Anti-EU sentiment

[SummerBody1]

Is anybody else really sad at the anti EU sentiment on here? I'm Irish and a europhile. The vaccine thing is so 'EU trying to get their hands on our jabs', and 'EU bullys again'.

I used to sometimes feel quite foreign on MN, but not in a bad way. I'd see attitudes here, very different to what I'd be used to, but often it would make me take a good look at my own presumptions. Other times I'd read a thread to DH (who lived in the UK for years) - and we'd laugh and say, 'it really is a foreign country'.

So much of the Brexit threads are 'they (EU) will fail soon' with more than a wiff of hope attached. Lots of 'EU bullies'. The vaccine threads just make depressing reading though.

Footnote: I've lived overseas but I'm in Ireland now.

My question - is anybody sad at the antiEU sentiment? Ireland is in the EU!

I think that some may be critical of the governance of the EU, but I have not come across any anti-European sentiment.

Urgh it makes me feel horrific. I live in London and from NI and consider myself Irish. It’s all horrible. I am so disappointed all round. The bully boys think this is a great opportunity to denounce the EU. I don’t think they’ve covered themselves in glory but also it’s political high stakes so I can see how it get out of control.

I am just devastated for NI because it will only get worst and more polarised

The words bully and and bullying are thrown around like confetti. The vocabulary is emotive, and personal. If holding governance to account was the kernal, how could people have one ounce of energy, to look beyond their home situation?

I agree, OP. It's only a minority of posters on MN, I think, but they're vocal and persistent.

I lived in the UK for years and the persistent, low-level anti-Irish sentiment really stepped up in the run up to the Brexit referendum. It was part of a broader anti-foreigner, jingoistic mentality that was given legitimacy by Farage and the Leave campaign. Loads of other EU citizens I knew also experienced increased hostility at that time and several (like me) left the UK entirely with no intention to ever live there again.

Now that Brexit has happened, that jingoistic outlook has evolved a bit further into a siege mentality. British good, foreign bad, raaaah So obviously, the EU is the enemy and cast in the worst possible light at every opportunity.

But it is only a minority, really. Unfortunately, it's a minority with editorial control of several UK newspapers and legions of bots on social media. MN only reflects that

I think there's a cohort of posters that just want to make Leave seem like the only rational choice.

Tbh MN is a bit nuts when it comes to certain topics, apparently this is another for the list. I don't take this place as a bastion of sensibility or anything like that.

I'm sick of Germany and it's bitch France controlling the EU. It's been going on a long time and their latest stunt is disgraceful.

This kind of rhetoric is exactly what this OP is about.

Thank you Jings. My jaw just dropped reading that.

Johnson has talked of triggering Art.16. Arlene has urged him to do so. EU do it in error (wrong procedure) in the night and quickly retract but this is the language.

All the vaccine threads become anti EU. Eye opening.

@MarDhea people worldwide are rightly thrilled with what the scientists have achieved. We were warned throughout, that each team had only a 20% likelihood of success - to now have so many vaccines, Science is saving us.

When Pfizer came first, I never heard any country nationalise the success. There were profiles of the Turkish immigrant couple to Germany and another vaccine 'superstar' an E German born woman living in New York. I don't know where it's made, but when output was reduced, ALL prepaid orders were reduced.
But in the UK it's OURS, and British is best. I heard Prof. Adrian Hill being interviewed. He's head of the Jenner Institute in Oxford - part of the development of this. He sounded Irish - he is. A graduate of Trinity School of Medicine. I'd imagine the Oxford team is multi national. I'm thinking as I write. The phrase 'British is best' is nonsense. Science is a living breathing example of success through collaboration.

@MarDhea people worldwide are rightly thrilled with what the scientists have achieved. We were warned throughout, that each team had only a 20% likelihood of success - to now have so many vaccines, Science is saving us.

When Pfizer came first, I never heard any country nationalise the success. There were profiles of the Turkish immigrant couple to Germany and another vaccine 'superstar' an E German born woman living in New York. I don't know where it's made, but when output was reduced, ALL prepaid orders were reduced.
But in the UK it's OURS, and British is best. I heard Prof. Adrian Hill being interviewed. He's head of the Jenner Institute in Oxford - part of the development of this. He sounded Irish - he is. A graduate of Trinity School of Medicine. I'd imagine the Oxford team is multi national. I'm thinking as I write. The phrase 'British is best' is nonsense. Science is a living breathing example of success through collaboration.

Thanks for starting this thread- you've expressed exactly what I've felt for the last few days on here.

Some of the anti-EU rhetoric is so vitriolic that I hope suspect it's generated by Russian troll farms rather than a real life Brit.

I felt myself getting angry and upset.

Micheal Ryan of the WHO said yesterday (I'm paraphrasing, dont have the quote in front of me) that, in the queue for vaccines, many countries are at the back of the queue waiting for crumbs while countries at the top are arguing about how big a slice of the "vaccine cake" they should have.

Ultimately this is a global pandemic, and unless poorer countries are vaccinated as quickly as richer ones are, then there is room for the virus to mutate and negate any good that 1st World vaccination programmes have done.

So we really are "all in this together".

Us all in this together is an absolute joke and always was. It wasnt that after about a month .Varadkar socialising during lock down. All the instances of 'errors' by politicians just shows that all. All ok after apologys trotted out to the masses who have totally done their bit and have sacrificed so much personally/ financially/educationally with not 1 well done but finger wagging central from Nphet and Martin.

To say i am disgusted as is my Dh to UVDL stunt is an understatement. I hate stephen Donnelly looking for the crumbs of vaccine cake from our over lords after He tried to source AZ for Irish citizens and was slapped down by Brussels. Not to even discuss it with the Govt. Of Ireland and the UK is unforgiveable !! So yes, those of us in ROI NI and UK are a perfectly entitled to voice their upset and annoyance at the flagrant disregard for national borders not to mentiom democracy.
Ireland's economy not to mention infrastructre has been helped hugely by The EU not to mention the Agri' sector BUT I feel we have been humiliated on a world stage, eu plaything when it suits them (negotiations on brexit especially) ,No apology forthcoming, I am upset at our treatment and how worthless The EU think of us. Its just shocking. I see the EU now as not much of a friend and a lot of people think the same. Why shouldnt we discuss this and voice our upset?? Whats so wromg with that ?? M Martin pussyfooting around UVDL. I hope he gave her a right going over but I doubt it. We will be the beggars of Europe.

@Radyward I don't see us humiliated in EU at all.
Varadker was in Phoenix Park with friends, but IIRC he was outdoors and within 5K of his home so within rules.
We will get our pro rata portion of the vaccine purchase of the EU that we PAY for. We can benefit from our group purchasing power- hardly charity/crumbs.

On a separate note I thought MM was fabulous on Marr.

Fair play to you Summer - I haven't the patience to engage with this kind of nonsense any more.

Oh, Radyward, "all in it together" in this case, is everyone on the planet.
That's just fact.
If everyone gets vaccinated except for people in (random example) Venuzuela, for some reason, what will happen?

Virus in Venezuela, will mutate into a new form, and the rest of us will have no protection against it, and we're back to Square 1.

Stirring up anti-EU or anti-Brit feeling is just not OK, regardless of who it comes from.

No, the Government havent been perfect. I despise the arrogance of the Golfgaters. Not terrible fond of Stephen Donnelly and his thumbs up. Tony Holohan has overstepped his role at times (but the man is back in job in spite of a very ill wife).

Ireland hasn't been humiliated....anyone with an ounce of cop-on drew a sharp breath at the mistake the EU made, and UVdL has apologised.

Summer started this thread in response to some unpleasant jingoism on here over the last few days. I agree with her, it's very sad. I've lived in England, got great work experience there, have friends from my times there. I loathe this strain of "us vs them".

Brexit was the biggest mid-term protest vote in history. The EU has been the right wing's whipping for forty years. The whole idea was based on a nostalgia for a past that never existed. But the EU is far from perfect and has made decisions that may seem perfectly acceptable to egalitarian urbanites but to the demographic that were likely to vote Brexit those decisions have been perceived as a profoundly poor.

I think the tub thumping EU bashing is very noisy confirmation bias.

Agree that it is distasteful. The Commission did make a mess of vaccine procurement, but the glee by some posters is really off-putting. They would never celebrate like that if it was the US.

There seems to be a weird need to be ‘world-beating’ or ‘world-leading’ in everything, particularly by the Johnson govt. Nothing can be celebrated as just good, but has to be by being ‘the best’.

I'm sick of some of the posters. OUR vaccine! Hands off! We're best!

For a long time, I hoped that Brexit would not happen. I was sad that some in the UK had become so disenchanted with the EU. Then, in the week where the UK reported death toll passes 100K, suddenly all is forgotten, UK is brilliant, the vaccine is OURS and the EU are monsters.

Irish are foolish to allow ourselves to be so badly treated
French are authoritarian. Ditto Germany. Every country not authorising AZ in over 65s is wrong.

OUR scientists are best. UK government funded the lions share. Every poster who disagrees is either ignored or criticised. Yet 80% of the EU posters, say the EU is NBU.

I'm looking forward to things calming down.

Thanks for this thread. You have expressed what I’m feeling. I’ve actually come off MN in the past week due to a thread I posted on, on Friday, which has descended into an anti-Irish fest.
I am saddened - DM lived in London for many, many years, and all our holidays as children were to family still living in England. I always thought we had so much in common, but actually, do we?

I'm not sure that Radyward is Irish or living in Ireland, based on a comment s/he made on another thread.

I'm not surprised at the anti-EU sentiment coming from some quarters. We seemed to have overcome the us v them mentality in recent years, but it's back again, unfortunately.

I'm just shocked that this thread (mostly) hasn't been brigaded by the anti-EU crew tbh.

Oh! true Fuzzybeag I saw that comment and forgot it was the same poster.

I think there was more fuss about this issue on MN than there was here in Ireland. I certainly didn't hear anyone freaking out and foaming at the mouth about AZ/ EU/ UK.
Mostly people seem to be disappointed at the reduction in supply, and not filled with confidence by the government's roll-out strategy.

It put me off MN too, to be honest. So much vitriol. Some people can only view things at a very basic black & white level: EU bad, UK good etc. It's absolute nonsense.
I didn't see your thread Anasgirl but I'm sorry you had to put up with that.
The only way I can deal with this sort of thing is to refuse to be sucked into it. It makes me more determined to remain calm and level-headed and to look at things in an honest and balanced way instead of from a place of heightened emotion and umbrage, if that makes sense.

I'm English and a staunch Remainer. I hate all the anti EU stuff and know lots of English people who feel the same. Don't like anti English or anti Irish sentiment either.

I think it's sad that the government and media have managed to whip up so much racism and xenophobia. They've only been successful with the less intelligent half of the population I'd say although they tend to shout the loudest. I don't tend to generalise about whole nationalities as it's silly.