Quote Originally Posted by Lady Maria View Post
French people with a semblance of education would know that European laws are binding, from the CAP through budgetary strictures, civil protection, energy, tourism, police cooperation to national defence. We're sometimes reminded of it, with such innocuous phrases as "further to the European directive so-and-so...". Hell, we're even supposed to elect our national representatives in the European parliament! But let me tell you the absentions run high... None but Brussels-buffs and those with a keen interest in politics really knows who's on the lists. To most of us they're just names.

When the French people voted NO to a European referendum, the government sat on it. Just plain sat on it. We have had zilch say in European politics (how could it be otherwise?!) the Euro was imposed upon us and has meant nothing but a loss in domestic purchasing power (although if you were to go on holidays to say, Turkey, your purchasing power parity would naturally get a boost).

Another sad issue would be that our debt belongs mostly to China. Needless to say, when you are indebted to someone, you are obliged to them... making this democratic myth even lamer.
Never came across a French person with these types of views. Sorry to say that all French people I know, are corporate drones, anglophiles or just wealthy and clueless. So it's very interesting to read your posts! Hope you'll stick around in the forum, it would really benefit from your input, I think!

And for the record I share many of your views, even if I don't have the French perspective.

What happened to the CAP, by the way? The big hot issue when Eastern Europe was joining, was that they would not be allowed to get CAP assistance - blatant discrimination, really. I would have been too proud to be a 2nd class EU country, if I was them!
I think they all agreed to membership sans CAP anyway, didn't they? Or are we now supporting 1 pig farmers in places like Poland and Romania? Not that they are any less worthy than some of the millionaire farmers that are milking CAP in Germany and lots of other places.