Quote:
Originally Posted by Mentar
What really annoyed me with Britain all the time were their constant attempts to have the cake and eat it. Paying just a minimal share compared to their size. Opting out of reasonable treaties like Schengen (so much for all this "free market" mantra - Britain is all about protectionism when you look closely). Always trying to prop up those countries who wanted their pseudo-veto bribed away. And finally, using the Euro crisis to get a veto blank cheque for anything financial in the future. This isn't the bazaar of constantinople here.
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IE Britain paying "less then it's share" the reason Britain gets a rebate is due to the fact that Britain does not particularly benefit from the subsidies of the common agricultural policy. That's why they get a rebate, otherwise they'd be paying for something they get little benefit from.
As for Britain not being in the Schengen agreement, I don't really see the big deal. Britain doesn't share any land borders with Europe, so it makes no difference. If you go by plane you have to go through all those security checks anyway. And by boat, well, I doubt there's much you have to go through anything.
The only country the UK borders(Ireland) it has a free movement treaty with. Because of this, Ireland also isn't in the Schengen agreement, I don't see how it would benefit Ireland to be in the Shengen agreement either. Neither of us have borders to remove controls from. So we have to go through all the work of harmonising these things and get no benefit from it.
If tomorrow the English Channel and Irish Sea dried up, then I'd sign the Schengen agreement. Until then...