PoDs for a "Two Speed Europe"?

[Geordie]

Thinking about the oft-referenced idea of a "Two Speed" Europe with a "slow lane" for more reticent nations, partly due to @Comisario's rather excellent Postcards from St Mary's.

I suppose there's three questions:

• Which PoDs could produce such an idea? Lisbon? Maastricht? Expansion from the first 6? UK entry? An EFTA/EEC merger?
• How might it work?
• Who (other than the UK) might be in the Associate member slow lane?
• Do certain personalities within Europe need more power, or do others need sidelined?

 

[Yokai Man]

Thinking about the oft-referenced idea of a "Two Speed" Europe with a "slow lane" for more reticent nations, partly due to @Comisario's rather excellent Postcards from St Mary's.

I suppose there's three questions:

• Which PoDs could produce such an idea? Lisbon? Maastricht? Expansion from the first 6? UK entry? An EFTA/EEC merger?
• How might it work?
• Who (other than the UK) might be in the Associate member slow lane?
• Do certain personalities within Europe need more power, or do others need sidelined?

One of the easier ways is just having a Maastricht Referendum over and over like in Denmark and whatnot.

Just have Kinnock and Paddy do a little better in 1992,form a coalition government,suffer from Black Wednesday,the government loses its majority and someone like Lamont wins a massive majority. Hell,if you want to,you can have Lamont refuse to sign another Treaty after the referendum and the Two Speed Europe happens in order to appease the British government and stop them from boycotting Brussels.

(which btw is a thing Lamont suggested after coining the term Brexit-have the government and the Tories do a Sinn Fein til the EU says yes to them leaving-I can see him though being convinced to just lower the demands to something similar to a Two Speed Europe).

 

[AH Layard]

Agree with that Yokai and I don't think it wouldn't necessarily need the Tories coming back. With a small majority Labour can't pass Maastricht given the number of Eurosceptics on their backbenches, which increases the likelihood of a referendum which is probably going to fail.

 

[Simon]

Thinking about the oft-referenced idea of a "Two Speed" Europe with a "slow lane" for more reticent nations…

They'd probably have more success selling the idea by reversing that framing and having it as a "fast lane" for countries that wanted to push on ahead.