In Nick's post on 'it's better to be in France', Andrew Hearne makes a very important point: "...so many people have lost sight of how bloody marvelous Europe simply for the fact that it is saving us millions and millions as we've stopped fighting each other." Both of his points are overlooked too often. The latter is very important and 'fighting' does not just mean wars. There was so much political manouevering after WW2 that just about everybody was at everybody else's political throats and then we had the Soviet Union to deal with. Now the Soviet period is over and some former Soviet nations are in the EU with us, some in line waiting to join. Generally the nations of the EU get on with each other and the differences are not that important really, otherwise would we be here in France? Is it not better to be working together as the entire world begins to move toward economic and environmental crises that require solidarity? Or is it better to be on the outside looking in? I wonder if the outside looking in that some in the UK so highly desire is not the route to isolation and being left to do things that require cooperation alone. People in other European countries also want out, but what is the future going to bring those who leave, if ever?