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Re: [OT] 44 countries

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nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) posted:

> Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:
> 
> > Hibou wrote:
> > 
> > > Le 03/07/2026 à 08:09, Steve Hayes a écrit :
> > > > athel.cb@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > 
> > > > > What about Gibraltar? Is it a country? (I've counted the
> > > > > Vatican, but it's not everyone's idea of a country.
> > > > > Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein and San Marino obviously
> > > > > count.)
> > > > > 
> > > > > What about Kosovo? Is it a country? Come to that, what
> > > > > about Abkhazia and Transnistria?
> > > > > 
> > > > > What about Malta, Cyprus and Iceland? Countries, yes, but
> > > > > are they in Europe?
> > > > 
> > > > England, Scotland, ?Ireland and wales? Man? Jersey, Guernsey?
> > > 
> > > Yes, what is a country? The UK is a country, and so are
> > > Scotland, England, Wales, and Ireland. Does that make five?
> > 
> > John Lennon liked to imagine there were no countries... (It
> > isn't hard to do.)
> > 
> > > It might make more sense to talk about sovereign states
> > > ('sovereign' poses a problem if they're members of the EU,
> > > though).
> > 
> > The EU becomes the sovereign part on the aspects of sovereignty
> > that are shared within the EU.
> > 
> > Ireland recently had a fuel crisis (Thanks Donald) yet the
> > government stated it needed EU approval to reduce the excise
> > duty on fuel at Irish pumps as it's the EU sets the minimum
> > levels for excise duties, which member states have to adhere to.
> > So Ireland was not a sovereign state on that issue.
> 
> Of course not. EU rules are set to level the playing field.
> So EU countries cannot subsidise their businesses
> with low fuel taxes. (within limits)

Luxemburg seems to get away with pump prices significantly lower than those in
Belgium and France. The only Slovenian euro coin that I ever acquired came from
a service staion in Luxemburg.
> 
> The idea is to prevent a race to the bottom,
> (same with many other rates)


-- 
athel

Living in Marseilles for 39 years; mainly in England before that,
with long periods in Singapore, California, Chile and Canada 

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[OT] 44 countries athel.cb@gmail.com <user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-07-02 15:43 +0000
  Re: [OT] 44 countries wugi <wugi@brol.invalid> - 2026-07-02 17:56 +0200
    Re: [OT] 44 countries wugi <wugi@brol.invalid> - 2026-07-02 18:01 +0200
      Re: [OT] 44 countries athel.cb@gmail.com <user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-07-02 16:24 +0000
        Re: [OT] 44 countries Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> - 2026-07-02 19:03 +0100
          Re: [OT] 44 countries Bertel Lund Hansen <rundtosset@lundhansen.dk> - 2026-07-02 20:08 +0200
            Re: [OT] 44 countries athel.cb@gmail.com <user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-07-02 18:55 +0000
              Re: [OT] 44 countries Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> - 2026-07-02 22:14 +0100
                Re: [OT] 44 countries wugi <wugi@brol.invalid> - 2026-07-02 23:41 +0200
                Re: [OT] 44 countries msb@vex.net (Mark Brader) - 2026-07-03 01:07 +0000
                Re: [OT] 44 countries Janet <nobody@home.com> - 2026-07-03 10:08 +0100
                Re: [OT] 44 countries nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-07-03 11:48 +0200
                Re: [OT] 44 countries Bertel Lund Hansen <rundtosset@lundhansen.dk> - 2026-07-03 12:14 +0200
              Re: [OT] 44 countries nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-07-03 11:16 +0200
                Re: [OT] 44 countries "Blueshirt" <blueshirt@indigo.news> - 2026-07-03 09:59 +0000
          Re: [OT] 44 countries occam <occam@nowhere.nix> - 2026-07-03 08:28 +0200
            Re: [OT] 44 countries Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-07-03 09:09 +0100
              Re: [OT] 44 countries "Blueshirt" <blueshirt@indigo.news> - 2026-07-03 09:59 +0000
                Re: [OT] 44 countries Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> - 2026-07-03 20:10 +0100
                Re: [OT] 44 countries Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-07-04 06:57 +0200
                Re: [OT] 44 countries occam <occam@nowhere.nix> - 2026-07-04 09:50 +0200
                Re: [OT] 44 countries Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> - 2026-07-04 19:31 +0100
            Re: [OT] 44 countries HVS <office@REMOVETHISwhhvs.co.uk> - 2026-07-04 16:20 +0100
    Re: [OT] 44 countries occam <occam@nowhere.nix> - 2026-07-03 08:46 +0200
  Re: [OT] 44 countries occam <occam@nowhere.nix> - 2026-07-03 08:22 +0200
  Re: [OT] 44 countries Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-07-03 09:09 +0200
    Re: [OT] 44 countries Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-07-03 09:09 +0100
      Re: [OT] 44 countries nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-07-03 11:48 +0200
        Re: [OT] 44 countries Charles Hope <clh@candehope.me.uk> - 2026-07-03 12:00 +0000
          Re: [OT] 44 countries nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-07-03 22:08 +0200
            Re: [OT] 44 countries Charles Hope <clh@candehope.me.uk> - 2026-07-03 21:30 +0000
              Re: [OT] 44 countries nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-07-04 11:16 +0200
      Re: [OT] 44 countries "Blueshirt" <blueshirt@indigo.news> - 2026-07-03 09:59 +0000
        Re: [OT] 44 countries nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-07-03 15:58 +0200
          Re: [OT] 44 countries athel.cb@gmail.com <user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-07-03 14:11 +0000

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