Nosemonkey's EUtopia

In search of a European identity

February 16, 2008
by Nosemonkey
4 Comments

Why I’m (largely) pro-EU

Nutty eurosceptics are always good for a giggle, but can be deeply frustrating for the more sensible anti-EU types, as Tory MEP Daniel Hannan has recently discovered following his (rather silly) expulsion from the EPP – and as those who attended the Pro-Referendum Rally a few months back also found out when they found themselves associating with BNP thugs, middle-aged women dressed as Britannia, and shouty conspiracy theorists.

After all, who wants to be associated with the kinds of historically, constitutionally and legally ignorant, utterly deluded (and highly hilarious) ravings of Telegraph comments section regular “Magna Carta” and his ilk, with their propensity for spewing out gems like this (from the comments to that Hannan piece):

Now that the Queen has abdicated and become a citizen of the EU republic what happens to all the lands the Crown owns…

These lands will become part of the assets of the EU republic.

45,000.000.000 dollars worth.

This will be used for the benifit of the EU and not of the British Commonwealth.

What most people do not know about is that the EU will then have a claim to New York and Washington DC USA.

Washington DC is in the Countie of Stafford and i come from Stafford shire England. Us to be known as Stafford countie. from the Earls of Essex and Ewe Duke of Buckingham,s lands.

Our family gave the first White House to the American people which is still standing in New York to day.

For similar insanity, check out the message boards of leading (and intermittently rather good) anti-EU blog EU Referendum pretty much any day of the week.

Raving EU conspiracy theories abound (I’ve even come up with a few myself), and are usually good for a giggle. But it can be exasperating for the more rational anti-EU types – of whom I know many. Indeed, it was largely the more maniacal anti-EU lunatics that first set me on the path to supporting British membership after a lifetime being fairly hardcore anti-EU. (The specific initial reason for my defecting to the pro-EU camp was, if I recall, a particularly smug and stupid article about something to do with the EU by Peter Oborne that appeared in the Spectator.)

But every now and then, it works the other way. Such as when you find out that Patricia Hewitt is likely to be Britain’s next European Commissioner (via), or whenever former Europe Minister Dennis MacShane opens his mouth.

I’ve never subscribed to “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”. I do, however, reckon that if my friends all turn out to be morons, it’s worth thinking about joining the enemy. This is why I keep voting for different parties at pretty much every election. (Though I used to claim I was voting FOR specific policies or candidates, I’ve realised that I’ve actually always been voting AGAINST something.)

The way the EU’s been going recently, I’m getting increasingly tempted to switch back to being anti-EU again. I mean, just imagine if the British Commissioner was Patricia Hewitt and the President of the EU was Tony Blair… How could I, without massive hypocrisy, support such an organisation?

But then I remember the nutters in the other camp, and turn back. Currently, I find myself huddled in a shell hole in No Man’s Land, bayonet fixed. Nonetheless, I remain significantly closer to the pro-EU lines than the anti – with my gun trained sometimes forwards, sometimes back, firing off shots at anyone stupid enough to put their head above the trenches on either side.

Because, let’s face it, no one political party or ideology has all the answers. To think otherwise is to go in for a form of secular religion that’s just as dogmatic and stupid as anything the bishops, rabbis and mullahs have ever come up with. A series of loose alliances with groups that reflect aspects of your belief is by far the better course – and never commit all-out.

Sitting in No Man’s Land may mean you get shot by both sides (and yes, I have been attacked by both europhiles and europhobes in my time), but at least you’re free to follow your own orders, rather than feeling obliged to charge over the top with the rest of the herd as soon as your chosen leader blows his whistle. Times change, opinions change, – it’s the height of naive arrogance to assume that you’ll always think the same way, and (as far as I’m concerned) simply pathetic to follow the party line rather than your conscience.

February 15, 2008
by Nosemonkey
13 Comments

States of mind

With Kosovo having just declared independence this weekend, it’s time for a look at some of Europe’s other wannabe countries.

Following Vladimir Putin’s largely fair comments about European double-standards over Kosovan independence, it’s certainly worth looking at other wannabe European countries that the EU could technically recognise, once the precedent’s been set. And if not the EU, why not Russia, just to piss Brussels off?

Some are more economically viable, some less; some are more uniform in their national identity, some more controversial; some are more of a joke. But all, really, have similar claims to independent status as Kosovo – and many are associated with the European Parliament’s European Free Alliance group. There’s a surprisingly large number of aspirant Utopias:

Utopia, the ultimate dream state
Continue Reading →

February 15, 2008
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments

links for 2008-02-15

February 15, 2008
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments

Kosovo – some more causes for concern

As you may have noticed, I’ve been pondering the EU’s proposed mission to Kosovo quite a lot over the last day or two, and getting increasingly concerned that the province’s impending independence hasn’t been quite thought through. Overnight, a rather succinct comment was left that neatly summarises much of what I’ve been coming to think – as well as noting a few things I’d missed (criticising, I’ll add for my ego’s sake, an article I’d linked to, rather than anything I’ve written so far – though it also applies to my stuff to an extent):

No mention is made of the 55% of Kosovo albanians who did not vote in the recent elections, surely a sign of no-confidence in the politicians that claim to present them?

No comment on Kosovo’s economic situation or other critical problems either, nor how long the patience of the average Kosovo albanian will last if things don’t improve fast after ‘independence’

No comment on how much it will cost the EU. The EU itself quotes EUR 250m over approximately 3 years. If tens of billions of IMF dollars spend on the region by Tito hasn’t helped, then what makes the ‘EU’ thinks its paltry sums will succeed? Most of all, what about the cost of this indeterminate subsidy to the EU tax payer?

The EU’s policy can be summed up as ‘Independence and Pray’.

Neither does the ‘analysis’ really address the matter that Serbia’s stability as critical to the EU’s ’stabilization’ of the Balkans. Sure, Serbia under Nikolic may be made a ‘Pariah’ by the EU, but that will also damage neighboring states such as Bulgaria and Romania, much as the economic damage that sanctions caused in the 1990s, something that very few commentators care to address nor comment upon.

More on this, no doubt, over the next couple of weeks. I’m working on a theory about what’s going to happen when the EU gets more closely involved in the Balkans, but it’s going to take a bit more work…

February 14, 2008
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments

links for 2008-02-14

February 14, 2008
by Nosemonkey
9 Comments

So much for independence outside the EU…

One of the strangest assertions of the withdrawalist anti-EU camp is that if Britain were to pull out, she would instantly become independent and able to act freely, unhindered by legislation from Brussels that they see as damaging and unnecessary. (Which, to be fair, much of it is – but that’s beside the point…)

Of course, as long as the EU exists and dominates the continent, any other European powers – especially those, like Britain, whose trade is overwhelmingly with their continental neighbours – will find the EU shaping their economies whether they like it or not. Switzerland has to follow numerous EU laws and regulations (in which it has no say) despite not being a member; so does Norway, often hailed as an ideal model for a non-EU UK.

Often forgotten, however, is Iceland. Not a member of the EU, but still – with Switzerland and Norway – a member of the European Free Trade Area (EFTA), which many proponents of a British EU pull-out reckon we should join after severing links with Brussels.

And yet now Iceland is considering joining the Eurozone:

Richard Portes, author of an independent report on the Icelandic economy, said that unilateral euroisation was feasible and need not limit Iceland’s political independence. “Because of the exceptionally high degree of exchange rate passthrough into domestic prices and equally exceptional financial openness of Iceland, unilateral euroisation would not be sacrificing much effective monetary policy independence,” he told the Icelandic Chamber of Commerce.

In other words, as long as you’re a part of Europe and the EU exists, it’s going to have a major impact on the way your country runs. So surely it’s better to have some direct say in what the EU gets up to, no matter how limited? What’s the withdrawalist excuse for this one? I’m genuinely intrigued…

Update: Ah, it seems The Economist covered this a couple of weeks back. I really must get a subscription… (Oh, and on Certain Ideas of Europe too – that’s The Economist’s rather good Europe blog.)

February 13, 2008
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on links for 2008-02-13

links for 2008-02-13

February 13, 2008
by Nosemonkey
5 Comments

“No alternative to Europe”

The EU’s lack of action over the Yugoslav Civil War is surely the Union’s biggest embarrassment. “The EU has brought 50 years of peace to the continent”, they claim, always looking a bit shifty lest anyone remind them that they allowed a genocide to kick off on their doorstep, and then had to rely on America to help sort out the ongoing mess. Ever since, the drive for an EU rapid-reaction force has been stepping up. Now, with Kosovo on the brink of declaring independence from Serbia, the EU is on the brink of committing to a common military policy – a significant step, and one that could well have major implications.

Serbia’s recent elections may well have seen the less nutty option chosen, but it’s still not looking too promising. Because those elections were for the president, not the more powerful parliament – and so current Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica remains the real power in Serbia. (If the name sounds familiar, that’s because he’s the guy who succeeded Milosevic as Yugoslav president after 2000’s peaceful revolution.)

Kostunica is sorely opposed to the independence of Kosovo – so much so that last week he blocked a cabinet meeting that was to set Serbia well and truly on the road towards European Union membership, a step Kostunica sees as all but guaranteeing that Kosovo goes its own way. EU aspirations may well exist, but not at the expense of what Kostunica and co see as Serbian territorial integrity. Nationalism trumps internationalism, it would seem.

Kostunica has the support of the ultra-nationalist Radical Party (the one whose leader is currently on trial for crimes against humanity in The Hague) and Milosevic’s old Socialist Party, so doesn’t really need the more moderate Democrats on board, even though he’s still their leader. Yesterday, however, he kissed and made up with his party, before making his intentions over Kosovo crystal clear:

“We have made a decision that the Serbian government will on Thursday, in advance, annul all acts that are against the law which concern a unilateral proclamation of the independence of this fictitious state on Serbian territory…

“We shall not allow such a creation to exist for a minute. It has to be legally annulled the moment it is illegally proclaimed by a leadership of convicted terrorists.”

So, what does this mean for Serbia’s EU hopes, now that every Serbian party is so explicitly opposed?

Well, the general consensus is that in uniting against Kosovo’s independence, Serbia has now decisively chosen to stay out of the EU – Serbia’s territorial integrity trumping its long-term economic development. Hence Monday’s “No alternative to Europe” pro-EU protests in Belgrade, led by precisely the same sort of people who started the anti-Milosevic movement back in the 90s, but – with no Serbian party prepared to accept the loss of Kosovo in exchange for EU integration – with rather less chance of success.

Kosovo’s independence is coming, of that there can be no doubt. But with Serbia refusing to acknowledge such a move and Kosovo itself potentially unable to survive on its own, the Balkans could well turn into another major flashpoint – and another massive challenge for the EU. What to do? Back Kosovo, and risk a return to civil war, or back Serbia, and risk a return to guerilla attacks?

So far, it’s all been Kosovo. Pretty much every EU member state has declared an intention to recognise the wannabe country’s independence when it comes, and has been working towards building up Kosovo’s economy and legal system in preparation. Now, it seems, the EU is even preparing to offer military support.

As well as being a significant symbolic moment for EU integration (an EU army long having been central to political integration among federalists – ever since it was first proposed by Winston Churchill – and a key fear of anti-EU types), this potentially could see another ongoing spat escalate yet further. Because Serbia has the support of Russia, which is on the record promising to block any United Nations recognition of Kosovo’s independence.

With Russia throwing her weight around to get Ukraine to do what she wants, and increasingly setting herself up in opposition to the EU, could the protesting Belgrade students have got it wrong?

For ex-communist countries with struggling economies trying to get over the problems of the Cold War years, Brussels has long seemed the obvious point of aspiration. The carrot of European Union membership has helped many in the drive towards democracy – and continues to help in many states, like Bosnia, Croatia, Moldova and Ukraine. The EU was seen as the best – perhaps only – hope for a speedy route to prosperity.

Now, however, Russia’s control of so much of Europe’s energy supplies, healthy arms industry and willingness to trade with even the dodgiest of dodgy regimes has given an alternative. Europe’s last dictatorship, Belarus, has happily survived for nearly two decades thanks to Russian support. If Belarus can do it, why not Serbia?

It may not seem like much of a choice to sensible Westerners – the EU route seems sure to offer a far better standard of living, as well as all the benefits of human rights and democracy. But Serbia is, lest we forget, a country filled with people who were happily murdering each other in their thousands only a decade ago…

Anything could happen – and whatever does, the EU is going to be right at the heart, trying to mediate and, at the same time, prove that it is truly a world power. Failure is not an option, for that would be the final nail in the coffin of an EU working as one, the final proof – after failure to act in the 90s and failure to agree a common stance on Iraq and Afghanistan – that when action is needed, the EU can only dither.

February 12, 2008
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments

“The new stage… the stage of totalitarianism”

Shutting down an entire university due to breaches of fire regulations would sound a little harsh at the best of times.

When the university in question is St Petersburg’s European University, however, suspicions are naturally raised – not least thanks to numerous EU-funded courses, including one on election monitoring. We are, lest we forget, just a few short weeks before Russia’s controversial presidential elections.

Little wonder, then, that some among Russia’s isolated opposition are digging out the colourful rhetoric:

Maxim Reznik, the head of the St. Petersburg branch of Russia’s liberal Yabloko faction, said the real reason for the order was an election monitoring course funded by the European Union.

“No doubt, it’s about politics,” Reznik said. “Fire inspections is just an excuse. It’s another example that the authoritarian regime is going to the new stage, to the stage of totalitarianism.”

The suspension of the university’s activities comes amid tensions between Moscow and the West over Russia’s March 2 presidential elections. An election monitoring arm of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has refused to send observers to the vote because of restrictions on their activities — an announcement likely to strengthen Western concerns about democracy in Russia.

When the university’s closure comes the very same day that Moscow announces it will maintain favourable gas prices for the pro-Russian dictatorship in Belarus while threatening to cut off supplies to the EU-leaning Ukraine, it’s very hard not to see the university’s closure as part of a coordinated campaign designed to tell Ukraine to look east, not west if it knows what’s good for it…

Update: Ahem… BBC News – Russia in Ukraine missile threat

February 12, 2008
by Nosemonkey
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links for 2008-02-12