Brexit deal 'was always a dreadful deal' says Farage
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France saw its seventh consecutive weekend of protests last Saturday, with authorities logging 222 separate protest actions against President Emmanuel Macron’s COVID-19 health pass system. Under the system, which has been progressively introduced since mid-July, proof of vaccination or a negative test must be provided for those who wish to enter a restaurant, theatre, cinema, large shopping centre or travel on a long-distance train. The movement has brought different groups together, including anti-vaxxers, former members of the “Yellow Vest” anti-government movement, as well as those concerned that the system creates a two-tier society.
Similar protests have been seen in other EU nations including Germany and Italy.
While undoubtedly fuelled by the coronavirus pandemic, it has been argued that European unrest is symptomatic of an increasingly homogenous continent under EU rule.
Spanish MEP Hermann Tertsch believes the “left radicals” in the EU are pushing too hard for an increasingly integrated bloc.
This push, however, is moving countries in the other direction, away from EU powerhouses France and Germany, and more towards an anti-bloc attitude.
Last year, EU countries agreed to something that the bloc’s predecessor – the European Economic Community – promised it never would: shared debt.
So for the first time in EU history, all 27 countries share debt as a single outfit.
Critics have argued the southern European countries hit hardest by the pandemic will be tied to their wealthier northern neighbours indefinitely.
Although, advocates of the shared debt say it finally unites Europe in an increasingly disjointed world.
Mr Tersch said earlier this year: “The lefties in the EU are in a hurry because they know Europe is changing.
“If you see the attitude of the Dutch, Austrians and Finnish, they are slowly but surely adopting a position inside the European Union that is very similar to the position the UK had in the last 10 years before they quit.
“If things don’t change, if the majority doesn’t get a little bit of sense for the real feelings of the people in Europe, I think we will have more exits and not very far in time.
“We will have more exits and everybody will have to reconsider.”
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He argued there is “no way of bringing a successful state of equilibrium” with the plans the bloc have in place.
He continued: “It won’t happen because the national forces are really growing in an opposite direction.”
Another MEP echoed this argument earlier this year.
Peter Kofod, Danish MEP, told Express.co.uk in February that smaller countries within the bloc have been left dealing with “school bullies” Mr Macron and Angela Merkel since Brexit.
Mr Macron is neck and neck with far-right Marine Le Pen in polls for the 2022 French presidential election, according to Politico’s Poll of Polls.
Ms Merkel, meanwhile, announced in December 2018 that she would not seek reelection in the 2021 German election, which will take place later this month.
Mr Kofod said: “The situation before Brexit was: If you imagine a schoolyard and you have two big bullies, France and Germany, telling all the small kids what to do.
“Luckily for the smaller kids like Denmark, we had a big strong friend called Great Britain.
“Of course, losing that friend puts us in a more difficult situation, dealing with France and Germany.”
He predicted Denmark could hold their own breakaway vote by as early as 2026 – although this quest to free the Danes from the EU’s shackles will largely depend on British success outside of the bloc.
He said: “One day Parliament is going to have to make a decision about having a referendum and then we will have to win the referendum.
“It will be in a few years. In my opinion, it might be in five years or eight years.”
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