Comment by piva00 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by piva00 | Hacker News Reader

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> I’m hoping the UK joins the United States. We’ve already started to merge our military industrial base and have a long, shared history. Maybe they would receive preference for US LNG/coal shipments too as a result.

This is unrealistic bordering absurd, you just came out of Brexit sold under the pretense of increased freedom and sovereignty. The UK didn't even like the special deal it had with the EU, unique concessions that no other country in the Union would get because the Union acknowledged that the UK was worthy enough to be in with those rather than out without them.

It'd be ludicrous to believe that coming from this sentiment the population would agree in joining the US, losing most of its sovereignty to become a 51st State under control of the USA Federal Government, like extremely ludicrous. The cherry on top would be the humiliation to the UK's nationalists in becoming a vassal of a former colony, I don't see this having any chance whatsoever to happen, not now, not in the next 50 years.

I gotta ask, what fosters this hope of yours? I haven't seen a Brit so deluded in wishful thinking as this take, it's a bit baffling, sorry to say.

I mean I agree it’s not popular, but the UK would be better off as a 51st state than they currently are now.

Absolutely not! I can't think of any major economy that is more of a hell-hole than the USA. That applies over so much of the major features of the place: extreme politics, gun violence, "justice" system, policing, prison system, healthcare, gerrymandered elections, racism - loads of stuff where the problems may exist elsewhere (including the UK), but to nowhere near the same extent. The UK may have some problems, but it's nothing we haven't been through before.

Small point: but the _United Kingdom of etc._ is already a Union of 4 states (countries, whatever), it's not about to become a single state of anything.

If anything, each of those 4 states in increasingly looking to find an alliance that works for them individually. The UK exited the European Union, and that is in turn weakening the United Kingdom's Union. What a surprise.

Our difference seems to be that I don’t put much weight on your view that nationalism will dominate the discussion. Standard of living will. My hope is UK citizens make decisions to benefit themselves, their family, friends, and community.

The UK cannot maintain its current standard of living without a very large partnership of some sort. Once living standards get bad enough people will be open to non-traditional options.

The EU can’t offer much energy, national security, or manufacturing support these days and U.S. is the only other reasonable option. A partnership, statehood, or something similar with the U.S. would immediately position the UK as the most powerful and desirable region in Europe IMO.

It would also not be one state, more likely 4. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. They would each get a voice in the USA Federal government. Opportunity of a generation IMO.

You think the the US would increase the British standard of living? There’s no way any Brit would go for anything the US has to peddle.

What would the United States get out of this?

Nothing.

Taxes?

Nationalism was the main reason why Brexit happened. The way it was sold to the people was by being more independent so the UK could limit immigration (well that didn't happen, and they could have actually done this before but chose not to) and so they didn't need to send money to the EU to build roads in foreign places the average UK pensioner would never dream of going (it's gone down from a net of around £8B to £1B).

> The EU can’t offer much energy, national security, or manufacturing support these days and U.S. is the only other reasonable option.

The UK literally relies on the EU energy market (and vice versa), with lots of imports and exports between the two. There isn't enough of it, but there's already a codependency there. National security is debatable, but as a part of the EU the UK would be leader among equals (big army and nukes), so cooperation would be on an equal footing. Manufacturing of what, specifically?

We’ve seen the result of that reliance. UK’s non-subsidized energy prices have skyrocketed and it’s unclear what the remedy will be. If you know one please tell me. I’ve been to the UK and talked to power players there and the only plan I’ve heard is “temporary” deindustrialization to maintain consumer comforts.

National security - the UK is THE leader in Europe. The EU seems unwilling to field a credible military deterrence. That’s not being equals IMO. Slowly that’s changing now… but the UK is already integrating its military industrial base with the U.S. so that ship has sailed.

Manufacturing - I used that word as a catch-all for providing goods and services.

I assumed he meant like a free trade union, not political integration.

Maybe not the parent commenter's take, but I have seen a few Americans around the place casually suggesting countries join the Union. I think some may be under the misapprehension that not everyone looks to America as the "greatest country" and would wish to not just be like them, but be them.

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