talks on joining EU

#364

Post by Sammi » Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 5:00 PM UTC

petra wrote: post #333

badc0ffee wrote: post #303

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The US keeps talking about leaving.

I hope that Trump doesn't represent US policies in the long term.

There are approximately 874 days left in Donald Trump's presidential term as of August 29, 2026.

That's if the bugger leaves office and doesn't start an insurrection like last time, and that the insurrection doesn't work like last time. Depends a lot on how much Americans actually want him gone, but alas you Americans seem to keep voting for him no matter how many corruption scandals he's in.

Re: Iceland votes on whether to restart talks on joining EU

#365

Post by inigyou » Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC

azan_ wrote: post #194

stavros wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, they should, if they're reasonable.

No, the reasonable position is to hold everyone to same standards. Single market makes no sense if every country is being held to different standards.

A single market means a single market, it doesn't mean everything is the same in every country. Single market should mean that Icelandic fish can be sold anywhere in the EU, not that everyone can fish in Iceland without following Icelandic law.

Re: Iceland votes on whether to restart talks on joining EU

#366

Post by Reason077 » Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC

rozab wrote: post #317

bluGill wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They don't need to join the EU to use the euro. There are countries that use the U.S. dollar even though they're not the U.S. Sometimes it's just de facto use the dollar. There is technically a local currency and people use it when forced to but they would prefer the dollar. If you're a small country, something like the dollar or the euro is probably your best bet because of the stability it affords. The advantage to…

This means giving up all the advantages of central banking and is generally only done informally by countries experiencing hyperinflation without capital controls. It's a marker of a failed state. I remember in live TV debates for the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, the Yes leader insisted that Scotland could not be prevented from using the Pound sterling. It's technically true, but a very, very bad idea.

> ”This means giving up all the advantages of central banking … It's a marker of a failed state.”

There are a number of countries/territories which have their “own” currency, but its value (exchange rate) is fixed directly to the USD:

• Hong Kong

• Saudi Arabia

• United Arab Emirates

• Qatar

• Jordan

• Oman

• Bahrain

• Panama

• etc

These are not failed states!

Re: Iceland votes on whether to restart talks on joining EU

#367

Post by inigyou » Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 5:19 PM UTC

mytailorisrich wrote: post #257

UpsideDownRide wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sovereignty is not a binary thing. And it's also not the case that not being a part of some structure makes you sovereign from it. In some cases it's the opposite - you need to conform anyway and have no input into the decision process. So as usual things are nuanced and not black and white.

As it happens sovereignty is a binary thing, at least when looked at domain by domain. Either you are sovereign or you are not, there is no half-sovereign. The EU is going the federalisation way. Even now member countries relinquished sovereignty on key aspects: border control and immigration, monetary policy and currency, trade policy, and then a bunch of other things. This is hugely significant for a country. This…

If countries relinquished sovereignty on borders then can you explain how they are now controlling their own borders again to stop migrants?

Re: Iceland votes on whether to restart talks on joining EU

#368

Post by inigyou » Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 5:21 PM UTC

senko wrote: post #336

ExoticPearTree wrote: post #320

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They did not really ditched the roaming fees. You get some free roaming with any plan, and if you go over it, you get charged. Yes, it is nice for a day or two in another EU country, but pretty much that’s it.

That's incorrect. There are no roaming fees. Instead, some telecoms give you a generous number of "credits" for calls, transfer, etc, and sometimes try to limit these to your own country. Then you have to pay overage fees (the same in your home country or elsewhere within EU). The legality (or ToS language around this) is dubious, but the fact that telecoms try to skirt around the rules doesn't mean they don't work -…

They're required to grant roaming credits proportional to your monthly payment, but those are usually lower than you get in your own country for the same monthly payment. But they're also usually enough, and free to you. Which is much better than the previous status quo.

Re: Iceland votes on whether to restart talks on joining EU

#369

Post by xdennis » Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 5:21 PM UTC

squidbeak wrote: post #356

ghusto wrote: post #307

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depends who you talk to. I have a mixed bag of UK friends, and it's about half-half. One thing I think myself is that there was an ugly _hope_ that the UK would suffer as a result. A hope which, as far as I can see, wasn't realised. Living in Europe, I saw a lot on the news about how the UK had shot itself in the foot and things were going badly, but when I visit friends, not so much.

> I have a mixed bag of UK friends, and it's about half-half. Polls show the population regrets Brexit. [1] > One thing I think myself is that there was an ugly _hope_ that the UK would suffer as a result. A hope which, as far as I can see, wasn't realised. Living in Europe, I saw a lot on the news about how the UK had shot itself in the foot and things were going badly, but when I visit friends, not so much. The UK…

> Polls show the population regrets Brexit.

They also showed that Brexit wasn't going to pass and Trump wouldn't get elected.

Re: Iceland votes on whether to restart talks on joining EU

#370

Post by inigyou » Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 5:23 PM UTC

ViewTrick1002 wrote: post #361

inigyou wrote: post #359

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bidding for rights is basically an ownership system already. Once you win a bid for a right, then you own the right.

Even if time limited? So you bid for 5, 10 years or whatever becomes a good balance between stability to invest in the business and an agile market.

Yes, then you become a landlord for 5 or 10 years. Once the rights are given out by whatever method and set for 10 years, then anyone else who wants one in the next 10 years has to buy or rent one from whoever has one. That's landlordism.