In continental lore, it is Britain that is often seen as the greatest impediment to EU
integration. The government’s EU Bill initially caused horror in the rest of Europe. Would Britain have to vote for each treaty change, even those needed to enlarge the Union? Before the text of
the bill became clear, every self-respecting eurocrat spat the name ‘Britain’ over their lait russe. Even now, they are not best pleased.
But in future it may not be Britain, but Ireland that will block any further EU integration. For Ireland is turning a lot more eurosceptic. The role of the euro in Ireland’s decline remains a subject of debate. In eurosceptic circles, there is wilful ignorance of the role played by Ireland’s politicians. Much better, it seems, to blame the euro alone.
Yet, the truth remains that the introduction of the euro – at a low interest rate hitherto unknown in Ireland – inflated an already unsustainable property boom.
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