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burtness

*German-French-British

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The UK was not a founding member of the European community. Charles de Gaulle saw to that.

They were however one of the main driving forces behind the Single Market, of which this is an expression.

The Brits joined later because they were broke and had lost their empire.

And the Germans joined to cleanse themselves of genocide and apply for readmission to the human race. While the French only joined because they wanted to protect their inefficient farmers from commercial competition.

The British joined to screw the French by splitting them off from the Germans that and of course their foreign policy objective for at least the last five hundred years which has being to create a disunited Europe.

Couldn't help but read it in Sir Humphrey's voice. It's fascinating how accurate a 40 year old comedy drama still remains.

I don't think everyone here is familiar with "Yes, Minister", so it would probably be best if you quote it.

For anyone else interested, the parent paraphrased a scene [0] from the legendary British sitcom "Yes, Minister" (~early 80s) where the civil servant Humphrey explains, in the most cynical manner possible, how the EU (at the time EEC) came to be.

[0] https://youtu.be/rvYuoWyk8iU?t=74

You're most likely right, fortunately I don't possess quite the level of cynicism that my comment might have suggested. I do hope there was no one who believed my comment was made in anything but jest (at the expense of it's parent commenter), that would be disappointing.

The UK never bought the EU project, came late, left promptly. Know before talking.

Alternatively: Came late, when realised they were missing out, got special treatment,stayed for 30 years, made a mess, threatened to divorse, it's been 5 years and they still can't shut the door.

The UK started efforts to join the EEC just 4 years after the Treaty of Rome.

Its entry was personally blocked 3 times by Charles De Gaulle before finally being allowed to join in 1973.

When the UK finally left in 2020 it had been a member for 47 years.

I wouldn't describe that as coming late and leaving promptly.

As for never buying the EU project, a 1975 referendum on EEC membership was won by a comfortable 34.4% majority.

Where as the 2016 vote leave campaigns won with just a 3.7% majority, having broken the rules on spending.

I would say that many of us in the UK buy the EU project and are unhappy about the leave result still.

To this day the reports on foreign interference have not been compiled or fully published by the current Conservative government.

I was present on a talk about the EU given by an UK official back in 2014. At that time the person didn't even knew how many members the EU had (Croatia was just admitted) and they were pretty open that they are not really interested to know. When I've been to the UK, two years earlier, a bus driver that I talked to was afraid that eastern europeans will come and take his job. I perfectly well know the UK relationship with the EU, but trust me when I tell you that giving some numbers does not reflect reality. Maybe because the UK considered itself a winner in WWII and wasn't ruined from it like France and Germany, or maybe because of Soros and black Wednesday, or for whatever reason,but Brittan was never a cornerstone of the EU the way France and Germany are, which is the thing the GP was trying to imply and I definitely disagree.

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