England = 51st state???

[Secret Chief]

If we are dumb enough to leave the EU, we might be dumb enough to vote into a country largely at odds with much that we apparently hold dear - like religious beliefs not interfering too much in public life, the freedom to express anger without the fear one might kill or be killed, not having an even worse leader (perhaps top amongst all those available around the world), and not discarding a NHS for an apparently worse system, but no doubt there will some benefits. Let me think for a while … nope, none.

Exactly the same number of benefits as leaving the EU then.

 

[Thief]

The independence parties of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are all pro-EU

If any of these nations were to become independent from the United Kingdom they would join the EU

Except England wouldn't...

Now, imagine these become independent and someone persuades England to hold a referendum to enact political union with the USA - and the referendum passes

Would we become the 51st state, or be integrated in some other, extraordinary way?

And would the USA have us? In a political union? Would they also have to hold a referendum?

And if we were to unite, would it be somehow possible to keep the monarchy and the National Health Service? And would we have to allow bang-bang guns?

I have no idea how I'd vote in such a referendum, I suppose it would depend on what deal was on offer. And I don't think we necessarily have to team up with a bigger entity, be it the EU or the USA...

So, put me down as undecided

I'd be interested to hear what people on both sides of the Atlantic think

I say.....annex Mexico first

make them citizens.....they seem to want to be
make them pay taxes
and teach them English ( which happens to be the language of business... the Japanese know this)

and the drug cartels might be easier to manage

not sure about the Scots
they seem to have a fascination for haggis
@Revoltingest

 

[Tambourine]

No thanks. We've already got an idiot PM with stupid hair leading a supine government.
It all hinges on Putin's money. Would he want it?

Let's face it, a puppet government where Russian money calls the shots, like in Ossetia or Transnistria, would be far more beneficial to the Russian oligarch regime than direct rule in any way or form.

So, I don't think much would change in UK politics.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Exactly the same number of benefits as leaving the EU then.

Can't argue with the majority - that's democracy folks.

 

[Secret Chief]

Can't argue with the majority - that's democracy folks.

Stop triggering me.

 

[sun rise]

I would have no problem with your Queen but some of the Royal Family?

 

[Tambourine]

I would have no problem with your Queen but some of the Royal Family?

At least one Duchess has US citizenship already, so they could fast track the process for the rest of the family, maybe they could even get a Green Card if they were willing to work.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Stop triggering me.

Haha - I'm trying out my old-age persona, so expect more than the usual nonsense from me.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I would have no problem with your Queen but some of the Royal Family?

You'll get them first of course. Her Maj isn't going to last that long anyway - not that I want to get rid of her (just the whole monarchy thing).

 

[Stevicus]

You'll get them first of course. Her Maj isn't going to last that long anyway - not that I want to get rid of her (just the whole monarchy thing).

Well, maybe they can make a deal to put Trump on the throne in exchange for accepting England into the United States. It might be the perfect set up. Trump can move to England and sit in a castle and not do anything, and we'd get a new president. On the other hand, English candidates could also run for president, and with a population larger than California, England would have the most electoral votes.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Well, maybe they can make a deal to put Trump on the throne in exchange for accepting England into the United States. It might be the perfect set up. Trump can move to England and sit in a castle and not do anything, and we'd get a new president. On the other hand, English candidates could also run for president, and with a population larger than California, England would have the most electoral votes.

I think I smell a bum deal.

 

[Valjean]

I think the way the 20th Century unfolded resulted in the USA picking up the pieces of the shattered British Empire and, as a natural consequence of cultural-societal similarities, Australia, Canada, UK, NZ et al. have been America's little buddies. It will be interesting to see how the following hundred years render things. Seems that we on the deterioration of a once great civilization as a result of multiculturalism.

Looks like the West is eating it's own tail while other rising nations take note of the mistakes we made - kinda like younger siblings who don't make the same mistakes of their rule-breaking, experimental formative years.

I'm still young. Sucks.

I'm interested in your view of multiculturalism as a social toxin. Could you expand on this?

In today's small, mobile, interconnected world, how is multiculturalism to be avoided, without the world transforming into hundreds of homogenous, tribal, fortresses-states?

 

[Cherub786]

I'm a Canadian citizen by birth and have recently returned to Canada. I've previously been a resident in the United States (in both Virginia and Pennsylvania), so I understand both countries quite well. In my view, American and [English] Canadian culture is 99% the same. In fact, many great pop culture icons that are generally viewed as part of American culture are actually Canadian, such as Shania Twain, Avril Lavigne, etc.

To make a long story short, I strongly advocate for Canada to become the 51st state (more likely, the 10 provinces of Canada become 10 additional states in the United States - though the tiny Atlantic provinces ought to be amalgamated into a single state).

Most ordinary Canadians secretly desire this (I'm one of the few who is courageous enough to say it openly), but are not voicing this opinion because it is politically incorrect.

 

[Valjean]

Your question is threefold:

(1) Multiculturalism is a social toxin to Western Civilization because it enables inferior societies and cultures to poison it;

Fascinating.


What is an inferior society?

A culture, in the anthropological sense, is a learned survival strategy. Effective strategies are situationally dependent, of course, and are usually quickly modified in a new environment.
Active opposition by foreign cultures, though, can turn what would be a smooth transition into a rebellious opposition.
Are you using "culture" in a different sense?
I'm getting a tribal, xenophobic, vibe from all this.

(2) Western Civilization is the greatest accomplishment of humanity and deserves respect and unadulteration.

True, Western Civilization" has generated some remarkable accomplishments, but it has its drawbacks, as well. Should "inferior" cultures or societies be forced to adopt Western values, or left to adapt on their own?

The cultural harmony that is understood to be enjoyed in multicultural societies is overstated and it's effectiveness is undervalued

Tossed salad vs soup, eh?

Many people are disturbed by novelty; fearful of those who look, talk or behave differently. This is natural. It's a primitive neurological quirk that hails from our Pleistocene genesis.

This tribalism and xenophobia was functional and selective through most of human history, but in a 'civilization' it's decidedly dysfunctional.
Unless our natural tribalism is recognized and consciously suppressed, our Western society is doomed t endless war and internal strife.
N'est-ce pas?