"The EU may not be perfect"

"The EU may not be perfect" – 21 iunie 2016

 

Platon Florin shared Vladimir Bortun's post.

 

Vladimir Bortun

June 19 at 9:31pm

One of the most annoying and flawed arguments made these days by too many on the left in support of the EU: "The EU may not be perfect [what a bad euphemism!], but we have a better chance of reforming it if we stay in."

First of all, where have these noble calls for reform been so far?? Surely not in 1992 (just to start with the last 25 years), when the Maastricht Treaty made it virtually impossible to renationalise public services and imposed structural restrictions on government spending for the soon-to-be members of the eurozone. Not in 1996 either, when the Posted Workers Directive made it possible for companies to pay foreign labour the minimum wage rather that the standard pay in the industry concerned. Definitely not in 2000, when the Cotonou Agreement between the EU and countries from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific conditioned the access to the internal market and provision of aid for the latter on the liberalisation of their markets and elimination of tariffs on goods (one of their main sources of revenue). Not even in the last six years of brutal austerity imposed on the Southern European countries, with Greece virtually becoming an economic colony of Germany. Now the liberals wake up and call for reforming the EU?! It's like calling for the reform of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1914.

And second of all, this 'better chance of changing it' is only in their head. They are so self-satisfied in their 'progressive' and 'internationalist' support for the EU, that they don't even bother to find out how the EU actually works. Its neoliberal character is not merely a question of balance of forces, but fundamentally ingrained in the very institutional design of the EU, in its treaties and legislation. To change the treaties, you need unanimity in the Council. That means you need 28 left-wing governments ready for change! That's more utopian than anything, but even if that would be somehow possible, it would take years to achieve it. And we don't have years to spare, cause the people want now solutions to their problems, they want now an alternative to the failing status quo. And if the left is not going to give it to them, because it backs the status quo in the illusion that it can reform it, then they will look for that alternative somewhere else (they already do!), just like it happened in the past...

 

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Peospectiv A-z " That means you need 28 left-wing governments ready for change!" Nu-i o conditie suficienta! Cu 28 de guverne de Stanga ca ale lui Hollande/Valls este evident ca nu vei schimba ceva.

Retin de aici masurile luate de-a lungul timpului si care in totalitatea lor conduc la super-tratate (TTIP etc.). Luate in numele integrarii EUropene si alte blah-blah-uri cand de fapt ideea era ca fiara neoliberala sa-si incolteasca victima de jugulara.

 

Mihai Ion Turcu Cata suveranitate mai are fiecare membru trebuie pastrata si intarita, federalizarea amanata, si cu resturile de suveranitate exercitate presiuni pentru schimbare.