By now you are all bored with my travels, my eating, my drinking habits and all those photographs - often shaken, never stirred! Today I decided to return to a subject close to my heart which contains no photographs, though many images may emerge from my words... ha-ha! This is my second rambling rant on the subject, but not my last, of that you can be certain. Enjoy or suffer, depending on your viewpoint.
One man's terms are another's punishment, it seems, as emotions concerning the, some are convinced shaky, future of the European Union and Britain's place within/out it (Brexit etc.) run riot. Boris Johnson, surely a caricature as a foreign secretary, continues to annoy all and sundry, while at the same time entertaining them with his wit, ridiculous hairstyle and complete lack of scruples. And people everywhere are left wondering what The Donald can achieve as President of the USA (aka the world's most powerful man) if he continues to react to everything like an affronted, annoyed, spoiled 8 year old.
Europe has been, or has considered itself to be, at the centre of our world's events for a very long time. In ancient times this was, of course, understandable, as our knowledge of the rest of the world was limited and many a tiny nation naively considered themselves to be hugely important. In today's world, where we have a clearer image of others geographically, culturally, even racially, can this image of importance sustain itself? Is Old Lady Europe anything other than a has been, living on past glories?
Well, no, it isn't. Europe was, perhaps, never quite the world force it saw itself as, even when powers such as Britain, France or Spain ruled over large portions of the globe, as there was little 'European' consciousness - everyone thought of themselves as part of their nation states/empires. Their influence on life across the globe was relatively short-lived and transient by great empire standards, was largely economic in nature, and revolving around the pursuit of great riches to be discovered and appropriated.
Not content with plundering anything possible around the globe or perhaps as a result of this, Europeans developed an inward-looking mentality of superiority, largely expressed through ideas of racial (white) dominance. There was a sense of cultural supremacy, largely self-promoted and encouraged, yet often based on ignorance and partly promoted by the church. Was it deserved? Force of arms seemed to suggest it were so. Still, from the end of the 18th century Europe played a major role in scientific discoveries, technological progress etc., matched only by the USA in the 20th century and beyond. Yet largely there was little feeling of being European, being one group of people from which all sprang, as witnessed by the countless local and the two great wars eventually known as World Wars I and II.
The 'European Ideal' is a result of the immense, largely needless, bloodshed that occurred from WWI up to and including WWII and its aftermath, though since further developed by the politicians involved; any weaknesses lie not with the idea of a United Europe (not a Unites States of Europe) but with the way this has been executed and run. The fact that there has not been a major war on European soil for a very long time is the most easy to spot result of Europeanism, and one for which we should all be grateful. If we think about it carefully there is much to unite us, a disparate but connected bunch of people.
Our Europe (make no mistake, it is OUR Europe) is a funny, small, densely populated part of the world supporting manufacturing industry, agriculture and services to a very high, if varying, degree, depending on where you choose to look. It boasts fine architecture going back hundreds if not thousands of years, ancient universities, magnificent natural scenery, intertwined civilisations. It is the birthplace of Democracy and where it has developed the most, from its inception in the city-state of Athens in ancient Greece to the complex forms found today, giving all a voice. In many ways a protector of free thought and speech despite a less than democratic history, this Europe is not one thing but many joined together, co-existing, feeding off each other. Civilisation is making better progress in Europe, promoting fairness and humanity, than most anywhere else in the world today.
Travelling to other parts of the world I am always struck by how different and unusual Europe is by comparison: small, individual, independent (and bloody)-minded, full of local prejudice and contradictions. Perhaps bizarrely, my belief is that this makes us richer not poorer, stronger not weaker; unity is to our benefit as a whole, a sum total, inclusive despite our differences. Wherever I am in the world I always feel that, ultimately, culturally I am a European.
I have long believed that the politicians have pushed the European vision further and faster than their remit, further than people were ready, willing or able to accept; this was, to my mind, partly for personal gain (not necessarily monetary, think of history...) and partly because the world changed with the collapse of the Soviet Union, presenting them with new challenges and/or opportunities. This has resulted in a hastily enlarged, unbalanced entity which the attempt at monetary union has further undermined through ignorance and certainty of purpose. This, together with the refugee crisis, has brought the European system's weaknesses to the fore, to the point that all it took was one world economic blip (Lehman Brothers etc.) to unsettle the whole edifice, bringing bits crashing to the ground (Greece and the Southern countries in general - this will be the subject of a different post).
We are now faced with fundamental questions about the future. Should the EU in its present form be scrapped? Is the Euro a liability? Is the whole European concept out of control and out of place in this modern world? And if it is to change to survive, who will initiate the change and fight for it to be put into effect?
My view is that there is a lot of work to be done to get the 'European Ideal' back on track, and for that we need politicians with determination and a distinct lack of personal hunger, for money or short-term glory. The administration should be better balanced and able to live more modestly and productively, for the good of the people it purports to represent. It can - and should be - done, for otherwise the future will be far less rosy. We are, after all, talking about economic compromises, financial give and take, the material world; it seems we have forgotten what happens to our material world during wars, the pain, the suffering.
Would you like to leave your children the legacy of a disunited Europe and more World Wars, with millions dying needlessly for grandiose ideas of unworthy leaders? All wars, however noble - and that depends on your point of view, surely - their cause, bring about huge suffering and in my view should, if at all possible, be avoided.
I would like to write further on this, and perhaps try to be more specific about how the EU can best achieve its goals and continue to play a part in this world of ours. This is becoming more important by the minute especially as the US appears to be, courtesy of its President, ready to move away from the unity fostered in the past and willing to abdicate its 'leader of the free world' position.
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