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Originally Posted by
phlanx
Elliot,
Your thoughts are a little draconian mate
Actually, I would think the imposition of a centralized government over the will of the individual states would be considered draconian. I'm actually the OPPOSITE of draconian... I'm acting "libertarian" or "classical liberal" in this sense.
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Lets try this tactic :)
A democratic scoiety has the right to freedom of choice
Companies are a major supplier of this choice
Industry looks at available markets to sell to
Businesses want to expand into new markets but don't want to redisgn the product to suit a countries old regulations
Governments are lobbied to introduce measures that will force new markets to accept the higher standards
Companies supply old product to new market to make more profit
This is in effect what is happening in the EU - the individual contries have a right to choose - except the deal or not
Surely that is at the heart of what you are saying, but instead of looking at Eliot, in the US, the system is looking at the bigger picture of 7bn in the world
What you seem to be saying is that if I want to sell one product to one company in one country in the EU, I have to accept ALL of the EU's rules and regulations. Or else I can choose to sell to NONE of them. Those are my only options under your scenario.
Under my scenario, I can sell any product I want to any company under whatever terms are worked out between the two parties regardless of who runs the government. I can do this as many times as I wish, without having the rules of other countries imposed on me.
You tell me which of these two scenarios is better for business.
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Nowhere in your argument do you state cultural influience as a factor in determining self determination
It is impossible for anybody in this world not be influienced by another person, or countries attitude
I am English, I wear the english rose and three lions with pride, doesn't mean I don't like some of the culture from the far east, and if I had a choice I would have an ornamental garden
And my 9-year-old son plays soccer (that's "football" to you Brits).
Does the fact that we accept certain influences that WE CHOOSE to accept mean that we have to accept the imposition of another country's rules and regulations? We take what we want and leave the rest... without having the rest impose on us from outside.
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I am still an individual, making freedom of choice of a lifestyle,
Are you?
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while at the same time, happy in the knowledge that the products I buy are of the highest standards possible, made by companies that follow a democratic rule system, that helps both me and the rest of the chimps on planet earth
So I can only do business with companies that follow a democratic rule system? I can't buy cheap knicknacks from China anymore? Or Korea? Can't buy oil from Saudi Arabia? Can't buy diamonds from Africa? None of these countries operate their countries under "democratic rule".
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Very simplifed view of what it takes to get to that point, but still, the idea that an individual has self rule is in my opinon an illusion
That's because your system, with life under the EU, really DOESN'T have self rule for individuals. We still do, and I'm trying to keep us from going in the direction that you have, where self-determination becomes an illusion.
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PS. EU is like or going to be like you system of government, senate or MEP house, president at the top, so everybody has an equal say on lobbying, but those that have the most power on lobbying are those that have the money and are willing to send it the countries to help raise their standards
If it is imposed from the outside, it doesn't matter if it's "just the same" as our system or not. It isn't our system.
Elliot