The European Union; Pros and Cons ?

If only they had all been a people of clog-wearing tulip-growers, but we're talking about a population that didn't even talk the same language. Most of the borders that separated them internally and externally were just a few decades old.

That was in 1584. Calling William of Orange the leader of a country is stretching it - he was the replacement overlord of the area and led the resistance against the King, reluctantly.

Pedant...

 

Mrs Wallstrom is a b**** who uses dead Jews to make politics (and earn her EU money). I am nauseated by her speach.

As to competitiveness: we have been discussing the problems of welfare state before. My final opinion is that (not least because of demographical problems) the welfare states in present form are unviable and need deep reforms. Germany - a leading exporter in the world. OK - I would say - it must be due to INERTIA. Large parts of the German cars are produced elsewhere: Poland, Czech Rep., Spain. Just imagine: 5 million able people in this society of worcaholics are unemployed. About 30 000 doctors alone!
This is a deep structural crisis and not a well functioning welfare state.

Most of European w.s.´s are struggling with unemployment. And the jobs are just disappearing all the time. Not all Germans or (even) French are Einsteins and will not be able to become researchers or executives instead of factory workers. Governments are actually trying to hide from their populations the real size of the problem by creating fictive jobs, fictive re-education programs etc.

But, back to EU: Maybe the greatest obstacle to a real heartfelt federal structure is, besides the absolute lack of common enemy (if we don´t count the hordes of "asylum" seekers or suckers), the peoples´ satisfaction with their systems and their traditional national states.
IMO the whole political cap on the old EEC is a serious mistake and can only lead to a big bang one day (meaning not a new war but a popular protest against the cancerous beaurocracy of Brusselles which is trying to grab more power all the time).
And what is the main primus motor of the integration? IMO, besides the Murphy´s Law of self sufficient and greedy new beurocracy it is the need of big business to destroy the relatively well functioning democratic systems of nation states in order to have easier influence on decision making through lobbying.

I am happy that Israel has no plans joining the unhappy alliance of the unwilling.

Btw: I have also an interesting example of a political union, originally because of common enemy (the Kreuzer Order), later - a very harmonious political alliance which survived over 300 years and ended by partition: the Union of Lublin between the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The result was a remarkably tolerant and wealthy state which worked as a magnet on German (and other) agricultural settlers, Jewish refugees and religious refugees from other parts of Europe. Alas, as a political entity it was doomed due to its too lax legislation and a very fierce and greedy environment.
The country was often referred to by learned Jews of Europe as
"Paradis Judeorum - Polim". In no other country other than Israel had Jews their OWN parliament with the right of taxation as well as own courts of justice.
It´s very sad that most Jews of today spit or think "A Cemetery of the Jews" when they mention Poland.
I like Poland. I speak Polish quite often and travel there to enjoy myself. There are few places in the world where I feel so good. My favorite is Krakow (Cracow) and Gdansk (Danzig).

 

Were they not also all Protestants - in a Continent dominated by Catholic France & Spain?
That is a powerful bond - heck, even England allied with you (often a bit half-heartedly...) because you were Protestant.
This does overlap just a bit with the 'common enemy' theme.

 

Allow me some short yet deeply cynical laughter.

HAHAHAHAHAHA

Ahem.

You wish the Dutch were all protestant! Since the Dutch republic was dominated by Holland, and Holland was dominated by its cities, and protestantism spread most quickly in cities at the time, the Republic was officially Protestant. I don't think the total amount of Protestants has ever been more than half the population though, and especially the more backward provinces like Friesland, as well as the South which was more directly under the influence of France and Spain, have long remained Catholic.

 

What? The Netherlands is not a hot bed of heretics and heathens damned to burn in hell?

 

partly, certainly :lol:

 

I know at least one, but he's an atheist, not a protestant.

 

to Hell with him, anyways!!! :angry:

 

I was referring to myself, in case you hadn't noticed...

 

of course I hadn´t! :lol:

 

OK, so when does the Charles de Gaulle get bombed with copies of the european constitution, she is sitting there all nice and vulnerable??

:kill: :smok: