Yup, France and Germany can't make a "new europe"

They uh... don't control it all, unless Frog was talking about conquest or hardcore political meddling.

Well, it is sad to see EU is a big mess.
Every EU member got a veto right, that makes things really nasty to happen, I don't know why with all the 25 members, they can't introduce a "democratic" voting system: majority wins the decision.

I have no confidence with EU at all, it is really a big mess there.
I think Germany and France should leave EU, and make up an Alliance of Germany and France, some other countries may join if they like, like Holland, Belgium, Austria, etc.

Hey, you can't reconcile 1000's of years of turmoil overnight.

Europe is a bit of a mess.
First of all, it's hard to have a strong economy in the long run with such a socialistic economic model. Unfortunately that just simply is the case because the policies are harmful for local enterprises.
Basically someone's going to have to stand up and say that this model is preventing Europe from reaching its full potential. I mean, the Europeans have a high standard of education so certainly a good portion, if they read the text, would understand.

Here's a little example...
In France, the unemployment level is pretty high. 9.7% means almost 1 out of 10 people doesn't have work. My French professor explained this is probably because since the laws make it so hard for companies to fire people, they simply don't want to hire unless they absolutely have to. That law was made to "protect" workers from getting fired but it really backfired into putting prospective workers at a disadvantage.

Not to mention, France as a whole has this thing about the thorn in their allies' side and being the weakest link during a crisis situation (usually war). If you add France to any kind of organization, you may have some added resources, but chances are all they'll do is slow you down. Seriously, this is why the UK does not want to be a full member of the EU.

Most of you said is true.
But note: France is very good in almost all high tech and industry area's, including military stuff.

And for UK it is indeed better not to get into the mess of EU.

Yes I know France has advanced weaponary, but on the other hand, so does the USA, UK and not to mention a variety of high tech things are available from various European countires other than France. Meaning you can get whatever France has at an equal or better level without the hassle of putting up with them.

Originally Posted by the_13th_redneck

Meaning you can get whatever France has at an equal or better level without the hassle of putting up with them.

First I doubt many European countries got the same good stuff as France has. Second, I don't understand what "without the hassle of putting up with them" means.

Anyway.

Originally Posted by FlyingFrog

First I doubt many European countries got the same good stuff as France has.

Very true. France has military and non-military self production in all areas. They may not have the very best gear, but they stay close tech-wise in both fields.

Second, I don't understand what "without the hassle of putting up with them" means.

Anyway.

In other words, not worrying about having a supposed agreement or understanding and having the French do something completely against it. So long as it pisses off lots of other nations, France will be just as friendly and can be with China or whoever else. The parallel of North Korea selling arms to Taiwan is pretty close to right.

What I'm saying is, technologywise, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, UK and the USA are pretty advanced too. I think that really is good enough.

As with hassle with putting up with the French, I mean their endless squabbling. Meaning you could safely ignore them at most levels. Yeah they have advanced tech but diplomatically a nightmare to work with.