The United States of Europe

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

It simple economics. Austerity is the product of neoliberal ideology, not actual economic science.

And it's really, really popular with German politicians for some reason. And part of its people, too.

It does so in part with federal transfers of money that help balance the whole act and maintain the union. This is what the EU is lacking. In part.

Well, there are transfers of money between the EU members. So it seems more that the transfers are insufficient for the differences between the nations perhaps.


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Someone mentioned the "Balkanization" before.. It's an "interesting" trend (or maybe I should also say "trend", because it's not new). There are countries with separatist movements that wish their region to split off the country (not the EU usually however).
It's an interesting movement - in many cases, it's the economically strong regions that want to leave the country. Probably in part because they feel (or are) the people that "pay" the poor part of the country.

It seems sometimes there is a lack of solidarity - and the lack of understanding that this can lead to even bigger problems. Disparities between countries is what caused many of the previous European conflicts, isn't it?

 

[Morrus]

But, there are even counter-trends. The UK for example has a significant minority (or maybe it's a majority even) that wants to get out of the UK. I doubt that it's actually in the interest of the British, but several of my friends and co-workers say they could leave and the rest of the EU wouldn't suffer for it. I don't know. The UK likes to isolate itself from the rest of Europe, or so it sometimes sees, but what has the UK actually left to offer other than it's financial business (aka banks?) It seems most of its big industry companies have been dismantled or sold. Will the people of the UK really fare better without easy access to the EU? Or do they believe this is a chance for UK's industry to rebuild itself? What do the banks think? Getting out of the EU a chance to avoid regulation? Or is it a greater risk?

I don't think so. While there will always be small but loud Brexit movements, I don't think it's what most people want, and it's certainly not what the government wants. I don't think I actually know anybody who thinks it's a good idea to leave the EU. Guess we'll find out in the referendum!

 

[Morrus]

Even in the face of a global catastrophe, I don't think the U.S. would join a global government unless it were simply a matter of adding other countries to the list of U.S. states.

I don't think it'll happen either, but bear in mind that the US in a hundred years won't necessarily be the superpower it is today. A century can bring about massive global reconfiguration.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Exactly.

 

[Enkhidu]

I find the Greece situation fascinating - they are the Nevada to Germany's California. It gives a glimpse of "what might have been" in my country.

 

[Ryujin]

Someone mentioned the "Balkanization" before.. It's an "interesting" trend (or maybe I should also say "trend", because it's not new). There are countries with separatist movements that wish their region to split off the country (not the EU usually however).
It's an interesting movement - in many cases, it's the economically strong regions that want to leave the country. Probably in part because they feel (or are) the people that "pay" the poor part of the country.

It seems sometimes there is a lack of solidarity - and the lack of understanding that this can lead to even bigger problems. Disparities between countries is what caused many of the previous European conflicts, isn't it?

That would be me and, if it's the more prosperous regions that wish to separate, something that I have my doubts about, then it would tend to indicate that prosperity falls along cultural lines. Czech vs. Slovac. Serb. vs. Croat, vs. Albanians. No, I would say that things break down on ancient tribal lines. If one group is more prosperous than the other(s) then that's about bigotry, not prosperity.

 

[WayneLigon]

Might the European nations combine peacefully? How far down the road might we see a "President of Europe"?

It could happen, but I don't really know enough about the European character to speak intelligently on it. To my mind, I think that might be happen around the time that we're moving past the idea of the bordered top-down nation-state.

 

[Morrus]

It could happen, but I don't really know enough about the European character to speak intelligently on it. To my mind, I think that might be happen around the time that we're moving past the idea of the bordered top-down nation-state.

Like I said, there isn't a "European character". England and Greece are no more similar than are the U.S. and Colombia, or other American countries.

 

[Scott DeWar]

So the United States of Europe is as likely as the United States of the Americas? Sounds about right.

 

[Ryujin]

So the United States of Europe is as likely as the United States of the Americas? Sounds about right.

Compared to Europe as a whole, the United States of America was born of a far more homogeneous group. They shared common language. Many were outcasts from the UK, which gave them common cause to draw them together. As other mother nations drew back, they grew to fill the power vacuum.