Written a lot about Europe in the past, I think I’ve found and tagged most of the old posts but have probably missed hundreds. One of the subjectst that comes up time and again is that, while I don’t like the EU as it currently stands, I like it more than the current alternatives, and truly believe it can be reformed and improved. I share this view with James Clive Matthews, who has written an excellent post on the need to take the long view and broken down his philosophy on Europe and Britain’s involvement:
10) Most individual nations are simply too damned small to have much chance of surviving on their own in the long term. Throughout history, the general trend has been for states to grow larger and larger, until some kind of limit (either geographical or geopolitical) is reached, because the larger the area you cover, the more versatile your production and the more self-sufficient you can be. - This is my primary reason for being pro-EU: I simply cannot see how a country as small as the UK (or, indeed, any European country) can survive on its own in the longer-term. Just as I see national identity being formed largely from negatives, so too is my pro-EU stance.
This is, largely, my primary reason for support as well, Britain gave up the Empire before my father was born, and joined Europe before I was born.
January 8th, 2007
Posted by
MatGB |
europe, Demos |
12 comments
We all know that the EU exists solely to make life difficult for people by introducing new, pointless regulations. The very idea that it could make life easier by allowing us free travel, movement, standardising weights and measures and giving us rights if we choose to live or visit any other member state is complete anathema, right? James C. M.:
How DARE they give shoppers choice? How DARE they remove pointless domestic regulations that prevent pensioners and single people from being able to buy anything less than half a loaf when all they might want is a few slices
It’s terrible, isn’t it? Deregulate and allow consumers to choose, so that, for example, a single bloke living alone can buy small packets of stuff that goes off quickly so that he can eat it all before it goes off?
How awful…
D’you think there’s a chance that the Europhobic might, possible, acknowledge when the EU does something they’ve been asking for? A little internal consistency? Nah, silly question, I know.
September 28th, 2006
Posted by
MatGB |
europe, euromyths |
5 comments
For those that find remembering which countries are part of what, the Pedant General has created a venn diagram that’s reasonably comprehensive.
He forgot Croatia in the accession countries, and hasn’t covered Council of Europe at all, but, well, the rest are all there. The reasons for us to not be in Schengen still elude me, but there y’go…
September 28th, 2006
Posted by
MatGB |
europe |
no comments
Via
Jon Worth, this
neat little tool that he helped design a few years back. Given all the fuss over the EPP and similar for the Tory party, might be a good one to see where people stand on European issues. It’s just a shame really that we don’t, really, get to vote for the European groups directly, merely for the UK party that associates itself with one particular group. We know, for example, that there are some Tories that are very close to EPP policy, just as there are others who would be much closer to the UEN, etc. Unsurprisingly, I get Euro-Greens first, narrowly pipping the Liberal and Reform group, with the Socialists third…
July 29th, 2006
Posted by
MatGB |
Parties, europe |
no comments
Via new blog Escalate, I’m pointed towards a speech given last week on the future of the European Union. Given by
a firm believer that Britain’s place is in the European Union … someone who wants the European Union to succeed
it contains much that I agree with completely. I have some reservations, some disagreements, but overall, it’s a very positive approach that identifies the key failings of Blair’s EU policy and also sets a strong direction for where to go next. Some highlights:
June 13th, 2006
Posted by
MatGB |
Uncategorized, Constitution, Parties, europe, William Hague, Conservatives |
2 comments
Europhobia: The EU - one size fits all?:
it is time … to reject the one size fits all model. The very existence of the Eurozone proves that it can be done - and add to that the complex Venn diagram of European relations that brings in the Schengen Agreement, Council of Europe, EFTA and the like, you have the beginnings of a model that everyone could be happy with. A core Europe of Eurozone states who can happily push forward with political and economic integration whenever they please, with various decreasing intensities of membership on the periphery … If the majority of Europe DOESN’T want political unification (which, for the forseeable future, will remain the case), why should that majority prevent the minority of countries that do want closer unification from so doing?
Pretty much agree with him here, I’ve never got the objection to a multi speed Europe, nor understood why France, Germany and BeNeLux can’t create a federation within a greater unit if that’s what they want.
Then again, the Schengen opt out for Britain still makes no sense to me whatsoever either.
June 2nd, 2006
Posted by
MatGB |
Reform, Constitution, europe |
6 comments
Right, I’ve established that I’d rather reform Europe than abolish/leave it. I’ve also established that I’ve got more time for those who honestly disagree with me on this than the vacillating types who play the nationalist card but have no intention of leaving.
So, in theory, I respect UKIP, because they’re honest in their policies and positions, right?
May 8th, 2006
Posted by
MatGB |
europe, Knapman, UKIP, enlargement |
no comments
So, they’ve made good on their promise to “park their tank on David Cameron’s abandoned lawn”
Well, sort of. Guys? It’s not a tank. Even the Telegraph puts ‘tank’ in quotes.
April 8th, 2006
Posted by
MatGB |
Parties, europe, Conservatives, UKIP, Tank |
4 comments
Can we give
this man a medal or something?:
Mr Chirac led three senior ministers out of the talks when Ernest-Antoine Seillière, the French head of the European employers’ group Unice, abandoned his mother tongue on the ground that English is “the language of business”.
Chirac’s a crook who never had the support of the French electorate. anyone that winds him up deserves praise, especially if they’re honest about international business conditions.
March 24th, 2006
Posted by
MatGB |
europe, Chirac, France, Ernest-Antoine Seillière |
no comments
Interesting…:
“Switzerland is not EU member but it has close relations with the union,” the Swiss minister said. “We have decided to make a contribution to level economic and social differences between the new and the old EU states and to allocate 1 billion Swiss francs for the purpose,” she added.
A non EU state thinks it’s a good idea to give money to Eastern reconstruction and catch up? Works with the EU Commission to set up a special fund? I have no idea what to make of this one.
February 22nd, 2006
Posted by
MatGB |
europe, Switzerland, EU, Poland |
6 comments
The guy that got me blogging has a spot on comment as part of a post on Brussels, PR and EU politics:
Seriously - the EU is mind-numbing. Why else do you think that 90% of this blog’s content is now on other stuff, despite being set up to be EU-centred? You want the EU to be reported, you need to spice it up a little - stop obsessing over petty legislation and pointless regulation and give us some genuine excitement.
He’s right. I want to write about Europe, put the case, answer the criticisms, propose reforms. Every time I think about it, I get bored and decide to shout at Blair instead. When I want to go off and research things like the constitution and what it reformed/changed, I get distracted by shiny things
February 1st, 2006
Posted by
MatGB |
Xblogging, europe |
2 comments
Nosemonkey asked Chris Who-hne? to which I now have a proper answer as, unlike the estimable Mr Matthews,
January 14th, 2006
Posted by
MatGB |
Leadership, Constitution, Parties, LibDems, europe, Huhne |
no comments
Right, when I decided I wanted to run a blog, I knew I’d need at least one other person involved in order to keep it going. Having a pretty good friend who I agree with on most issues, who happened to be completing his Masters Degree in Critical Global Studies (which is posh for Political Theory/Philosophy) and a good writer was fortuitous, getting him to agree to post stuff here was cool.
So, on the grounds that I post so often his stuff gets swamped (and sometimes people credit me for the entire blog anyway without noticing the byline), I though, given that I’m feeling all grotty with a cold, I’d do a summary for his stuff.
January 10th, 2006
Posted by
MatGB |
Xblogging, theory, europe, civil liberties, philosophy, PaulJ |
2 comments
Nosemonkey has an excellent post on the chances of genuine reform under the Austrian Presidency, now starting, up at The Sharpener. Have read his post, but haven’t had time to read the articles he cites, I got distracted by a different story over the weekend. Anyway, go read, it’s absolutely essential that the EU is reformed by realists and not federalist idealists, which seems to be where Austria is taking things…
January 9th, 2006
Posted by
MatGB |
Reform, europe, Austrian Presidency, Schuessel |
no comments
OK, many many posts on Europe in a row not good for my sanity, but it’s only fair to link to Chris’ critique of part of my ideas. However, I’m not sure Chris has understood exactly what I’m getting at, probably as I haven’t explained myself properly. It’s not opposition to China specifically, nor Russia, India or the US. It’s the recognition that over the next 50 years, these will be the dominant power blocks. It’s going to be either this, multipolar world, or a unipolar world, with the US as the dominant hyperpower. I’m not sure what is the most likely of the two, but I am pretty sure one or the other is very likely compared to other possible futures.
December 22nd, 2005
Posted by
MatGB |
europe, Chirac |
3 comments
I was going to write up my reasons for wanting a Europe of some form exist. My reasons for wanting Britain to be a significant, constructive part of the reform process. As I started, I got a comment notification. John’s pretty much done it for me:
In a century’s time the world’s big powers are likely to be huge states like the US, China and India. Britain alone will have little economic or political clout in a world that works on that scale - how could it? Keeping all national sovereignty at Westminster will count for little the UK is too feeble to do anything with that sovereignty.
By pooling sovereignty in certain areas - particularly economically - with our allies, we could make ourselves stronger: we won’t always get our way, but when we do it’ll count for more.
December 22nd, 2005
Posted by
MatGB |
europe, EU |
7 comments
I had one of those rare moments yesterday. I was sat in a friends shop chatting and listening to the radio news. A familiar voice came on, and I found myself agreeing with every word. Then I realised it was Blair. The great shame of the UK electoral system is it denies the UKIP tendency seats at Westminster, letting Blair off the hook when it comes to genuinely putting the case within Parliament. The Tories aren’t in favour of withdrawal, even with Cameron, and none of the other parties really challenge him. Hearing him ripping into Farage was brilliant. It’s just such a damn shame that Blair gave up on Europe so early in his term (you know, back when he was popular and some of us believed in him?).
December 22nd, 2005
Posted by
MatGB |
Blair, Britain, europe, EU |
6 comments
This is what I get for not clicking on the profiles of everyone that posts comments here. Random chance, was looking at one of my older posts and saw some comments from ‘Chris’, so I click his profile. Torquay it says. That’s where I live. There’s another political blogger in this little backwater. I look at his front page, he’s coherent and argues his cases with research and examples. I think I disagree with him on virtually everything except books (I prefer Pattern Recognition to Neuromancer if we’re talking Gibson), but he has but up a nice riposte to my and Paul’s posts on Demos a few posts down. I’ll try to write up a decent reply to him, and finish of my response to Martin’s article (Martin, never meant that to be the only post on your list, just the first). Oh, and reply to some of Ken’s comments; incidentally, have now, finally, added Ken to the blogroll, apologies for not doing so sooner Ken, especially given the contributions you’ve made here, thought out comments that I disagree with fundamentally are always welcome. I’ll be reorganisng the blogroll when I’ve got time, it’s got a bit big and clunky; I need a ‘friends and allies’ and a ‘favoured enemies’ section at the top.
In the meantime, I have another post to write on the story of the day, then I need to sleep, my downstairs neighbour had a party last night, and I got about 3 hours sleep, eyes not staying open. Chris? Where’s your local, might as well meet for a drink…
December 7th, 2005
Posted by
MatGB |
europe, EU, Demos, Torquay |
one comment
Some good feedback so far on our Europe post, and some good, constructive comments. In one of them, Martin ask us to critique his list of objections as well. Martin’s first problem:
1) No demos
There does not exist a single group of people in respect of whom the EU could be a democracy.
It was this that prompted me to ask Paul to write up some of the theory behind a Demos Well, I’m going to add to it, this time with some practical examples.
December 4th, 2005
Posted by
MatGB |
europe, Demos |
13 comments
Talking about Demos is never going to be an easy topic. The idea of the European Demos is one which has been floating around for a good number of years, although by and large nobody seems to really understand it, myself included.
The idea of Demos is usually tied up with the German terms Gemeinschaft and Gessellschaft, which relate to differing ideas of community and community association. Gemeinschaft is the very tight, communitarian style of social understanding based around family and personal relationships, Gessellschaft the wider, shared understandings idea, somewhat like a company model where individuals are very different but pull together for the common good. Obviously the parallels here can be drawn between communitarianism and cosmopolitanism, although the terms are not perfect corrolaries. Neither Gemeinschaft or Gessellschaft really speak about political involvement, more simply a state of mind amongst certain people.
December 3rd, 2005
Posted by
PaulJ |
europe, Demos |
no comments
