You asked for it (9)
Mar. 1st, 2005 09:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gerbieYou asked for it (9)
E.U. politics (requested by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lorelei_aisling)
Is there such a thing as E.U. politics? It is difficult to tell. In general the feeling of most people in Europe is that the politicians in Strasbourg and the civil servants in Brussels are only there for their own sake and do not care about the citizens of Europe. They spent millions of ‘our’ tax-money and are basically a useless bunch of wankers.
As always, things are a bit more complicated. The EU started to make trade better and easier after the Second World War, become a formal community in 1957, with some countries only joining it as recent as the seventies (UK) and eighties (Spain). Last year the big boom came when 10 new countries, mostly from the former Eastern Europe, joined as well.
Like any new democracy, the union has its problems. The biggest one probably that the EU is not a country, not a democracy at itself. Even though both Oz as the US say they are some sort of commonwealth of states, they have one law, one head of state, one government. The EU will not get that far for ages to come. Several countries could be or were once world powers on their own; they will never give up that position for something as bureaucratic and expensive as the EU.
EU politics at the moment are difficult. New countries eagerly await their moment of entrance. In the ‘old’ members, the richer ones, there is a fear that they will have to end up paying for the developing of the poorer countries. History shows that this fear is not based on a real threat. Spain has developed itself greatly since entering the union in 86 and prospered since, yet no other country has actually suffered for their new found wealth. Ireland can tell a similar story. Poland will be next, Turkey will follow. What’s the problem? I am a cynic, but I can see opportunities. I am nowhere near a capitalist, but as it turns out that capitalism will be the world’s most important system, the EU might as well prove that it is not very capitalist to think conservative and try to keep what you’ve got, but that by helping the other, one can benefit oneself as well.
But I know as well as any cynic, that it will take ages before the EU works the way it should, perhaps will never do so. But isn’t that always the case? Isn’t life a series of mistakes, where we still try to make something of it? I know it is. I still play football, even though I know I never fulfilled my potential. I have never in my life worked in a company (and I have worked in many) that actually was well organised. I have never travelled in a country that had its major problems sorted. Life is imperfect, that’s what makes it interesting. The EU is interesting as well, as together it can become a world power, bigger than Japan or the US, though the much needed co-operation to do so is still lacking. Especially the Brits - following the USA? – have turned out to be Euro-sceptics. They do run the risk however to become the 51st state, as they do not seem to acknowledge that they will become more and more dependent on their former colony should they keep their distance to the rest of Europe.
The first European constitution, with all its mistakes, might be the next step forward. Unfortunately several countries have meant that a referendum is needed before it can be installed. Let me throw in another statement: Referenda suck. They are not necessary and expensive. I have voted for someone who is in the European Parliament to represent me. I expect that person to vote for me, that is how democracy works. If the European MP’s think this constitution is worth using, they will vote for it. If not, it needs adjusting. I do not want to give my opinion in a referendum about it. I think I know very little about this constitution, yet I challenge 90% of those who are in favour of the referendum to beat me on knowledge about it. We, ordinary people, should not have to vote about it. Whatever the outcome, sometime between now and 2020 it will get through. We might as well do it now.
EU politics are complex. Think a few hundred people in one room, speaking at least a dozen different languages. Think a lot of different political ideas. Think very little common history to fall back on. Expect chaos. But did not all beauty come out of chaos?
(You asked for it, a series I started to give anyone the opportunity to tell me what to write. You want to tell me as well: leave a comment or mail me (E-mail in user info). This was part 9, 1 request waiting at the moment.)
E.U. politics (requested by
lorelei_aisling)Is there such a thing as E.U. politics? It is difficult to tell. In general the feeling of most people in Europe is that the politicians in Strasbourg and the civil servants in Brussels are only there for their own sake and do not care about the citizens of Europe. They spent millions of ‘our’ tax-money and are basically a useless bunch of wankers.
As always, things are a bit more complicated. The EU started to make trade better and easier after the Second World War, become a formal community in 1957, with some countries only joining it as recent as the seventies (UK) and eighties (Spain). Last year the big boom came when 10 new countries, mostly from the former Eastern Europe, joined as well.
Like any new democracy, the union has its problems. The biggest one probably that the EU is not a country, not a democracy at itself. Even though both Oz as the US say they are some sort of commonwealth of states, they have one law, one head of state, one government. The EU will not get that far for ages to come. Several countries could be or were once world powers on their own; they will never give up that position for something as bureaucratic and expensive as the EU.
EU politics at the moment are difficult. New countries eagerly await their moment of entrance. In the ‘old’ members, the richer ones, there is a fear that they will have to end up paying for the developing of the poorer countries. History shows that this fear is not based on a real threat. Spain has developed itself greatly since entering the union in 86 and prospered since, yet no other country has actually suffered for their new found wealth. Ireland can tell a similar story. Poland will be next, Turkey will follow. What’s the problem? I am a cynic, but I can see opportunities. I am nowhere near a capitalist, but as it turns out that capitalism will be the world’s most important system, the EU might as well prove that it is not very capitalist to think conservative and try to keep what you’ve got, but that by helping the other, one can benefit oneself as well.
But I know as well as any cynic, that it will take ages before the EU works the way it should, perhaps will never do so. But isn’t that always the case? Isn’t life a series of mistakes, where we still try to make something of it? I know it is. I still play football, even though I know I never fulfilled my potential. I have never in my life worked in a company (and I have worked in many) that actually was well organised. I have never travelled in a country that had its major problems sorted. Life is imperfect, that’s what makes it interesting. The EU is interesting as well, as together it can become a world power, bigger than Japan or the US, though the much needed co-operation to do so is still lacking. Especially the Brits - following the USA? – have turned out to be Euro-sceptics. They do run the risk however to become the 51st state, as they do not seem to acknowledge that they will become more and more dependent on their former colony should they keep their distance to the rest of Europe.
The first European constitution, with all its mistakes, might be the next step forward. Unfortunately several countries have meant that a referendum is needed before it can be installed. Let me throw in another statement: Referenda suck. They are not necessary and expensive. I have voted for someone who is in the European Parliament to represent me. I expect that person to vote for me, that is how democracy works. If the European MP’s think this constitution is worth using, they will vote for it. If not, it needs adjusting. I do not want to give my opinion in a referendum about it. I think I know very little about this constitution, yet I challenge 90% of those who are in favour of the referendum to beat me on knowledge about it. We, ordinary people, should not have to vote about it. Whatever the outcome, sometime between now and 2020 it will get through. We might as well do it now.
EU politics are complex. Think a few hundred people in one room, speaking at least a dozen different languages. Think a lot of different political ideas. Think very little common history to fall back on. Expect chaos. But did not all beauty come out of chaos?
(You asked for it, a series I started to give anyone the opportunity to tell me what to write. You want to tell me as well: leave a comment or mail me (E-mail in user info). This was part 9, 1 request waiting at the moment.)
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no subject
Date: 2005-03-01 09:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-02 05:05 pm (UTC)Was the answer I wrote like you expected?
no subject
Date: 2005-03-02 05:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-06 07:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-07 01:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-03 07:06 am (UTC)Well, I hope they get their business together quick, because if the US keeps on in the direction we're going, we're going to need another superpower around to keep us in check.
no subject
Date: 2005-03-03 04:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-05 06:38 am (UTC)I don't trust China a whole lot further than I trust us.
Oh well. I guess I'll just have to take over the world.
no subject
Date: 2005-03-05 03:16 pm (UTC)