What is wrong with the idea of a European Superstate?
America and Australia are unencumbered with countries. They operate as a series of States or regions that operate autonomously with an overarching federation joining them together. The same could be said for China, India, Russia, Canada and New Zealand – large land masses with sizeable populations united in confederations. This unity gives them strength and power.
Would America be a powerful nation if all its States operated as separate countries? I think not.
Do minority groups totally lose their identity? I think not. The Sioux, Maori, Amish, Hippies, Surfers and a thousand other minority and ethnic groups seem perfectly capable of maintaining their culture in the midst of the prevailing culture.
When I live abroad I do not automatically lose my culture or values, even if I assimilate.
Countries are largely artificial constructs whose borders are arbitrary and fluid. They were once based on tribal, ethnic groupings but these have become either diluted with time or altered through the vagaries of war. Many were simply drawn up by various powers without consideration of ethnic groups, cultures or tribes.
I believe it is time to do away with countries altogether and move to a more global perspective. Our world has universal problems that surmount these artificial borders. We cannot deal with inequality, multinationals, pollution, war, poverty, justice, conservation, nuclear proliferation, crime, terrorism, fanaticism or a hundred other things when operating as isolated countries.
I see the possibility of a unified Europe operating as a single Superstate, much in the same pattern as the USA, as an exciting prospect.
Why not?
Why not improve our cooperation?
Why not pool our resources?
Why not unify our efforts?
We would be much more effective, powerful and efficient. We would not be reinventing the wheel in every individual country. We would talk on the world stage with a bigger voice. We could press for a fairer world and deal with a lot of the world’s problems more effectively.
Adolf Hitler & friends had much the same idea…
If I -as a German -may add: Adolf Hitler never had any idea of an united Europe. His idea was about the so called “Grossdeutsches Reich”:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Germanic_Reich
Matt – a very good point. There is a big difference between one country defeating everyone else and ruling them as second class citizens, and a vision of a unified state created out of equals.
Yeah sure and much the same thing exists today albeit under another name.
And just who does the Bundesbank that manages the Euro belong to?
Are the profits from Bundesbank Euro loans shared out equally?
Joy, fair spark of the gods, Daughter of Elysium, Drunk with fiery rapture, Goddess, We approach thy shrine! Thy magic reunites those Whom stern custom has parted; All men will become brothers Under thy gentle wing. May he who has had the fortune To gain a true friend And he who has won a noble wife Join in our jubilation! Yes, even if he calls but one soul His own in all the world. But he who has failed in this Must steal away alone and in tears. All the world’s creatures Draw joy from nature’s breast; Both the good and the evil Follow her rose-strewn path. She gave us kisses and wine And a friend loyal unto death; She gave lust for life to the lowliest, And the Cherub stands before God. Joyously, as his suns speed Through Heaven’s glorious order, Hasten, Brothers, on your way, Exulting as a knight in victory. Joy, fair spark of the gods, Daughter of Elysium, Drunk with fiery rapture, Goddess, We approach thy shrine! Thy magic reunites those Whom stern custom has parted; All men will become brothers Under thy gentle wing. Be embraced, Millions! Take this kiss for all the world! Brothers, surely a loving Father Dwells above the canopy of stars. Do you sink before him, Millions? World, do you sense your Creator? Seek him then beyond the stars! He must dwell beyond the stars.
All men brothers. All women sisters. One world.
under one heaven and one god. mmm, there lies my problem here.
Hey Andrew: This Schiller-Beethoven piece is about equality. That is all there is. No over- interpretation needed.
I understand that. Let me explain what I really think… Until such time as when we change the kind of people that we currently have running things, I don’t want to take Europe any further than it is today. I can’t trust them an inch and believe many of them harbour very dangerous ethics. For example, these Rothschilds that own in some way or another just about everything in Europe or pretty much close to it.
We need to devise an entirely new set of operating principles that discounts politics and political party allegiances, and be most vigilant of those career politicians who are really in it only for themselves. As for the top-table of the unelected – I’m nothing short of speechless regarding these people. I’m sure you have seen some of the Euro parliamentary debates.
There are umpteen reasons why a unified Europe is the way to go, but it could never work from a springboard of the current setup. Huge mistakes were made by allowing at least half the Euro-zone member states to join so quickly in the first place. They were not equipped to compete on level terms with the larger long established and financially viable member states, resulting in huge debts. For nearly three decades huge sums of money disappeared into thin air. Money granted as economic aid for development continuously falls into the wrong hands and laundered. Yes, we can go to Slovenia and see the obvious signs of new developments such as autobahns, but there could have been 10 more autobahns were the money handled better in the first place. And this issue is rife right across the board, from Portugal to Cyprus.
Europe in general has lost thousands upon thousands of jobs to other parts of the world for the simple reason that the Euro economic zone does not operate at world market prices. We have a super-inflated system where we pay too much and do not receive good value for money. Were UK to trade only in the world market, we would instantly save 8% of expenditure. In terms of the UK (I don’t know about Germany in this instance) the Eurozone is only worth 9-10% of our GDP, therefore, not quite as big a deal as some people say that it is. There is far too much scaremongering regards the basic economic factors.
We need to reduce the powers of the banking community and strip down to a co-operative level. I foresee problems with any severe changes to the current principle where every waking hour must make x-amount of money. How do we counter such widespread greed?
The thought of this proposal for a huge Euro military gives concern. I can see George Orwell’s 1984 a mile off with Pan Eurasian wars. Large armed forces can’t help themselves but meddle with other’s stuff to the detriment of whomever they care not for. The bigger the scale of territory the worse off the poor are – we see this every day. We already know of America’s New Plan for the 21st Century, or at least understand that it could be in principle a distinct possibility. We’ve also heard of muted plans to remove at least half of the world population.
Of course none of the above is anywhere near the basic principles of a one nation state with a common good purpose.
That said, having personally spent many years working abroad I think I can honestly say that I witnessed some of the worst ravages incurred by westernisation. So much has been lost within their cultures in what is in general terms a very short length of time. Asia is fast and furiously becoming a clone of USA. I wholly object to that. Were it not for the western economic model they would not be chopping down hectares of forestry on a daily basis. We pay them to do so. It was never their own agenda in the first place. We talk about the benefits of membership of the Eurozone in terms of radical development and proudly state the great shape that some nations are now in compared to what they had been before. Basically, to achieve this we had to rob Peter to pay Paul.
I think a European SuperState is a great idea – based on the idea of a federation. Being a Canadian, I know first-hand that a federation can work. However, I’d rather see a global government – again operating on the principle of a federal union. Independent countries worldwide would give up some of their sovereign rights to a central authority, and they would retain control over their own domestic affairs so that cultures can be preserved and fostered. A central government could tackle environmental issues effectively and regulate trade. Federal unions are not easy, but they can work. Do I see this happening anytime soon? No. National pride and distrust are too strong yet.
Exactly my philosophy and views. I am upset by Brexit because I fundamentally see the EU project as a stepping stone to some future global federation.