Yes Minister explains the EEC (EU)

Rex Lupis · 3.5M views · 2016-06-27 · 4:00

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Overview

A short clip from the British sitcom Yes Minister in which Sir Humphrey cynically explains to Jim Hacker why European nations joined the common market.

On Hacker News

HN quotes it in threads about the EU as a satirical explanation of how Brussels bureaucracy came about.

Discussed on HN; no positive recommendation is recorded in this export · HN mentions 2018–2023

Topics

Satire & parody Film & TV clips Geopolitics & foreign policy

What people said

scrlk · 2023-02 · Joke / meme
To quote "Yes Minister" (British political satire from the 1980s): "You know what they say about the average Common Market official. He has the organising ability of the Italians, the flexibility of the Germans, and the modesty of the French. And that's topped up by the imagination of the Belgians, the generosity of the Dutch and the intelligence of the Irish." [VIDEO]
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not_knuth · 2021-01 · Reference
I don't think everyone here is familiar with "Yes, Minister", so it would probably be best if you quote it. For anyone else interested, the parent paraphrased a scene [0] from the legendary British sitcom "Yes, Minister" (~early 80s) where the civil servant Humphrey explains, in the most cynical manner possible, how the EU (at the time EEC) came to be. [0] [VIDEO]
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xamuel · 2018-06 · Reference
Is wallpaper really as hated as the opening paragraph makes it out to be? I fell in love with wallpaper from watching "Yes Minister" which mostly takes place in government offices with beautiful wallpaper. [VIDEO]
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Sources

Video by Rex Lupis, played through YouTube.

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