About the game
David Cameron has embarked on a renegotiation of the UK’s terms of membership of the EU. The agreement is then going to be put to a national referendum, with the country either remaining in the EU on the new terms, or leaving and getting a new trading arrangement outside.
But what initially looked like a quest for major concessions was whittled down into changes sought in just four areas. Reform of whole areas of contention, such as the Common Fisheries Policy, that were once on the cards have just been abandoned.
Of the specific list of 22 tweaks sought, on review it transpires that
That leaves 6 objectives where a problem has been correctly identified, but even here the change sought is marginal and won’t fix any of the deeper issues.
In other words, the renegotiation looks like a cheap political fix rather than a real change that would make UK membership of the EU work over any length of time. The cynics were right all along.
But what initially looked like a quest for major concessions was whittled down into changes sought in just four areas. Reform of whole areas of contention, such as the Common Fisheries Policy, that were once on the cards have just been abandoned.
Of the specific list of 22 tweaks sought, on review it transpires that
- 6 are targets that have already been met;
- Another 4 were promised as far back as the Maastricht Treaty, over 20 years ago;
- A further 6 are such a complete muddle that they will have to be fudged.
That leaves 6 objectives where a problem has been correctly identified, but even here the change sought is marginal and won’t fix any of the deeper issues.
In other words, the renegotiation looks like a cheap political fix rather than a real change that would make UK membership of the EU work over any length of time. The cynics were right all along.
But could you do better?
Now you can try your hand at international diplomacy, in a game designed by people with deep expertise in EU matters, and who also have a previously obfuscated track record in designing DIY entertainment involving dice, jelly baby counters, and tea towels. It’s free. Just print out the board, cards and rules. Then, you too could be dashing about the EU generating political crises in your wake. Will you sprint for quickly-delivered fudge, or instead fight your corner for fare that’s more substantial? Realistically of course, Cameron’s negotiators are supposed to be one team rather than 2-6 players. Then again, the Prime Minister has said he plans to retire in the not-too-distant future. So these talks provide an ideal opportunity for an ambitious type to grab the glory and bolster one’s career prospects - or to dump potential opponents deep into l’ordure. |
Want more information on what is going on? There are some pretty comprehensive sources out there.
If you find the subject matter interesting and have a bit of spare time, we recommend dipping into Change or Go which covers a huge array of topics. We haven’t tested it, but we suspect the hard copy of that mammothly comprehensive document stops bullets.
If you want to see how past renegotiations have fared, you can try Plan B for Europe. You can’t say that Eurosceptics haven’t tried to fix things. But the will on the other side just isn’t there.
If you want a speedboat ride straight into the key arguments and issues, then follow the links to the campaigning site of our friends Better Off Out (you can also follow the icon on this site).
While you’re free to download for your own use and for playing with friends, Intellectual copyright rights are retained by the designers. Drop us a line if you are an interested board games company. Drop David Cameron a line if your talks end up better than his.
If you find the subject matter interesting and have a bit of spare time, we recommend dipping into Change or Go which covers a huge array of topics. We haven’t tested it, but we suspect the hard copy of that mammothly comprehensive document stops bullets.
If you want to see how past renegotiations have fared, you can try Plan B for Europe. You can’t say that Eurosceptics haven’t tried to fix things. But the will on the other side just isn’t there.
If you want a speedboat ride straight into the key arguments and issues, then follow the links to the campaigning site of our friends Better Off Out (you can also follow the icon on this site).
While you’re free to download for your own use and for playing with friends, Intellectual copyright rights are retained by the designers. Drop us a line if you are an interested board games company. Drop David Cameron a line if your talks end up better than his.
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