# In The Army Now **URL:** \ **Category:** News and current events\ **Created:** [13 November 2017 21:14 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619 "2017-11-13T21:14:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Goatboy](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/goatboy/32/167_2.png) [@Goatboy](https://www.sotonians.com/u/Goatboy)\ **Post date:** [13 November 2017 21:14 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619/1 "2017-11-13T21:14:25Z")
23 members of the EU signed up for closer defence co-operation today. Reckon we’ll be contributing? ## [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41971867](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41971867) ---
**Author:** ![BTripz](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/btripz/32/75839_2.png) [@BTripz](https://www.sotonians.com/u/BTripz)\ **Post date:** [14 November 2017 00:07 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619/2 "2017-11-14T00:07:27Z")
Isn’t this the European Army that we were told would never be happening? ---
**Author:** ![Goatboy](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/goatboy/32/167_2.png) [@Goatboy](https://www.sotonians.com/u/Goatboy)\ **Post date:** [14 November 2017 06:45 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619/3 "2017-11-14T06:45:15Z")
Ah but they’re not calling it a European Army. It’ will just be all countries paying into a central defence budget and then the EU directing the member states’ armies. Completely different. I’m sure the contributions will be remarkably reasonable too. ---
**Author:** ![CB-Saint](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/cb-saint/32/95251_2.png) [@CB-Saint](https://www.sotonians.com/u/CB-Saint)\ **Post date:** [14 November 2017 07:06 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619/4 "2017-11-14T07:06:00Z")
So is that €5 bn that will be wazzed up the wall on more bureaucrats. Didnt David Cameron say that this was a fanciful idea in the campaign? ---
**Author:** ![Goatboy](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/goatboy/32/167_2.png) [@Goatboy](https://www.sotonians.com/u/Goatboy)\ **Post date:** [14 November 2017 07:39 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619/5 "2017-11-14T07:39:02Z")
5BN Euros? You’ll be lucky! Look at how many US bases there are around the world. This is the stage that the EU is looking to ‘play’ on. That sort of role won’t come cheap. At the moment the cumulative defence spend of the 28 is in excess of $250 billion. Per year. Reckon that will be climbing towards US levels of nearly $600billion per year. ---
**Author:** ![Goatboy](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/goatboy/32/167_2.png) [@Goatboy](https://www.sotonians.com/u/Goatboy)\ **Post date:** [14 November 2017 08:02 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619/6 "2017-11-14T08:02:51Z")
Moghereini did stress that there will also be much more co-operation in research and development so maybe the EU will be looking to sell newer, better weapons to help with the funding. However it works, Im sure we can all agree that what the world needs is more weapons and more meddling in the affairs of a greater number of countries. > **[Mogherini hails ‘historic’ EU defense pact](https://www.politico.eu/article/federica-mogherini-defense-hails-historic-eu-defense-pact-as-23-countries-sign-up/)** > > Move is part of Franco-German push to deepen integration after Brexit. ---
**Author:** ![CB-Saint](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/cb-saint/32/95251_2.png) [@CB-Saint](https://www.sotonians.com/u/CB-Saint)\ **Post date:** [14 November 2017 08:18 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619/7 "2017-11-14T08:18:01Z")
Absolutely, the EU did a belting job with the Ukraine. ---
**Author:** ![pap](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/pap/32/74795_2.png) [@pap](https://www.sotonians.com/u/pap)\ **Post date:** [14 November 2017 11:32 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619/8 "2017-11-14T11:32:41Z")
Where are the Remainers? ---
**Author:** ![gavstar](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/gavstar/32/86128_2.png) [@gavstar](https://www.sotonians.com/u/gavstar)\ **Post date:** [14 November 2017 11:57 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619/9 "2017-11-14T11:57:10Z")
I’m here. When the USA invades us I’ll be signing up for team Europe :lou_wink_2: ---
**Author:** ![Goatboy](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/goatboy/32/167_2.png) [@Goatboy](https://www.sotonians.com/u/Goatboy)\ **Post date:** [14 November 2017 12:21 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619/10 "2017-11-14T12:21:22Z")
When? ![](https://discourse-sotonians-uploads.s3.dualstack.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/original/3X/c/7/c77a0dcd8601118af5498a142ddd8341e739dc1d.png) ---
**Author:** ![pap](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/pap/32/74795_2.png) [@pap](https://www.sotonians.com/u/pap)\ **Post date:** [14 November 2017 12:27 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619/11 "2017-11-14T12:27:28Z")
Well, I did warn our Remaining friends about this. During the 2012 debate between Farage and Clegg, Ol Nick repeatedly called Nigel a fantasist for suggesting it. The huge question of course, is who this force would hold fealty to. ---
**Author:** ![Cobham-Saint](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/cobham-saint/32/99252_2.png) [@Cobham-Saint](https://www.sotonians.com/u/Cobham-Saint)\ **Post date:** [14 November 2017 12:46 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619/12 "2017-11-14T12:46:09Z")
Give it a rest Lenin. Doom, gloom, that’s all we hear from you. ---
**Author:** ![pap](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/pap/32/74795_2.png) [@pap](https://www.sotonians.com/u/pap)\ **Post date:** [14 November 2017 13:51 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619/13 "2017-11-14T13:51:51Z")
It’s ze Germans, init Cobs? ---
**Author:** ![PhilippineSaint](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/philippinesaint/32/3978_2.png) [@PhilippineSaint](https://www.sotonians.com/u/PhilippineSaint)\ **Post date:** [14 November 2017 15:53 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619/14 "2017-11-14T15:53:20Z")
Personallly I would have said ze Frenche ---
**Author:** ![Map-Of-Tasmania](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/map-of-tasmania/32/1298_2.png) [@Map-Of-Tasmania](https://www.sotonians.com/u/Map-Of-Tasmania)\ **Post date:** [14 November 2017 16:17 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619/15 "2017-11-14T16:17:06Z")
No remainers here, because well, a single EU wide defence force and budget has been part of the long term vision of the EU for some time. It ultimately, makes a lot of sense unless you are a little englander. Our current Uk defense budget is around 40 bn per year… if we could half that by having a single EU defence force that our contribution was say 20 bn, why we could use that extra 20bn per year on the NHS … an extra 13% would come in handy surely? ---
**Author:** ![pap](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/pap/32/74795_2.png) [@pap](https://www.sotonians.com/u/pap)\ **Post date:** [14 November 2017 17:21 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619/16 "2017-11-14T17:21:17Z")
Who will this force hold fealty to? ---
**Author:** ![Bathsaint](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/bathsaint/32/22_2.png) [@Bathsaint](https://www.sotonians.com/u/Bathsaint)\ **Post date:** [14 November 2017 17:21 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619/17 "2017-11-14T17:21:37Z")
We’ll also be cut out of all their defence contracts I suspect. As I understand, this will involve working on new military hardware in a joint cooperation between the EU members. How much of that business will our defence contractors see? Ah well, we can just sell more stuff to nice countries like Saudi Arabia, with their excellent human rights record. ---
**Author:** ![pap](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/pap/32/74795_2.png) [@pap](https://www.sotonians.com/u/pap)\ **Post date:** [14 November 2017 17:29 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619/18 "2017-11-14T17:29:19Z")
Yeah, because selling stuff to the Saudis will be a first. Thanks for implicitly accepting that the only reason Brexit will be difficult is our EU “friends”. Keep the Vichy spirit alive, lads! ---
**Author:** ![Goatboy](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/goatboy/32/167_2.png) [@Goatboy](https://www.sotonians.com/u/Goatboy)\ **Post date:** [14 November 2017 17:43 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619/19 "2017-11-14T17:43:09Z")
What makes you think the contribution would be lower than current levels of spending on defence?? ---
**Author:** ![Bathsaint](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/bathsaint/32/22_2.png) [@Bathsaint](https://www.sotonians.com/u/Bathsaint)\ **Post date:** [14 November 2017 17:58 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619/20 "2017-11-14T17:58:01Z")
Ha ha ha, you’re a card. Vichy spirit indeed. My sides are splitting. Yep, we sell lots of stuff to Saudi, but we are also part of lots of European defence projects - not for much longer though. And, I don’t see any problem with a pan-European defence pact, unlike you and your bestie, Nige. Pap and Nige, up in a tree, K I S S I N G [Next page](https://www.sotonians.com/t/in-the-army-now/1619.md?page=2)