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!

@TansyViolet

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.

People voted in a way you don't agree with, so in your mind they are less intelligent and you aren't bothered about classifying17.5 million people as less intelligent, racist and xenophobic. Your attitude is exactly why anti EU sentiment raises its head.

I think Mnet has been horrendous recently but I just hide all the threads which i know will upset or annoy me. Used to just be the odd one or two threads but has been absolutely loads recently.

Fuckingcrustybread No that is not what I wrote. I wrote that racist xenophobic people are less intelligent which I stand by. You've added in the bit about voting yourself.

@TheVeryThing

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.

It makes sense and I agree with you TheVeryThing

Indeed. And so many people completely unable to understand that there is any other side to the issue. They read the incredibly biased UK papers and think its a simple matter.
It's depressing, as even previously sensible remainers have been completely drawn in. It seems to them like something going well for them in a horrible time, and boy have they run away with the idea!

Yes, I mean, we are all fed up with our government's handling of the situation (especially travel - I mean I nearly fell off my chair when Eamonn Ryan wondered aloud on TV if they should perhaps think about not giving out tourist visas ) but honestly I cannot fault the EU. But although I don't agree with how the UK handled the start of this pandemic, it is their choice, and I think we can all only criticise our own governments, since these are the only people answerable to us.

@Annasgirl

Yes, I mean, we are all fed up with our government's handling of the situation (especially travel - I mean I nearly fell off my chair when Eamonn Ryan wondered aloud on TV if they should perhaps think about not giving out tourist visas ) but honestly I cannot fault the EU. But although I don't agree with how the UK handled the start of this pandemic, it is their choice, and I think we can all only criticise our own governments, since these are the only people answerable to us.

Careful now, Anna - mature, thoughtful, responsible views like that don't last long on social before a bot tries to tear them down

Can't have people acknowledging complexity and thinking things through calmly, after all...

Exactly, people are very quick to compare how different countries are performing and we won't be able to judge that for a very long time.
It's not the bloody pandemic Olympics!
I'd rather focus on our own government and keeping them to account.
Developing countries and their needs are also getting lost in all this.

I'm English. I used to describe myself as British but I am getting so sick of nationalism in Scotland and Wakes that I now do so

To be honest I think MN reflects the wider U.K. society, ie split. There are ardent Remainders and Brexiteers. The debate reflects the referendum campaign.

The vaccine issues were not so problematic until the EU vaccine delays but what was a contractual dispute resulted in the U.K. sadly being dragged into it by the EU determined to keep proving what we have lost by leaving.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of leaving, the EU has been a running sore ever since we joined. The problem has been in my view the democratic deficit in successive Prime Ministers sighing life changing treaties without any say from the British people. Several PMs have fallen due to the EU issues and to be fair, Cameron offered a vote, but expecting to win it.

The anger in both sides will take years to subside, but only if both sides can be restrained and avoid inflammatory actions...such as invoking Article 16 one month after the treaty was signed. The damage that has done in. Katherine Ireland cannot be underestimated as some politicians are using it to huge advantage.

Hopefully common sense will prevail and once Covid dies down we can get to some normalcy and get to having good relations with our European neighbours

The pandemic Olympics

Thanks for proving all of our points there Sunflower.

I find on MN increasingly there's this big chest beating about Britain is best (or English)

And a lot of posters have so little cultural awareness that there could be different points of views from people with a different upbringing or have lived / are living in different countries.

Everything is seen from a British / English lens and everyone else is wrong

Waiting for @Sunflowergirl1 to condemn this.

news.sky.com/story/brexit-boris-johnson-says-hell-consider-triggering-article-16-of-northern-ireland-protocol-12207504

Bit of a resurrection but it’s ongoing. I’m so fed up of reading it. The same emotive threads are started full of Brits telling us in Europe what we think. I don’t remember it even being this bad during the referendum.

I was posting on a thread and I've actually hidden it and unfollowed as it is constant anti EU rhetoric

I agree - I'm so fed up of it, I've mostly stopped using MN bar the Craicnet boards.

I get so irritated at what anti-EU posters have decided we feel and Ireland seems to be of particular focus.

The best thing IMO was joining the EU for Ireland. The economic sanctions and tariffs imposed on Ireland by Westminster from 1930’s until Eu membership was crippling.

But apparently I don't feel that, I need to be told how I feel.

I get so irritated at what anti-EU posters have decided we feel and Ireland seems to be of particular focus.

Because they think we are the 'soft underbelly' of the EU due to our shared history and shared land border and can be used to thwart/damage the EU as a whole.

For ardent Brexiteers, leaving the EU was never the end game, bringing down the EU is what they truly desire.

Or being told what’s happening in the country you’re actually living and working and socializing in... but you’re definitely wrong because some Mail journal has made up some outlandish xenophobic claim!!

Very true, on the ground experience couldn't possibly be true.

The papers said so.

I must join in here too.I have also been aghast at some of the posts on MN regarding vaccine roll out in the EU or the EU in general.It seems to me that many posters would rather give the vaccinations to the dog in the street than than to the darstardly EU .I am Irish living in Germany and was totally agog at the utter lies and misinformation being reeled out, over and over again. There has been such indoctrination by the British Press and in particular the Daily Mail, it did cross my mind also that maybe one or two of them were from the press trying to further their goal of Brexit and to somehow keep the Brexit flag flying. Any way the 'Fuckwits' over here have way more on their minds than Brexit. The vaccine programm is taking off at speed now here .One million people vaccinated yesterday!

I’m not sad no.

Working within the vaccine section, we are really ramping up.

Brexit is not even on the radar, as part of my org. We have been preparing for Brexit since the vote.

Sometimes I think brexiteers thought the EU would beg them to stay and they could name the price.

Degaulle was a very smart man, he knew from day 1, UK couldn't/wouldn’t embrace the EU and the very public long term plans.

Yes, and it’s often the same posters, telling how we’re so bitter at Brexit. I can’t remember the last time brexit was in the national press here. It always makes me think of Regina George!

I only ever step onto MN occasionally now (not Irish) and one of the few times I have done I was sickened by the anti EU sentiment on here, and the absolute aggression shown to people like me who tried to defend some of the recent decisions.

Even some of my own family members have joined in the EU bashing and it makes me feel ill (I live in an EU country and am raising my family here).