The EU: A bit of a pony really
May 22nd 2011, 10:27 am
#16
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Re: The EU: A bit of a pony really
I'm not sure that will go the way you think. Although (generally) the English like to complain about the Scots they also feel rejected (again generally) when the notion of Scottish independence comes up.
May 22nd 2011, 11:42 am
#17
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Re: The EU: A bit of a pony really
How iironic it is that at the same time as the dead EU horse is being endlessly flogged, the UK: a unification which works very well indeed is being systematically dismantled. Surely it'd be better to fine tune our unification to address the concerns of those who want to break away and ditch the unelected and completely unworkable one?
May 22nd 2011, 11:47 am
#18
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Re: The EU: A bit of a pony really
How iironic it is that at the same time as the dead EU horse is being endlessly flogged, the UK: a unification which works very well indeed is being systematically dismantled. Surely it'd be better to fine tune our unification to address the concerns of those who want to break away and ditch the unelected and completely unworkable one?
May 22nd 2011, 12:09 pm
#19
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Re: The EU: A bit of a pony really
How iironic it is that at the same time as the dead EU horse is being endlessly flogged, the UK: a unification which works very well indeed is being systematically dismantled. Surely it'd be better to fine tune our unification to address the concerns of those who want to break away and ditch the unelected and completely unworkable one?
May 22nd 2011, 1:11 pm
#20
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Re: The EU: A bit of a pony really
I guess the advantage of the Unification is relaced by the EU. Similar feelings exist in Belgium, where the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia see little point in continuing with a country artificially created at the treaty of London.
May 22nd 2011, 1:24 pm
#21
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Re: The EU: A bit of a pony really
That's a good point, and it makes sense strategically. But what will become of these newly independent nations once the EU collapses? Everyone within the separate British states will be worse off. Maybe that's what the EU wants: To remove the British resistence to their dastardly plans
I remember the 1960s. Smash the establishment. Destroy the old guard. I watched Monty Python mock many of the things that people respected.
The problem was nothing replaced it. We just became leaderless, moral-less, and motiveless.
The same stupidity is occurring with the EU. Destroy alliances that have existed (for good reason) for hundreds of years, under a crazy “united states of Europe” banner.
I was working in Paris many years ago, and had an argument with my Boss about the EEC. It went like this:
“You know slappy, we need the EEC. We need one common set of laws across Europe”
“Yes Serge. I agree”
“and we need a common single economy”
“Yes Serge I agree”
“And we need one common open market”
“Yes Serge I agree. And might I add, we need one common Language. That’s English, spoken and understood all over the world”
“My God NO Slappy, we will never give up our mother tongue. I will die before I speak English”.
It sums the whole mess up.
May 22nd 2011, 1:34 pm
#22
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Re: The EU: A bit of a pony really
I’m an old man Pauly. Maybe old before my time.
I remember the 1960s. Smash the establishment. Destroy the old guard. I watched Monty Python mock many of the things that people respected.
The problem was nothing replaced it. We just became leaderless, moral-less, and motiveless.
The same stupidity is occurring with the EU. Destroy alliances that have existed (for good reason) for hundreds of years, under a crazy “united states of Europe” banner.
I was working in Paris many years ago, and had an argument with my Boss about the EEC. It went like this:
“You know slappy, we need the EEC. We need one common set of laws across Europe”
“Yes Serge. I agree”
“and we need a common single economy”
“Yes Serge I agree”
“And we need one common open market”
“Yes Serge I agree. And might I add, we need one common Language. That’s English, spoken and understood all over the world”
“My God NO Slappy, we will never give up our mother tongue. I will die before I speak English”.
It sums the whole mess up.
I remember the 1960s. Smash the establishment. Destroy the old guard. I watched Monty Python mock many of the things that people respected.
The problem was nothing replaced it. We just became leaderless, moral-less, and motiveless.
The same stupidity is occurring with the EU. Destroy alliances that have existed (for good reason) for hundreds of years, under a crazy “united states of Europe” banner.
I was working in Paris many years ago, and had an argument with my Boss about the EEC. It went like this:
“You know slappy, we need the EEC. We need one common set of laws across Europe”
“Yes Serge. I agree”
“and we need a common single economy”
“Yes Serge I agree”
“And we need one common open market”
“Yes Serge I agree. And might I add, we need one common Language. That’s English, spoken and understood all over the world”
“My God NO Slappy, we will never give up our mother tongue. I will die before I speak English”.
It sums the whole mess up.
Europe English
The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the EU rather than German which was the other possibility.
As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a five year phase-in plan that would be known as "Euro-English".
In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of the "k". This should klear up konfusion and keyboards kan have 1 less letter.
There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year, when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like "fotograf" 20% shorter.
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be ekspekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkorage the removal of double letters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of the silent "e"s in the language is disgraseful, and they should go away.
By the fourth year, peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v". During ze fifz year, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and similar changes vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters.
After zis fifz yer, ve vil hav a reli sensibl riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi to understand ech ozer. Ze drem vil finali kum tru! And zen world!
The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the EU rather than German which was the other possibility.
As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a five year phase-in plan that would be known as "Euro-English".
In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of the "k". This should klear up konfusion and keyboards kan have 1 less letter.
There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year, when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like "fotograf" 20% shorter.
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be ekspekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkorage the removal of double letters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of the silent "e"s in the language is disgraseful, and they should go away.
By the fourth year, peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v". During ze fifz year, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and similar changes vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters.
After zis fifz yer, ve vil hav a reli sensibl riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi to understand ech ozer. Ze drem vil finali kum tru! And zen world!
May 22nd 2011, 1:53 pm
#24
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Re: The EU: A bit of a pony really
About time the yanks did something 
The French missed out on the language consideration because they were too busy blockading Calais to have it added.
May 22nd 2011, 7:00 pm
#25
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Re: The EU: A bit of a pony really
When we Brits started work there they brought in a rule that all business was to be conducted in English. Honestly the meetings were painful as German software engineers tried to get across complex concepts in English.
I got to the point I would avoid meetings as I knew if I wasn't there they'd just revert to talking German to each other, which was much more efficient.
I think they know long-term though, German as a language is doomed. Long Long term I think it will be between English and Spanish or a hybrid of the 2 as the Lingua Franca.
JTL
May 22nd 2011, 7:35 pm
#26
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Re: The EU: A bit of a pony really
I worked in Germany for a German software company for a while with a few other Brits. It was a multinational, but essentially German company (ok it was SAP).
When we Brits started work there they brought in a rule that all business was to be conducted in English. Honestly the meetings were painful as German software engineers tried to get across complex concepts in English.
I got to the point I would avoid meetings as I knew if I wasn't there they'd just revert to talking German to each other, which was much more efficient.
I think they know long-term though, German as a language is doomed. Long Long term I think it will be between English and Spanish or a hybrid of the 2 as the Lingua Franca.
JTL
When we Brits started work there they brought in a rule that all business was to be conducted in English. Honestly the meetings were painful as German software engineers tried to get across complex concepts in English.
I got to the point I would avoid meetings as I knew if I wasn't there they'd just revert to talking German to each other, which was much more efficient.
I think they know long-term though, German as a language is doomed. Long Long term I think it will be between English and Spanish or a hybrid of the 2 as the Lingua Franca.
JTL
English is a relatively easy language to speak. It's just really crap to spell.
Last edited by Rambi; May 22nd 2011 at 7:37 pm.
May 23rd 2011, 12:07 am
#27
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Re: The EU: A bit of a pony really
I worked in Germany for a German software company for a while with a few other Brits. It was a multinational, but essentially German company (ok it was SAP).
When we Brits started work there they brought in a rule that all business was to be conducted in English. Honestly the meetings were painful as German software engineers tried to get across complex concepts in English.
I got to the point I would avoid meetings as I knew if I wasn't there they'd just revert to talking German to each other, which was much more efficient.
I think they know long-term though, German as a language is doomed. Long Long term I think it will be between English and Spanish or a hybrid of the 2 as the Lingua Franca.
JTL
When we Brits started work there they brought in a rule that all business was to be conducted in English. Honestly the meetings were painful as German software engineers tried to get across complex concepts in English.
I got to the point I would avoid meetings as I knew if I wasn't there they'd just revert to talking German to each other, which was much more efficient.
I think they know long-term though, German as a language is doomed. Long Long term I think it will be between English and Spanish or a hybrid of the 2 as the Lingua Franca.
JTL
Reminds me of a trip OH and I made to the Netherlands a few years back. Needing directions I asked an old daisy if she spoke English. She answered "No" in a very German sounding voice. As we turned away I said to wifey that I thought she was German. Next thing I knew the old lady shouted angrily back at us "I AM NOT GERMAN!"
I reckon English has now established itself as the Lingua Franca. Speaking English in France is no longer the problem it was 25 years ago. When I see travel programmes to countries where the colonial language is not English a significant number of people seem to able to speak a significant amount of English (on top of the colonial language and their own language).
English is a relatively easy language to speak. It's just really crap to spell.
English is a relatively easy language to speak. It's just really crap to spell.
Other language possibilities are Portugese and Spanish, They're spoken a lot around the world too. In fact they possibly have more of a case than the French do.
May 23rd 2011, 12:53 am
#28
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Re: The EU: A bit of a pony really
May 23rd 2011, 1:03 am
#29
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Re: The EU: A bit of a pony really
May 23rd 2011, 1:14 am
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Re: The EU: A bit of a pony really
