FOLLOWING THE EUROPEAN UNION

Walter, Thank you for that info. As you have properly indicated, most outside the EU have wrong impressions about what is going on.
I'm no exception.

You prefer Gonzalez to Meciar?

You wouldn't?

Well, actually both Meciar and Slota promised they will not claim any governmental spots...but first thing that the three coalition party leaders did (Fico being the third one) is dissolve the coalition council and establish the Coalition Three- the three of them. So they will have a strong say on what government does and how. Oh sigh.

Compared to Alberto "waterboarding isn't torture" Gonzalez? Dunno -- it's a close call. Independent of that, I'd always be happy to marry Dag of course.

Would you please stand neatly in the row, Thomas!

boys, I already have EU citizenship. Due to my new government, I am after the Green Card now.

Don't know if Gonzales is any better, but that really does not help much. Meciar crossed with Slota make enough for a disaster.

I know. And I've already got one.

If we get married does that mean you get a green card and I get EU citizenship?

Dunno. Does USA allow double citizenship? Slovakia does. I think USA does, too. Yeah, you should be able to get one.

Does this mean I have to eat corndogs at my own wedding?

I'm only sure of double citizenship if you are a citizen of Israel and the US. If I remember correctly, our local guide in Hong Kong told us she had "double" citizenship with and Hong Kong and China passports; they are not the same.

Yeah get in line Thomas

Perhaps Dag should consider organising one of those contests, you know, like Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire. Could be marketable.

Course, would still need a catchy title.. Who Wants to Marry a Slovak somehow doesnt quite have it.

Perhaps more pinting at her being a celbrity re musical star?

Source

Feeling sorry for the losses of my British friends a year ago...

Yes and on my birthday too! Cheek, you'd have thought they might have picked another day.
Thanks Francis.

thanks Francis, I've started a thread appreciate your thoughts...and Mctag

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=78429&highlight=

All the first results from that Eurobarometer Walter posted about are in this PDF:

EUROBAROMETER 65 - PUBLIC OPINION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
FIRST RESULTS
Fieldwork: March - April 2006
Publication: July 2006

Some interesting stuff.

For example (page 8), respondents were asked to identify the two most important issues facing their country at the moment (ie, the total = 200%).

Unemployment reigned supreme: 46% of those in the "old" member states and a whopping 63% of those in the new member states identified it as one of the two most important issues. (Average: 49%)

Another 23% of EU respondents identified the "economic situation" in general as one of the two most major issues.

Crime was second, with 24%, the healthcare system was mentioned by 18%, and rising prices/inflation by 13%.

Only 14% of respondents mentioned immigration as one of the two most important issues facing their country. Only 10% mentioned terrorism - just as many as those who mentioned "pensions". Both numbers were the same as a year earlier.

Despite Europe's name, in the US, of having high taxes, only 7% mentioned taxation as one of the two most important issues.

More from the Eurobarometer:


Overall agreement that membership of the EU is "a good thing" went up by 5% compared to half a year ago, as Walter noted, to 55%. That puts it roughly at the same level as it was a year ago (54%) and one and a half year ago (56%) - the last survey's result represented a temporary dip.

This does not mean that the other 45% thinks EU membership is not a good thing. It is split between those who think it's a bad thing (13%) and those who think it's neither good nor bad or don't know (28% + 4%).

Interesting is that this agreement is pretty much equivalent in the new member states too. There, support went from 49% to 54%.

The map, in fact, looks fairly different from what you might expect. The Dutch, for example, despite having binned the European Constitution in their referendum, remain the second most enthusiastic nation about EU membership per se.

Lemme see if I can transfer this to ImageShack..

(click to enlarge)



The notion that EU citizens appreciate the EU primarily to the extent that they feel their country has benefited from it (as a sort of subsidy trough), appears to be disproven by the next map. Here, the question is, "Would you say that your country has on balance benefited or not from being a member of the European Union?", and it shows a different picture. Apparently, there are many people who think EU membership is a good thing even if they don't feel their country has benefited from it - or, more puzzlingly, that it is not a good thing (or neither good nor bad), even if they feel their country has benefited from it.

(click to enlarge)