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EUROPE AN UNHEALTHY CONCEPT

or A Pharaonic Folly

No one can deny that the subject evokes a considerable amount of heated discussion anywhere today from within and outside the so called Union. Much is based on an instinctive urge to flee from its implications and the lowering of social standards since its inception. The grandiose idea of a united system of cultures identified with a common cause, was what was originally put forward. It was full of benefits like a more spohisticated democratic concept and the raising of living standards. Those who visualized the power of the masses in a context that challenged the very might of the USA and the Asian Giants would appear to have been looking elsewhere when they formulated these conclusions. It appeared to make sense from a national security point of view and perhaps even from a very long term economic one, but socially, culturally and economically it is turning out to be a potential Hindenberg. The level and variety of taxation geared to improving what appears to be myriads of minor issues which plagued Britain through its Unions in the sixties and the wanton waste that this new bureaucracy has been flaunting, guarantees failour. But then perhaps, the whole idea is centred around a pampered superclass that lives in and around the giant multinationals, political skim offs and liberal expense accounts. Perhaps, perhaps,…but even more dangerously so, the average citizen is being driven further away from his customary political powers and entrepreneurial effort is being squashed under cold and uncooperative banking systems. Systems which are consciously against support of effort in most European countries and especially in the Latin countries which appear to be only interested in deposits to be unskillfuly played around with. Despite European directives and support, the small and medium sized companies have seen this supprt not only denied but reduced by previous standards. Europe it seems is but a vision of a multinational Shangrilah with a shackled mayority paying for it to the point of destitution. The frightening aspect of this is, that public cooperation is being extracted with standard torture tactics. The same inquisitor, the same circumstances, the same indirect threats and always, the brainwashing vision of a new paradise in store. If it were not something so close to home, one could almost imagine it was some sort of cult.

Initial sounds of warning ignored.

Loud words indeed from a bureaucratic point of view but it is from this aspect that the colossal edifice begins to radiate signs of stage scenery covering real, unpublished intentions. The nations of Europe in the first instance, like Britain, Germany and France whose distinctive cultures and power aspirations have over the centuries produced, long, bloody and expensive wars, have little if anything in common with the later, less successful entrants to the scene. The Scandinavian Bloc itself with its high social standards but poor economies, short of a dissenting territory like Norway, made it clear from the start that it was particularly sensitive to the entry of Meditteranean states, whose cultural and political stances were not immediately acceptable. The fear that they would drain the Union resources with traditional, little will to change, raised a spectre that kept these entries at bay for a while. The idea of working alongside these, was not a palatable one and time has proved that caution should not have been thrown to the wind so lightly in the name of size, wrongfully associated with strength. Practically every cent of contribution by the main three leaders of the exercise, have gone to those countries whose systems of political management and economic control have remained technically unchanged and wedged in power structures that are difficult to determine whether they are communistic or fascist in so far as the pressures on the average citizens are concerned. Incomprehensibly inefficient push button judiciaries and arrogant judges demonstrating rights above the spirit of the law, draw in millions of disconcerted citizens who face fines and punishments reminiscent of other similar types of corrective pressures in countries like the Soviet Union or China. The percentage of citizens who have been before a Judge or Magistrate at one time or another in the Meditteranean states, is similar to the figures of the old eastern block. Even tourists who bring in the major export income, find themselves in these primitive court rooms answering to charges that often border on the ridiculous. Today, despite the billions spent and mainly wasted on these states, the idea still pervades the local institutions that progress rests on the creation of powerful monopolistic entities designed to pursue Utopian national identities rather than forge a fair and welfare oriented society. The average family rests on borderline security which for some is not even there at all. Poverty and malnutrition is strongly visible in these societies where fear of the obscene cost of lighting and heating is bringing back perversive diseases. Work is denied to most families and creative entrepreneurial talent discouraged through abuse of Union protective legislation which in the main is thought of as opportunity by the infamous Ministries and labour courts to increase the already onerous taxation based on crippling fines. These have direct access to bank accounts which they use at will and confiscate properties worth millions to ensure the payment of these technically illegal sanctions against which no unsuspecting employer has within the short time allocated, the capacity to fight. Corruption, is rife throughout within these societies. The number of cases of fraud against European funding occupies thousands of judicial employees daily but corruption is also very present in the law enforcement agencies with particular reference to municipal, badly selected entrants, of the worst hollywood variety who harass those they instinctively dislike or appear to be better off then themselves. Recently in one of these member states, a large proportion of these hapless merchants were collectively raked in to answer to their criminal activities. It is worrying when one considers to what extent and for how long, thousands of innocent or weak citizens have borne the yoke or even bullets of these sick contributors to public disorder.

An insensitive structure and imposed leaders.

The public relations funding required to drag the electorate away from its negative appraisal of the Union, is probably more than the the usual, three, contributive countries, will be able to raise within their own now poorer, economic platforms. The essence of the matter is that whilst bureaucratic administration has become an end in itself (and a prohibitively expensive one) even at national levels, the overriding crust of the so called coordinating forces at Supranational level allocates itself an ever increasing amount of personal income. This further discourages the efforts of the small and medium sized companies which provide the bulk of the national wealth of the member states. Internal communications problems within the Union are already visible. Trying to find the appropriate detpartment or attempting to place a serious complaint against their own national authorities is a nightmare of expensive phone calls against a 902 number style operators whose lingual understandings do not often go beyond rustic French and broken English. Standard, robotic responses followed up by supposedly helpful emails pointing to the ridiculous, inundated Ombudsmen smack of Babel, rather than of future champions of public rights. Image and presence are factors which are also alienating opinion away such a relationship. The top gesticulating figures are visibly of minor consequence, who in the main were not able to do much in their own countires during their own periods of high office there. The thought of these people who do not match the required statesmanship levels of the highly developed societies of Europe, will guarantee that the Union will be no more than a dream along the lines of previous attempts. The endless (and childish) photographic group sessions endlessly captured by the cameras and doled out to the yawning viewers, is but an aspect of what is now seen as a hopeless merry go round of deluded and unimpressive puppets, in the hands of economic forces well beyond their capability to comprehend or influence. It also amusingly, creates the impression that there appears to be no one at the helm back home.

Many years after the first consolidating changes were made and the lenient distribution of British, French and German tax payments were ladled out to the diametrically opposed lower Meditteranean democracies, the light in the tunnel appears to be switched off. Additonally, the systems behind the scenes continue to be as archaic and undemocratic as they were pre second world war and whilst the signs of cooperation appeared to be positive, they now wane when the one way funding, lessens its flow. In fact, it is not difficult to deduce, that the leopard does not change its spots that easily whilst the Eduropean administrators and fickle purse managers, despite press clamour, have conveniently looked (and continue to do so), the other way. The reason, it would seem, is not because of ingenuity, but because other, more political and less socially oriented ambitions, are at stake. Bluntly, it seems to consist of mere concentration of power and the sort of economic strength that favours the few (in their supposed support of the interest of the many). This type of top heavy economic system favours fast economic responses to outside challenges and committments which public interests would normally shun. Hardly a password to democracy and ethical values. All the signposts point to 1984 and if only for that reason, despite bankruptcy in the process, it has to be stopped and a massive NO said to direct rule from this ridiculous quango,

Crushing effects of immoral levels of taxation.

Europe is long in coming, some would say, in addressing the positive issues of a united, cosmopolitan, commonwealth of nations. In fact, it has hardly moved in that direction at all since the EEC was launched and promises to do so, are subject always to an eye on future taxation, never to policy changes. Real, family, business and human rights needs will forever, it would seem, remain on second priority listing, if at all, whilst it dents the public capability of absorbing its paperwork costs. Wasted efforts which have never been followed through and unchecked funding has put paid to the dream. Fiscal pressure is already far too intense with the creation of a veritable bureacratic army ready to defend its own vested interests and acquired powers.

The recession has made individual states more maleable from the point of view of vulnerability and therefore now deemed likely to support so called futher moves towards the new Canaan. Whether such a thing actually exists, is far from clear but hammering out resistance during stressful times, works better it seems, if reluctant Ireland is anything to go by. What most Europeans yearned for however, was the complete opposite of that delivered – a replacement of all the things about their own countries that they resented and the vision of a wide expanse of landscape through which each and every member could walk, work and feel at home in. None of these things are true of the countries of modern Europe and in some, the very presence of European foreigners is barely tolerated. European Commission naievity in this respect has not gone unnoticed and newspaper letters have more than adequately reiterated this prime concern. Some countries even deter the employment of other european nationals and particularly the professionals who bring in their own, often higher, standards. The undesirable public image of the would be leaders who mean little to most is also a cause for concern and the rotating principle of national leaders ensures that most take little if any interest in European affairs. If ever anything came close to the real meaning of anything put together by a committee, Europe most definitely qualifies. Few could stomach the thought of an overriding Mao Tse Tong figure of the likes of pompous Barroso or empty Blair. The world is moving away from such visions of authority and today, the emphasis is on cooperative rather than vertically structured societies surmounted by power assignees of doubtful origins. Internet would probably not survive their attempt to ensure that people succumbed to their charms.

Europe threfore from the layman point of view, is not a clear exercise of aspired social needs at every level of the happily or grudingly accepted local, national offer. Whilst the political and banking scene has never quite endeared itself, it has now reached levels of rejection that can only have serious consequences with respect to any attempt to reproduce them with European magnitude. The matter of a European President therefore, is probably much more disconcerting and dangerously destabilizing than many of the hopefuls of the upper European echelons would appear to suggest. Repressive government by the back door is not even on the menu, as far as the average European is concerned. Less so, when the appointees to the senior posts are pushed to the foreground by unseen hands and quality by intensive public selection of genuine talent is ignored. If Europe were to have such a thing as a President and a real government responsible to the people, it would need statesmen drawn from the ranks of the charismatic, intelligent and successful with a heart bigger than all of those thing put together.

No guts for real social reform.

Aspects of Europe which are difficult to reconcile are beginning to foster doubts as to the nature of the animal. Continuing, low economic performance of some member states at the expense of the rest has been tolerated to the point of patronage, whilst seemingly obvious to all, that cultural and political resistance is at the bottom of it. Sensitive issues like human rights, contamination, and jingoistic approach to outside investments, plague the scenery. Some of these poorly educated societies are likely never to aspire to changes in their social structures – the well entrench few will make sure of that. Some are already blaming Europe for their own, predictable and shocking unemployment figures. Some are even considering that a return to their currencies could have saved them from the ravages, despite the very opposite being true. The real powers behind the throne in these un-european “kept” societies, are very difficult to define and their politicians pay lip service to party ideologies that disappeared with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Two party systems defy democracy itself and also point in the direction of a one party Europe. Thereby hangs the reluctance which subconscious appreciation of the threatening emerging power structures, produces, understandably, in the hunted human animal.