Harry's Place: Foreigners and Football

Good post at Harry's Place aboutthe number of foreign born players currently in the premiership, noting that people don't seem that bothered that Arsenal fields an entire side without any UK born players. He then goes on to point out how many people go to Europe, and watch European football. In conclusion:

My point is simply that in the world of football people were left to make up their own minds about foreign labour and European integration the two most emotive issues in British politics. And they decided that not only could they handle the changes but they actively enjoyed the opportunities they provided.

That is surely both encouraging for progressives and food for thought for those who insist that there are limits that cannot be exceeded and lines that cannot be crossed.

So it is all the media fault that most people dislike the EU.

However there is a different conclusion that could be drawn. People have no problem with other people from other countries or cultures. The ydon't mind people coming over here to find a job and contribute to our sociaty.

They have a problem with people importing their sociaty and not intergrating. They have a problem with some of the best institutions of their sociaty and the other sociaties that they have visited in europe, such as democratic accountability, being squandered for mere political point scoring. Dislike of the EU is not the 'little englander' syndrome as promoted by the media but a rational evaluation of the EU's performance to date.