Two events this week that have sparked some passionate debate in Britain. The first was the hypocritical response to the death of the first servicewoman in Afghanistan, and the other the 'NO' vote in Ireland at closer integration with Europe.
The way the EU Constitution works is that all 27 member nations have to ratify a treaty for it to be accepted. Nineteen countries have so far agreed to this particular Lisbon Treaty and the referendum in Ireland returned the not unexpected, but thoroughly Democratic, refusal.
I am pro-Europe and have argued many times that the future is one large European nation run along the line of the United States of America so the Ireland result was a disappointment to me personally but the Irish citizens said no and that has to be respected, but at least they got the opportunity to vote against it because here in Britain the Prime Minster has taken the decision for us and ratified it anyway although that is on hiatus because of a legal challenge.
There will now be some tinkering with this Treaty and a few sentences deleted, inserted or replaced to make it more acceptable to the Irish followed by a series of re-votes until it is accepted which i don't have an aversion to although the way the PM has rode roughshod over the British people has left a nasty taste in my mouth despite my obvious agreement with the EU vision.
The United States of Europe is going to happen, it is inevitable so we have a choice. We can become part of the process and have a voice in the decisions that that shapes and defines who we are and what we are doing or we can stay outside and be swept along with what others decide in our absence.
The world is changing and the next century will be dominated by countries like China, India and America and the voices of countries likes Ireland and Britain will be ignored as inconsequential. Europe has to be in there swinging as an influential major player on the big decisions that effect us all from future conflicts to the Environment and that means us joining together to become a global force of 800 million people because the alternative is us becoming that small island off the Coast of the next Superpower withering to a painful demise.
4 comments:
Lucy,
1) Y'all Brits could always become the 51st state. Heck, we might allow England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to enter as separate states (51st, 52nd, 53rd, 54th).
2) Are you taking an "empire or slavery" approach to foreign policy? As I'm sure everyone can see, this policy has turned out great for the United States.
We've brought peace and democracy to the Middle East and furthered all of our national and international goals and interests. We've consolidated a now invincible hegemony and defeated the "Axis of Evil" composed of three welterweight nations. Europe is all but a tributary and vassal and the only to powers with the slightest hope of defeating us, Communist China and Russia, have been reduced to chains and ashes.
Oh... actually this isn't how the whole hegemonistic "American Empire" project turned out. Maybe it won't work as well for y'all either. Learn from the American mistakes and don't try to repeat them. Emulate our virtues and steer clear of our vices.
3) I highly doubt, even assuming that there aren't any generally held territorial or hegemonic ambitions now, that any "United States of Europe" would be able to restrain themselves from the same sorts of irrational military adventures that the U.S. of America have gotten themselves into.
There's nothing wrong with not being a massive military... uh... I mean economic power.
-Nog
Some would say that the way our last and present leader so slavishly followed in your countries footsteps, we are almost the 51st state anyway.
What i am saying is that the voice of 60m people is easier to ignore than the collective voice of 800m people.
Apparently the UK is the same size as Louisana so imagine that State alone trying to cut a swathe on World Affairs, my guess it it wouldn't get anywhere but when it becomes part of the USA...
Free Europe Constitution? Not from the governments. But from www.FreeEurope.info.
And YOU can vote YES or NO!
Tell ya what, screw the EU, we can just trade. I'll go live peacefully on a little island and wallow in my riches, and you can come live in America and foot the bill to send (and keep) armies all over the world.
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