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EU chief opens door for Canada to become 'associate member'

bbc.com

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Re: EU chief opens door for Canada to become 'associate member'

#461

Post by mitxela »

softwaredoug wrote: post #443
mitxela wrote: post #414

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The EU shouldn't become the US. EU countries are sovereign, with the practical right to completely ignore what the EU tells them to do, and this is a good thing for now. If an EU country legalizes weed, federal troopers do not march in, arrest all the weed dispensary owners and march them to federal prison because those things don't exist.

Ok but you have to accept that means an EU country works with a hand tied behind its back. In the US I can start a company and instantly have a market of 350M. Start a company in an EU country, then try to expand to another country, it’s a nightmare. That company will have a lower upper bound on market size. The EU might be a success in coordinating on regional issues, but I don’t think it’s yet an asset to the Europ…

Do you propose forcing 27 groups of people to become 1 group just so it's easier to sell them things?

Culture in Europe is more on sustainable business rather than hypergrowth, but you can expand to other countries too. You just have to have a business strategy catering to all the groups you want to cater to.

I think it's good the supermarket chains in France and in Germany are mostly disjoint sets, it keeps competition around. Pan-EU Supermarket Inc would be bad.

Re: EU chief opens door for Canada to become 'associate member'

#462

Post by mitxela »

DaSHacka wrote: post #430
mitxela wrote: post #357

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The majority of US voters like the guy. He represents the country, like it or not. Most of his voters still agree with all the stuff he's doing, and the opposition seems intent on sabotaging themselves as much as possible so he will likely win again this year.

> so he will likely win again this year. What do you mean by this?

I mean the Trump party will win in a landslide. Same reasons as last time. The opposition hasn't done anything to inspire more votes.

Re: EU chief opens door for Canada to become 'associate member'

#463

Post by AlexandrB »

llm_nerd wrote: post #275
shoobiedoo wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And won't the dems just undo all this tariff nonsense anyway? Or is Canada acting like a bitter ex after a breakup who vows to take their seething to the grave no matter what

Bitter ex? This is amazing. The US is a completely broken country, and simply switching governments will not change that. Without a complete and utter change in how that entire country operates -- including dissolution -- no country should ever normalize relations with it again. The US is by far the world's most dangerous rogue nation. It is a terroristic nation. It is a bully. It not only elected a rapist self-deali…

Funny, as a Canadian I feel like Canada is a completely broken country and the US is sane by comparison. Grass is always greener, etc.

Re: EU chief opens door for Canada to become 'associate member'

#464

Post by mitxela »

strictnein wrote: post #407
mitxela wrote: post #357

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The majority of US voters like the guy. He represents the country, like it or not. Most of his voters still agree with all the stuff he's doing, and the opposition seems intent on sabotaging themselves as much as possible so he will likely win again this year.

The majority of US voters do not like the guy. 58.1% disapproval, 38.6% approval.

The votes consistently tell a different story.

Re: EU chief opens door for Canada to become 'associate member'

#465

Post by petilon »

Trump is not emperor for life, fortunately. He'll be gone in a couple of years. With any luck the upcoming midterms will significantly limit his powers. America will recover from this dark period. Other countries have had dark periods too, like Germany, and recovered.

Re: EU chief opens door for Canada to become 'associate member'

#466

Post by jeroenhd »

0x10ca1h0st wrote: post #222

If that be the case, maybe we the USA ought to take the UK and Ireland as an associate state of the USA.

They won't need to if they start electing normal politicians and put in the effort to fix the damage they've done over the past decade.

Re: EU chief opens door for Canada to become 'associate member'

#467

Post by softwaredoug »

mitxela wrote: post #461
softwaredoug wrote: post #443

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok but you have to accept that means an EU country works with a hand tied behind its back. In the US I can start a company and instantly have a market of 350M. Start a company in an EU country, then try to expand to another country, it’s a nightmare. That company will have a lower upper bound on market size. The EU might be a success in coordinating on regional issues, but I don’t think it’s yet an asset to the Europ…

Do you propose forcing 27 groups of people to become 1 group just so it's easier to sell them things? Culture in Europe is more on sustainable business rather than hypergrowth, but you can expand to other countries too. You just have to have a business strategy catering to all the groups you want to cater to. I think it's good the supermarket chains in France and in Germany are mostly disjoint sets, it keeps competit…

I’m just telling you the tradeoffs you’ve chosen. You can’t be an economic superpower in the current regime.

Without your own “hypergrowth” you’ll always be dominated by the hypergrowth of competitors like the US and China. You’ll be in orbit of other powers instead of creating your own gravity.

Where am I wrong?

Re: EU chief opens door for Canada to become 'associate member'

#468

Post by Sharlin »

fidotron wrote: post #450
Sharlin wrote: post #410

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How so? Many EU states have benefited enormously from being on the receiving side of EU subsidies, which obviously would be out of the question without full integration. Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland have rejected membership, which essentially means that as EEA members they have to observe all the EU regulations and agreements when it comes to trade, without having any say about them. They have their reasons, but…

It literally privileges people in countries outside the EU by giving them more rights than those inside. Which many people inside the EU would observe seems completely consistent with EU behaviour. Edit to add: "Being misled" would refer to the way the EU was sold to many participants in earlier decades as an economic union, and not an all encompassing political one, with it simply ratcheting that way. Whenever objec…

Your position seems so astonishingly alien that I don't even know how to start replying. It seems biased against the entire concept of how human cooperation works.

Re: EU chief opens door for Canada to become 'associate member'

#469

Post by PyWoody »

musha68k wrote: post #246
harhargange wrote: post #68

From Blackberry to a budding VFX industry and many other sustainable businesses to come out of Canada has always made it seem like a very EU-like philosophy. This will be great for fair trade.

From Glenn Gould to Wayne Gretzky, from ATI to AdLib and Matrox we've always loved Canadian "exports" here in the EU. Let's work together!

You might want to look into Gretzky's political beliefs before "importing" him.

Re: EU chief opens door for Canada to become 'associate member'

#470

Post by cmrdporcupine »

slopinthebag wrote: post #451
cmrdporcupine wrote: post #432

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've started making my own cheese (with the new 6% milk we have in the grocery stores here in Ontario now). 4 litres of $10 6% milk gives me a huge pile of halloumi or similar that lasts the week. Protein / nutrition wise works out to be about 2/3rds the price of equivalent chicken and like 1/3rd the price of beef. About an hour and a half of rather enjoyable labour. I have mixed feelings about the dairy cartel. I am…

send me some cheese pls :) also 6% is something ive never seen. does it come in an extra large bag?

This is new in the Ontario market this year. It was lobbied for by the South Asian / Desi community as they like to make their own paneer and yogurt. It comes in the same 1.33L milk bags, it just costs a bit more, depending on the grocery store.

It took a while but most of the local grocery stores around me are now stocking it.

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