After the Trump rocked the continent with his threat to take Greenland, the prime minister praises Europe as a ‘sleeping giant’

Britain’s “Brexit years” are over, Sir Keir Starmer will tell world leaders on Saturday as he calls for closer security ties with Europe – and less reliance on Donald Trump’s United States.

After transatlantic tensions flared following the US president’s repeated threats to take Greenland from Denmark, the prime minister will call for Europe to curb its dependence on the US, while praising the continent as a “sleeping giant” whose economic and military might can defeat its enemies.

After surviving the most tumultuous week of his premiership so far, including an attempt to oust him from office, Sir Keir will also warn that turning inwards, as the UK did during Brexit, would amount to “surrender” in a perilous era.

  • Basic Glitch@sh.itjust.works
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    17 hours ago

    You’re being asked to pick sides.

    I’m saying this as an American, picking Trump’s America over the EU (who you absolutely never should have left in the first place), would be like being asked to pick sides and picking the hot mess abusive stripper who’s own life is clearly falling apart, over the stability of your family.

    You’ve already nearly lost them, but for some reason your wife is enough of a class act to let you still come around on the weekends, and maybe she’s even willing to give you another shot someday if you can prove you’ve actually gotten your life together and won’t let that shit happen again. Maybe. Regardless, it should really be no fucking contest.

  • Patrikvo@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    It’s time for the UK to accept Brexit was a fuckup and get this fixed. Friends forgive friends right?

    • comrade_twisty@feddit.org
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      2 days ago

      The EU and the UK could just publish a report that Brexit was planned and orchestrated by Russian intelligence (which is no secret at all) and open the way for the UK to rejoin under the old terms. There is no reason to further punish them, we would all be better off if they get back in even if it is under the favorable conditions that they threw down the drain back in 2016.

      • gressen@lemmy.zip
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        2 days ago

        The old terms were very favourable to UK, I don’t see how EU would agree to them again in 2026.

        • Mrsilkworm@piefed.social
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          22 hours ago

          This. Either UK joins with the same rules as everyone else. No opt outs, no sterilng, or they should stay as they are and not join at all.
          I wouldn’t want my grandchildren face the same shitshow I did.

        • comrade_twisty@feddit.org
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          2 days ago

          That’s why I am saying, publish the report. Let everyone know that this was orchestrated as a measure to weaken and exploit Europe and let them back in under the old terms for our own good.

          • Goodeye8@piefed.social
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            2 days ago

            The only thing Russia did was give Britain a little nudge to get them over the finish line. The “Europe question” has been circulating in the UK politics longer than UK has been in the EU and IMO it’s been circulating because of British exceptionalism.

            When the ECSC was formed UK decided to stay out because UK thought it was still a global superpower. When the ECSC became EEC Britain still decided to stay away. The UK didn’t join the EEC until it became apparent that the UK was lagging behind the EEC. And then literally 2 years after joining the EEC, in 1975, Britain held effectively brexit 1.0 referendum, which obviously didn’t pass. Then in 80s labour ran on a campaign to leave the EEC. Then in the 90s when the EEC became the EU Britain opted out from integrations. Since the EU became a real thing UK has been consistently one of the most eurosceptic countries in the EU.

            Even if such a report was published it wouldn’t excuse the decades of anti-EU sentiment. Nor would it guarantee the UK wouldn’t do it again, after all they’ve had 2 attempts at it

            And even if the EU was so naive to believe such a report would be enough, there’s no chance the UK comes back with all its privileges. The budget rebate is clearly against the interest of the EU. The others are less egregious but they’re essentially opt outs of integrating with the EU so demanding those back is IMO contradictory to wanting to rejoin the EU. They shouldn’t get those back, so that leaving would become such a headache they wouldn’t try a third time.

        • ryathal@sh.itjust.works
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          2 days ago

          The UK would be the second largest economy in the EU. There isn’t a way they join without favorable terms.

      • TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Sorry, but the EU won’t accept the pre-Brexit deal with the UK. One just can’t have the cake and eat it. The EU don’t want another time wasting happening with other countries leaving the union as well, and regretting only to come back as if nothing happened.

    • melsaskca@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      Yeah but who listens to, or believes, the polls anymore? It’s an outdated concept that is used for nothing more than to sway public opinion.

        • comrade_twisty@feddit.org
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          2 days ago

          I believe the guy above was referring to Gallups statement on their discontinuation of presidential approval polls after 88 years.

        • milkisklim@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          Maybe we should have folks come together say “Hey! This person represents at least a plurality of our approval. Let’s sentence them to spending the next 5 years or so in a rundown palace next to a big clock where their closest neighbors hang out on red pillows all day.”

          Since they have the biggest piles of votes we can call the vote gathering days erections, since vote counters will stack ballots on top of each other and the biggest pile wins.

  • fox2263@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Yes. Start sticking up for yourself too. Do what the people want not what the vocal minority makes you think we want.