Viggen's Blog

It isn't the international co-operation that bothers me, it's the creation of a single european empire. We have our individual nations as a result of all the tussles and bickering you mentioned. Any great empire put together the way this one is, by the back door whether or not its populace want it, is bound to end in tears one day. All these politicians want is power and their name in a history book. What we'll actually get is to bequeath strife and violence to our descendants when local nationalism grows more powerful than central bureacracy.

Although voting in Belgium is not a right but a duty, I didn't go to vote. ( If you don't fulfill your 'voting duty' here you are threatened with fines. That's the law. That's purely theory though, nobody has ever been fined for not showing up.)

 

I'm very much in favour of the European idea, but not at all of the way the EU has developed over the last fifteen or twenty years.

The European Parliament is just a sham. It doesn't do anything and it can't do anything. It's mainly meant as a form of job scheme for superfluous politicians.

 

For Example; if you want to work for another EU country, well you know, just move there, no applications, no forms, no questions, you are citizen of the EU, just go there and start to work...

 

That is a very naive and simplistic representation, I think : have you any idea what your rights and duties are in that other country ? As a citizen, as an employee, where health, education, social services and a thousand other important issues are concerned ? Virtually nothing has been done over the past fifty years to even attempt to harmonise laws and regulations somewhat within Europe on these subjects. I'd say that in reality, where such all important issues are concerned, moving from Austria to Belgium would be not much less problematic than moving to the US or Canada.

 

But to be clear about it, despite all the negative things that can be said about the EU, overall the balance is positive, I think. Nationalism has in the past been one of the major causes of wars. Nowadays most inhabitants of the EU do consider themselves as much Europeans as they consider themselves Germans, French, Italians, etc. People have become very open to other cultures, accepted them as an enrichment, not a threat. That certainly wasn't the case two generations ago. How far this is the merit of the EU and how far that is the merit of other developments : improved communication technology, transport facilities, sports competitions and such, is open for debate.

 

And I'm a democrat : I accept the result of the election. That's more than can be said of most politicians.

 

F rmosus

The European Union brought unprecedented peace and prosperity and it's one of the few political ideas that makes sense. The national state was a fiction because nations are not very real and building strong borders cuts across ancient links.

EU it's not an empire and not even a federation.

I'll go vote later.

How integrated do you want it? How far should it expand?

The big problem with the EU is that it is the Europe of politicians, lobbies, special interest groups and big business. When the economic basis for the EU had been laid in the 70s it was time to develop a Europe of the people, the citizens. But little if anything has been done in that area. That is why people in Europe are increasingly turning against the EU.

 

The European politicians are really playing with fire : despite the fact that it has been rejected in 'legal & binding' referenda in those few countries that at least gave their citizens the chance to vote on it, they are determined to force a 1000 plus page unreadable 'Constitution' down our throat. Europe isn't democratic at all : most of us didn't get a chance to vote on that, and those who got the chance get slapped even worse in the face : their vote is just being ignored : the almost exact same document is now called a 'Treaty' and voted in by the backdoor clearly against the wishes of the majority of Europeans.

 

Anyone who is vaguely familiar with the American Constitution can no other way conclude than that this European Constitution is just a way to deprive citizens of their rights : the American Constitution is about 20 pages long, amendements included. Anyone can read it and most people can understand it without too much difficulty. Yet it is quite comprehensive and clearly establishes the principles on which the USA, stil the craddle of modern democracy, is founded.

 

Why should I bother to vote ? If I don't vote the way they like, they just ignore my vote. That fact has clearly been proven beyond any doubt.

 

F rmosus

I was among the 20% percent of romanians that voted today, but this low figure it's an indication of the disgust and distrust toward romanian politicians rather then anything against the European Parliament.

Romanian politicians don't want people to vote so they can buy voters. A clear example of this was the election of Elena Basescu in theory an independent candidate but she is the daughter of the President and was supported in reality by a major party (PDL) that provided voters.

 

Anyway, this first Europe-wide elections provided a boost for far-right parties and a slap for leftist parties that failed to use the economic crisis to their political advantage.

It is always nice to be able to say: civis Europaeus sum.

I've also done my duty and voted in the European and Belgian elections today. I'd say keep some the benefits achieved so far under the auspices of the EU such as the euro zone, schengen and so on and fire half the EU bureaucrats that earn far too much just to sit on their fat bottoms in Brussels.

I'm actually think that the EU is develop to a kind of 21nd century Austro-Hungary, a huge multi-national state that controlled by a bureaucracy at the capital and that every nation could find it's "place" but it's predominate by the large nations (Germans, French, British).

Sounds fine to me.

 

It's probably the way the things should always have been.

Actually, ''His Imperial and Royal Highness Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este, Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia'', a great-grandson of the last Austrian Emperor, is seventh in line for the Belgian throne ...

So there's some hope there ...

 

F rmosus

While I'm not a fan of bigger government, I have to admit (as I told Aurelia in PM) that I got a kick out of reading how y'all had a common voting day yesterday.

 

To see people from different countries talking on the 'net about all going to the polls the same way on the same day, and discussing issues (for better or for worse) that y'all have in common, demonstrates more than anything how united Europe has become.

 

-- Nephele

I hope Obama wins.

The Pirates Party has a seat

The Pirates Party has a seat

 

Great ! They'll keelhaul those fat cat Brussels Bureaucrats !

 

F rmosus