Reddit reviews Europe's Last Chance: Why the European States Must Form a More Perfect Union

Europe's Last Chance: Why the European States Must Form a More Perfect Union by Guy Verhofstadt ;
The United States of Europe: The New Superpower and the End of American Supremacy by T. R. Reid ;
On Governing Europe: A Federal Experiment by Andrew Duff ;
Towards a Federal Europe by Alexander H. Trechsel

Or see posts that try to give a reasoned pro-union argument shoot of to -10 whilst a pro-indy get +50?

There is a distinct risk of creating an echo chamber here. You just have to look across the pond to see what could happen. see the now infamous sub of don-the-ald.

Echo chambers aren't good.

Yes Westminster has issues, but so does independence, as does the EU. I caught part of Guy Verhofstadt on Hardtalk and he fully admits that there are problems in the EU. His solution of more integration actually would solve a lot of these, using Brexit to force the EU countries to really get serious and not keep kicking a can down the road, is sensible. How far you actually agree or disagree with the solution is one debate, the other is does Europe get serious or keep kicking the can? What worked for 6 or 12 is becoming unworkable at 27+.

Verhofstadt is an unabashed Americophile. Here's the description of his last book, which is subtitled "a more perfect union":

>https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465096859/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

>The answer, according to Guy Verhofstadt, is for Europe to remake itself in the model of the United States of America. The former Prime Minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt is currently the leader of a powerful center-left coalition in the European Parliament, and he has seen first-hand the dismal failings and pernicious stalemates of Europe's leadership. As it stands Europe suffers from the worst of both worlds, with the EU combining the bureaucracy and obstinacy of empire with all the divisiveness and bigotry of old nationalisms. Much as America's sovereign states traded self-government for the security, efficiency, and prosperity of a federal government--and thus laid the foundation for the immense wealth and power of the U.S. today--so too must Europe's independent nations accept the mantle of federalism so as to remain prosperous and influential into the future.

He also wrote another book which is simply titled "The United States of Europe." So yeah, when he said the US was an "empire" in that speech, he was definitely describing something he wanted the EU to aspire to be. It may not have been the most politic choice of words, but he said it. Farage didn't make it up.

edit: and now that that's settled, you have redditors saying that he didn't know what he was saying, because he's Belgian. Please- he has a firm grasp of English and is doubtlessly aware of the connotations of the word.

I didn't "concoct" anything. You just don't pay attention to what your leaders are doing.

Germany tried this before, but was stopped by Britain, and has decided to go forward, anyway, just like it did with the EU constitution.

It's not a "conspiracy" when the actor in question says what they want to do, and then does it.