Economist Article: Extremist nightmares: The EU as a bulwark against extremism

nesf

http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13234963

Interesting and hopefully not too optimistic. We could see a lot more hard right and hard left candidates being elected in the European Elections in June though which is slightly worrying (our versions of the hard right and hard left are sensible centrists compared to denizens of some other countries).

acontadino

great read. cheers

Scofflaw

...the EU stands for international solidarity and interdependence. Its maddening complexity amounts to a permanent compromise between competing interests that also makes it a bulwark against extremism. That may not always make Brussels popular with voters. But it does make one thankful that the EU exists.

You know, that sums up my attitude to the EU quite well. Part of what repels me about Declan Ganley's vision of Europe is that in its very simplicity and emotional appeal lies the danger of fostering European extremism. The EU should always be something one is slightly baffled by, slightly frustrated by, and slightly wary of - it's only healthy.

cordially,
Scofflaw

Kama

The EU should always be something one is slightly baffled by, slightly frustrated by, and slightly wary of - it's only healthy

Not the catchiest of slogans, true, but a sound operating principle.

Unfortunately, baffledness, frustration and wariness are more than slight...

nesf

Kama wrote: »

Unfortunately, baffledness, frustration and wariness are more than slight...

Which is something that the Economist is quite critical of when they see it. The problem of course is what does "slight" mean. What's slight for avid watcher of European politics would obviously be vastly different to what slight means for your average Joe on the street in this context.