06-11-2004, 09:09 AM
Quote:The other problem of course is the negative and pessimistic attitude the voters have about the concept of a European state. While I imagine the beginnings of the US to be a time of enthusiasm, where the people had the feeling of a new beginning and mostly understood it as a chance for themselves (okay, maybe that picture is a bit too romantic...), here the citizens mainly feel threatened and endangered by such a concept. When the EU grew from 15 nations to 25 nations on May, 1st this year, everybody only talked about the potential negative consequences the larger union would have: Harder to govern, dragging down the economy, cheap laborers from Poland stealing "our" jobs etc. Nobody talked about the chances all this would offer. I know all this is a result of European history, but I find this really frustrating.
Well, the main theme for the EU is still nation power (Confederation) against EU power (Union) - not so different from the states rights/Union rights (Confederation/Union)-split in the US, where this led to a Civil War. If we can prevent this, we already have achieved a lot - even if it takes longer than it did in the US (80-90 years until the Union was a reality?). Don't forget, the EU as political thing is still very young - only 10 years old - so we are still in the beginning, and it is a long way to overcome 2000 years of nationalism and war.