Britannist

The ITV Border television region (the most northerly part of England and southern Scotland) is being merged into the ITV Tyne-Tees (north-east of England) region (ITV announced this in the Autumn of last year). So local programming for that new larger region will presumably come from both Carlisle (where the headquarters of Border Television is situated) and from the much larger Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (location of the headquaters of Tyne-Tees Television).

Britannist

For decades French was the 'main' language in the EEC/EU. However, since Germany became one (3.10.1990) and Austria (foolishly) entered the EEC/EU, German has been the most widely spoken language in the EEC/EU. Indeed, German is the most widely spoken first language in the whole of europe (over 120 million speakers).

German (a language in the world top ten of how many speak a language) certainly is higher up in the ranking in the EEC/EU than is French and German should come before French in deliberations within the EU and within europe generally.

Westcountryman

Given the international status enjoyed by the English language, there is no doubt in my mind that it should be the primary language used in the EU.

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Manus haec inimica tyrannis ense petit placidam sub libertate quietam - "This hand of mine, which is hostile to tyrants, seeks by the sword quiet peace under liberty."

Britannist

Good point. I was just trying to say (in my last posting to this thread) that German is more important as a language in europe than French is.

Indeed, it could be argued that Russian is a more important language in europe than French is (i.e. more people in europe speak Russian than French as their first language).

cassie

I very much agree, but there are other anti-English [on a number of levels] forces at work within the EU!

cassie

Yes, I was trying to suggest in a roundabout way that German was more of an opponent to English than French in the matter of a single, official EU language being adopted.

Point taken about Russian! However, in a global context, the language spoken by most people is Chinese or, perhaps I ought more accurately to say, the various dialects of Chinese! Even so, we all know (I trust) that the language spoken by most nationalities and second in total number is English, albeit modified on occasion.

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Britannist

The EU is swarming with people who hate England .

To the EU, England represents democracy, freedom, traditions and national sovereignty - all things the europhiles can't stand.

Unlike many of the 'big' EU nations, England has been around for alot longer with its ancient system of Government than has the bogus, artificially-constructed EU.

Britannist

Good point Cassie, English is 'number one'. And let's hope that it stays that way. English is the perfect language to be at the top of the ranking for usage around the world.

cassie

England is older as a nation (as also is Scotland) than all the original signatories of the Treaty of Rome in 1958 with the possible exception of France, but even that is questionable.

Britannist

Yes, England is a real and ancient nation. And the EU is just an artificially-created power-hungry and meddlesome upstart.

The EU will eventually join the League of Nations, Comecon, Warsaw Pact, United Arab Republic, Yugoslavia, 'East' Germany, Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and all the other failed artificial countries and disentegrated power blocs on the scrapheap of history.