Ireland, Apple and the final nail

[Carolinesbeanies]

Possibly parking this here as this is going to be a slow burner, but as Macron is running the gauntlett avoiding the unions, his Finance Minister Le Maire, has succeded in gaining support from various EU states for taxing the likes of Google and Apple basically at point of sale on turnover. Ireland and Apple have already been brought to task over their tax arrangements, (appeals pending) but this latest proposal would have yet another catastrophic impact on Ireland.

Whilst I dont think it will actually get very far, several small states are already kicking back, the timing of this is bewildering. This proposal could see all US tech giants pull bases out of the EU. Its utterly nutty. The only reason I can see this even being tabled at the moment, is financial desperation in the bloc. I know the tax issues surrounding Google et al are extremely controversial and unpopular, but its not exactly new news. (And the EU should have avoided this whole issue in the first place) but why go for a populist policy now, that flies in the face of proposed global taxation deals, when the nett effect will be so detrimental?

Either way, it looks as though Irelands 'HQ' appeal is being utterly hamstrung by their 'benevolent' EU masters.

www.thelocal.fr/20170916/france-slams-silicon-valley-for-skirting-tax-in-europe

Cailleach, if only that were the case.

Well I had a free ballot in the last election. Granted, my vote was not for a Conservative MP or the DUP and therefore is not represented in gov't and therefore not in Brussels. Now it seems it might be lost from Parliament if the present gov't succeed in disempowering the other MP's.

In short, the party to which the MP I voted for is not present at the Council meetings. PR might be better and the full power of Parliament to be strongly defended from Charlatans who are trying to strip any impact for opposition mandates. A gov't without an overall majority is trying to gain the powers of the entire parliament. More than gov't's with much stronger mandates have had. And even then they didn't try for a coup of Parliament. I see what you mean.

Driven, I was one of many who protested the Lisbon Treaty. I have posted many times about it here on MN. I, and many more, were and still are outraged that the then promised referendum, that saw Labour elected, was u-turned. The root of all this, is, was, and remains Lisbon. If you want more info, go through my posting history. Or indeed, attempt some research yourself.

It's easy to understand what you have written - I just don't understand how you came to the conclusion you have arrived at.

The MEPs are usually members of domestic political parties, and they vote in accordance with the aims of those particular parties. There are blocs in the Eu. Parliament corresponding in general terms with the philosophies of their home political parties. Not all the MEPs of a given state will vote in any particular way.

You make the very British mistake of seeing the European Union through the prism of WWII - Germany (and sometimes the Unreliable Frogs too) vs The Rest.

seeing the European Union through the prism of WWII

Very few voters under the age of 40 see EU through the prism of a war which happened nearly a 100 years ago.
The demographic for brexit ( and the torykips) is diminishing by the hour.

I think the 85+ in age voters, having seen the destruction of WW2 tend to think, never again, and believe in an EU. The baby boomers like me, who were brought up on stories of 'the war, the war' but the whole horror wasn't brought home, then had it relatively easy, are the ones most likely to have voted Leave. Younger people yes - WW2 means as much to them as something like the Crimean war means to me.

Going back to the Conservative Party conference, I think what has stayed with me most - in spite of the speech - was a Party terrified by the spectre of losing business support. Philip Hammond seems to be following a strategy of apologising (for Brexit), pleading with them to stay, and trying to scare them with horror stories of what might happen if they switch support to Labour.

That, I think, is huge. Or should be.

Sorry! I posted that on the wrong thread.