Brexiteer here

[Baileysforchristmas]

I have to say I was for Brexit but even with the vaccine fiasco, I have to admit I think we would’ve been better in the EU but the EU is not perfect and it doesn’t treat every country equally. I have been reading about the Russia German under sea pipeline. How on earth has Germany been able to set this deal up when the EU and other countries are dead against it? Not only that but surely this isn’t carbon neutral way the whole of the EU want to go?

apnews.com/article/business-europe-angela-merkel-germany-russia-0387cccb22cbc45376d757aa82b542c9

www.google.com/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/navalny-ripple-effect-pressure-builds-on-berlin-over-russian-gas-pipeline-1.4475358%3fmode=amp

You were 'for Brexit' but 'think we would've been better in the EU'.
Righty-ho.

@Baileysforchristmas Perhaps its because the EU isn't a federalist superstate where it stops countries doing what they want?

To me, its still primarily, a trading bloc.

The UK for example has allowed Russian money & Putin supporters to be laundered/live in the 'city/uk for years, no one, even now, has put a stop to this corruption.

www.politico.eu/article/nord-stream-2-pipeline-has-damaged-the-west-enough-time-to-put-an-end-to-it/

Germany does what it likes as it pays the bills.

If Germany exited, the EU would be done.

Were you a Brexiteer who has changed your mind?

The EU never did stop member countries doing pretty well what they liked. If course it is far from perfect, but no member country was obliged to accept every single rule or law it ever made. We had to ratify them in our own parliaments first.

Unfortunately, British MPs ratified just about everything even if they didn't like it and that gave the likes of Nigel Farage the opportunity to say that our sovereignty had been sold down the river when it hadn't.

Yes, the EU has fucked up it's vaccine rollout and behaved like a spoilt brat over it, but not all members joined their scheme. Some did choose to do their own thing and have generally done better.

In balance, I am still a remainer.

I'm just trying to get my head around the fact that the OP is called BaileysForChristmas and the first response was from someone called BaileysForBreakfast.

What are the odds?

@YouJustFoldItIn

I'm just trying to get my head around the fact that the OP is called BaileysForChristmas and the first response was from someone called BaileysForBreakfast.

What are the odds?

Pretty slim

I can’t get my head round why Germany have gone ahead with Nord 2, why the EU didn’t make a bigger fuss about it, especially with Russia building up tanks on the Ukraine border, let alone the environmental issues

www.politico.eu/article/six-questions-looming-over-the-nord-stream-2-pipeline/

Because it’s 27 different countries not one (like the United States) and therefore you have 27 sovereignties.

England does a lot of stuff Scotland doesn’t like in that Union. Scotland has less say in the UK issues than the UK had in EU issues. Scotland doesn’t have a veto for example. Were you in favour of Scottish independence?

Yes but the UK is sanctioned and taken to court but Germany can build an oil line with Russia, while Russia is threatening war with Ukraine and nothing is even mentioned! The other EU countries are not happy about it but the EU are just ignoring it? What about the environmental issue?

I don’t know enough about it, but as a brexiter weren’t you worried about Russian interference in home politics? The suppression of the Russia report? (Or US politics for that matter.) that scares me a lot - the knighthoods for oligarchs, the property empire in London...

(Who sanctioned and took the uk to court? What does that refer to?)

I don’t know about the pipeline at all but will look into it if I get a moment spare. Germany is certainly a powerful partner within the European Union (as we once were, sigh) and maybe if it was something the uk felt strongly about we could have done something about it.

@Baileysforchristmas

Yes but the UK is sanctioned and taken to court but Germany can build an oil line with Russia, while Russia is threatening war with Ukraine and nothing is even mentioned! The other EU countries are not happy about it but the EU are just ignoring it? What about the environmental issue?

Yes but Germany needs energy and the gas pipe (not oil) is in addition to many other gas supplies from Russia, the UK buys huge amounts of energy from Russia too.

What does the West do? we have massive manufacturing supply lines with China (a state that makes Russia look like a babe in arms)
do we just stop this trade? or stop buying oil from Saudi and stop selling them weapons? they cut up a man alive for criticising them, no sanction from the UK.

Russia needs foreign currency, the pipe line provides that, it also gives the 'west leverage on Russia "change behavior or we stop using it" not much but stopping the pipe line just makes Russia think it has nothing to lose.

Personally, i'd like to see the UK govt clamp down on Russian & Saudi money in London.

But i feel the Russian pipe line is just being used by Brexiteers to bash the EU with... whilst ignoring the hypocrisy in their argument.... try to be even handed?

Who took the UK to court? About what?

What about Russia on the border of Ukraine?

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/14/ukraine-still-outgunned-as-russia-prepares-for-larger-conflict

www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsj.com/amp/articles/reject-nord-stream-2-once-and-for-all-11617921459

With the Nord Stream 1 and Turk Stream pipelines already operational, Nord Stream 2 will complete the encirclement of Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic states, decoupling our energy security from Western Europe. Russia has tried to bully Ukraine by threatening gas cutoffs, most recently in June 2014. But Moscow has always had to be careful—a large percentage of Russia’s gas reaches Europe through Ukraine. If Nord Stream 2 is built, this consideration will be null and void.

Who sanctioned and took the uk to court?

@Baileysforchristmas

With the Nord Stream 1 and Turk Stream pipelines already operational, Nord Stream 2 will complete the encirclement of Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic states, decoupling our energy security from Western Europe. Russia has tried to bully Ukraine by threatening gas cutoffs, most recently in June 2014. But Moscow has always had to be careful—a large percentage of Russia’s gas reaches Europe through Ukraine. If Nord Stream 2 is built, this consideration will be null and void.

I agree with your concerns but do you think that an EU without the UK is in a better position to stand up to Russian aggression?

Putin wanted Brexit, he knew it would weaken both the EU and the UK.

Why are you ignoring the question asking who took the UK to court?

Is it because that never actually happened and you pulled it out of your arse?

Exactly @jasjas1973 - my dc godmother is Ukrainian- had to be at the ceremony by proxy because she couldn’t get to the uk for the christening (visa too costly and they arbitrarily refuse them for no discernible reason) - she didn’t understand brexit and why the uk wouldn’t care about leaving Ukraine more vulnerable... brexiters didn’t care about leaving part of their own country more vulnerable. Putin loves Brexit!

@Baileysforchristmas can you link to where it says about the uk having sanctions and being taken to court?