Guy Verhofstadt exemplifies why the UK needs to break the EU stranglehold it labours under. A failing politician of a country that knows only too well what it is like to stab itself to death and fracture itself along "nationalistic" lines. Clearly deeply jealous of the UK, as a strong and cohesive country, he also reflects a lamentable understanding of the Brexit vote and that "nationalism" is still a barely glowing ember in the UK when set against the naked nationalism of France and Germany.



The arrogance is breathtaking. Junker the President who made Brussels a dirty little tax haven for pet representatives of big business. Brussels the home of the pampered political bougeosie of the largely hated EU. You really need to take a very hard look at your own PR I am thinking of Eurobarometer. Have you looked lately? If you have you will not be surprised to learn that 60% of the Peoples of Europe DO NOT TRUST THE EU . Not my figures, YOUR figures. I wonder why that might be and whether in fact the reason Cameron and many past primeministers did not praise the EU ? Perhaps it is because it doesn't deserve any praise?



A comprehensive failure at just about every level. Currently run by a corrupt many say alcoholic former Belgium Primeminister implicated in a number of financial scandals. The EU has failed to manage the Euro competently; failed to monitor and correct the rules of the stability pact , were most Euro members are now over the 60% debt to GDP limit. It has failed to deal with the immigration issue; Belgium itself is a nest of vipers for terrorists and Islamic extremism. The EU has made the economy of the EEA so dysfunctional that even the IMF is producing graphs which demonstrate the calamatous decline of the Euro Zone over the last few years, every new joining country has accelerating the decline of EU trade as a percentage of world trade - explain that?



You write an opinion piece deriding the UK, when it has been OUR economy that has absorbed millions of the youth of Europe, because France; Italy; Greece; Poland; and Portugal are all failing in their economic growth. We have nearly 5 million Europeans living in the UK - no one has ever asked the British if we minded having our home invaded in such numbers and in such a short space of time?



Frankly I feel your attitude and the similar attitudes of Junker and Schultz is what will kill the European Union. The UK has supported this wretched structure with billions of our money for over 40 years - we don't even get any thanks for that. We get no thanks for the NATO assets we deploy on Europe's behalf nor do we get any thanks for the sacrifices we have made in handing over our fishing resources and seas. The EU snubbed the UK's involved on the Euro, despite the fact we hold the largest financial centre in Europe - because the fools in Brussels imagined they had the skills and knowledge to manage a single currency. Fact is you don't. An idiot with a basic grasp of economics would have worked out the Euro was going to be a disaster - but somehow the pompous oafs in the EU knew better - well did you? The UK didn't want to be involved because we could see it would come clattering down around your ears because it is being run by rank amateurs.



You have no idea what you are talking about when you make barbed comments about the UK. Let me tell you some facts and listen hard.



The UK will get a deal it can live with from the EU and the reason it will is because the EU depends on the UK markets for exports; flowers/wine/cheese/fruit/meat; hi tech; cars and a vast array of products that no substitute market can be easily found for it. ANY attempt to cause a problem to the UK will result in the kind of trade blacklisting that would cripple the EU over night and as a nation we will act as one. When we are threatened we will respond and the UK will not take any attempt to damage it lying down.



The EU has a choice. It can accept the Brexit vote as a democratic vote of no confidence in the EU, allow the British to negotiate a role within the EU that continues to see it support; co-operate and pay for the EU without any penalty whatsoever, or you can make an enemy out of the UK.



We are a post colonial power, and so is the fractured limping state of Belgium. The difference is the UK far from retreating inside itself will be exploading onto the world map in a way Belgium can only dream of. The unpleasant power grab of the EU has been foiled. The UK is a beacon of liberty and always will be, you may not like it, but that is too bad. As a nation we have supported and help Europe to flourish, we do not hate Europe, but we despise the EU, the incompetent, self serving faceless ones who have tried and failed to enslave the European peoples.



Brexit was a warning shot for the EU to rethink where it is going. To release countries like Greece from the Euro, to re-structure Europe to allow associate membership as well (for those who want) a combined sovereign membership. If punishment and threats is the only way you can keep the EU together then my friend the ideal is lost. If the EU was working no Brexit vote would have taken place, fact is it is failing and THAT is what needs to be addressed. MORE EUROPE will be more chaos. You need to re-think the model and allow subsidiarity to flourish and throw out the "one size fits all" mantra - it doesn't and now is the time to eat humble pie and work with the UK to remake Europe so it better fits the needs of all its nations. Only the UK had the guts and the self belief to vote leave, we did this not as a selfish act of independence, but as a selfless act of courage to make the point to a deaf and blind Centre that it is incompetent and cannot run the economies of 28 countries when it can't even get its books audited, or stay in one Parliament to conduct its business. Change NOW and demonstrate to Europe you are worth bothering with.