EU Government is crazy...

[Xest]

It's not really the biggest payer I'm talking about Quin and even then I'm not sure where you got that info, check here, about half way down the page is a chart that sums it up:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe ... ontributes

Germany is the top contributor, and also the biggest net contributor, even with the rebate the UK is still the second biggest contributor with the Netherlands in 3rd. France, despite having the 3rd biggest economy doesn't even quite contribute half what the net UK contribution is.

Also Alexandrinus, you're saying because we're succesful, because our country's economy is well managed we should have to pay more and hence make other countries better off whilst making ourselves worse off? That really isn't fair either. I'm all for helping severely under privalaged countries but countries like France aren't so bad off that we should have to make sacrifices to make up for bad management of their economy (i.e. supporting a farming industry that produces far, far more than it can possibly sell).

I'm not disagreeing that the situation sucks for Holland too Quin, and that our rebate was granted under different circumstances but the point is we're lucky enough to have the rebate as a bargaining chip for a change to the agricultural policy to make it more fair on everyone, if we let that go without a fight then it just leaves the EU's spending policy as much of a shambles as it's always been. Britain is in a position where it can make things more balanced and I really can't see how that's a bad thing, is it unfair we have the rebate and countries like Germany don't? Sure, but no more unfair than how disproportionate Italy, France and so on's net contributions are.

[Xest]

If anyone has a right to complain it's the Dutchies, looking at netto balance, we're the biggest contributor. The UK actually gets a special discount thanks to Thatcher.

Oh and about giving France money for the riots, F off, them Frenchies should sort it out themselves, it's their mess. It's a different story with a tsunami.

Least they haven't asked us to pay £85mill to sort out GOA yet though

[Tare]

in total u pay more yes, but if you calculate how much every citizen has to pay, Dutchies are on top:

[Quinlan]

I'm not disagreeing that the situation sucks for Holland too Quin, and that our rebate was granted under different circumstances but the point is we're lucky enough to have the rebate as a bargaining chip for a change to the agricultural policy to make it more fair on everyone, if we let that go without a fight then it just leaves the EU's spending policy as much of a shambles as it's always been. Britain is in a position where it can make things more balanced and I really can't see how that's a bad thing, is it unfair we have the rebate and countries like Germany don't? Sure, but no more unfair than how disproportionate Italy, France and so on's net contributions are.

I am talking of the biggest netto contributer per Capita Xest. This takes away the difference in country size. How much does one country per person living there. The biggest payers are Holland, Sweden and Germany.

And yes i see why the UK is using it as a bargaining chip to reduce the the agriculture subsidies since they are not from this time anymore. The EU has become a monstrous bureaucracy that is far from efficient and effective. If only they would stop moving from Brussel to France for 1 week all the time SOOOO much money would be saved.

Edit: A tare found a nice picture that i couldnt so fast. Thank god i moved to Finland . O and with the 2004 figures it is 1. Holland. 2 Sweden 3. Germany (if you keep the custom payments out. if you keep them in sweden and germany switch)

[HappyG]

Oh and about giving France money for the riots, F off, them Frenchies should sort it out themselves, it's their mess.

It's their mess at the moment, but reasons that brought to such things are very much the same in all western europe countries.

About subventions - european cow gets more €/day than people in 3rd world do, and this has to be changed. Besides, with lower subventions, UK will be more likely willing to accept to change their current Rebate

[OohhoO]

If the CAP gets reformed there'll be a lot more riots in France

Still, it desperately needs reforming for many reasons - financial, political, ecological & others.

[Lieva]

I just read in the Daily Mail that the European Commission President wants the British Government to give £85 Million to help France tackle the riots.

The rest of Europe is being asked to give £585 million.

How stupid can they get? The French Government has enough money to pay for it itself. Instead, that £670 million could be given to third world countries who have more important things to worry about, like food supply, disease, natural disasters etc.

The EU Government is crazy.

why does no one support the idea of tranquiliser guns. just shoot all the rioters and make them listen to their president speaking to them when they wake up. Theyll never riot again

[Tare]

why does no one support the idea of tranquiliser guns. just shoot all the rioters and make them listen to their president speaking to them when they wake up. Theyll never riot again

actually, more probable is that the rioters will be so ****ed about the (ab)use of force, they'll start rioting again.
Non-rioters will outrage aswell at the (ab)use of force and start rioting aswell. Using violence is really not the way to go.

[Quinlan]

actually, more probable is that the rioters will be so ****ed about the (ab)use of force, they'll start rioting again.
Non-rioters will outrage aswell at the (ab)use of force and start rioting aswell. Using violence is really not the way to go.

Well shooting all the rioters will eventually stop the riots...

Dunno how it will go with all the lefties but hey...

[Lieva]

shoot the people who riot cuz they annoyed you shot the rioters as well

nothing that a nice tranq cant solve