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Comment by hardbass | Hacker News Reader

How can EU be the one expected to be inviting when they didn't kick the UK out in the first place? The UK is the one that left on its own. The EU doesn't have to do anything, I think they are quite open to the UK or anyone else in the continent joining. I just find it absurd a British person is complaining without the UK first doing the homework and showing joining EU is something tenable from their side via an internal vote about joining.

If you want a disclaimer, I am neither european nor british if that matters. From outside the situation seems very clear to me.

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I could go into exhaustive details, but the EU made absolutely no case to the British people why they should be part of the EU, and that case is still unmade. Brexit was an EU political issue happening inside the EU yet it and the British people were treated with ignorance and condescension, like it was a wholly British minor political issue and the very thought of leaving was laughable (openly laughable because Nigel Farage got laughed at in the EU parliament when he put it to them that he was going to make Britain leave, which he succeeded in doing). That case for the benefits of joining has still never been made, rather assumed as self-evident. There has been no publicity at all towards the British people that they could rejoin and it would be beneficial, which is the step the EU would reasonably take yet refuses to do. Hence the British people similarly have no interest in begging to be part of this organisation, the mechanics and political organisation of which is very poorly understood.

The EU didn't participate in the Brexit campaign because that would have rightfully been seen as undue meddling in internal politics of the UK.

In any case I don't understand what you want us to do? Should the EU grovel before the UK and beg it to return? That won't happen. You guys voted to leave. You can come back if you want but don't expect any red carpets.

It's telling that ten years on it's mainly you Brits still kvetching about this.

I really don't understand this heisenberg nonsense at all. If he wants to join he should say (and prove) that, if he doesn't want to join then directly say that.

My main point in this thread was about Ursula proposing that the EU is democratic while she benefits from it not being democratic. I’m more just stirring the pot rather than kvetching. The more distance we get from Brexit it becomes easier to see the defects inherent within the EU project.

Whats wrong in laughing at farage? You left, if you eant to rejoin then you have to make the case and prove you are ready for it. The EU can't read your brain, why should it invite when you left. It should not even invite unlesss you did a poll and proved you want to join.

I agree that he’s a laughable character but they were laughing at the very idea he might do what he was saying he was going to do, rather than taking him seriously. If they’d have taken it seriously, the UK might still be part of the EU. Shows how open and liberal their thinking is to any ideas that don’t fit their paradigm.

The far right wing stupidity needs to run its course. There's nothing outside forces could have done to prevent it, attempts by EU to steer the Brexit issue would only have led to accusations of "EU interference" and casued a stronger Brexit. A few millions dead and total destruction of QoL would generally be the usual for far right wing to run its course like in the last world wars. Immunity only develops after a dose of the disease. I am not saying I like this, it's just how it is.

It is taking its course, which is why parties such as AfD are winning elections in Germany.

These parties dislike the EU anyways. So what would be the point in trying to woo them to a cause they don't believe in? Some lessons are best learned from europeans again returning to killing each other en masse. Unfortunately.

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