O texto do Klemie / Klemie's text
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.
John Donne, Meditation XVII
It sounds cynical to say that the still ongoing economic crisis has had positive aspects. But, if you want to, you could say that it brought International and European politics back on the radar again. I come from Austria. Austrians usually like themselves and suppress all their self-loathing to let it out in culture. As long as the Schnitzel is dainty, we like our songs to be morbid and see others fail on the screen of private tv.
We like to think of our country as stable - and nag about it, every time, all the time. We nag on a high level. We're in no way as fucked up as Greece, Spain, Italy or Portugal. We benefit from persisting social policies from the years of our iconic socialist chancellor Bruno Kreisky that long held our heads far above the stinky waters of poverty and social unrest. And with our noses high, we like to think about ourselves. That's why it was so convenient for our politicians to blame everything "bad" on the EU. With Brussels quite some kilometres away and the complicated structure of the European institutions, politicians from a broad range, left to right, found a convenient scapegoat in the EU. You can blame the EU for everything, you can nag - remember, we love that - but the money keeps on flowing. For every Euro we give, we get something back. But that's not what you say if you want to be popular with people who nag more and more. People see that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. What do you do? Tell them, that your policies failed? Tell them, that you want it to be that way? (Hey, conservatives!) No. You tell them that Greece is taking their money! We like to go there on our holidays. But give them money beyond tourism? What are you, a crazy person?
In and around politics, there's a whole lot of stuff going on. You don't need to be a person with principles; you can seek and execute your power if you get the majority. That's the game democracy allows you to play. Promise stuff, do something else. Some people don't like it? Blame it on someone else; you will need their votes to stay in power. But sooner or later, you will get to the point where your power is limited. Where you finally will have to look beyond your social and national borders to act in a responsible way. And still, if you don't want to be responsible, you want to stay in power. You can either go all dictator on your people (been there, done that - monarchy, Dollfuss, Hitler...), or you can have a look at what the problems are. That's where globalization comes into play. It's not only us having problems. Others struggle with the same problems. If you want to change something about that, you will have to join hands.
That's one of the beautiful things about the European Union and its Eurozone. It doesn't matter if you want to; you have to sort the mess out, together. The last five years feel as if the news opened up again, with a whole new perspective, to the way we look at our neighbours. We still like to talk about ourselves, but I feel like the whole perspective is shifting towards a European "we". And that's where the dangers of nationalism come in. Whenever solidarity is getting stronger, the forces opposing get more brutal in fighting back. Nationalists are on the rise, because they do not only see the chance that social unrest in the southern parts of Europe brings, but also because they feel threatened to live in a society that strongly opposes their view of our world divided into little, itsy-bitsy pieces. What once was nagging becomes either the realization that we need to build this together - or tear it down as a whole.
After years of peace and prosperity, we have to face a threat that some believed was nearly gone: as the principles of hyper-capitalism clearly shifted wealth away from the poor and the middle class, social unrest is on the rise with the perspectives of whole generations systematically destroyed to save how the system works. With the insecurity that has risen after the 9-11 attacks, conservatives are mixing a dangerous cocktail for the powerful to stay in power while the common folks lose their jobs and end up on the street. Solidarity doesn't seem to be high up on the list of their agenda of promoting painful budget cuts that prohibit growth.
You could say I'm nagging (again!), but I tell you: this is where Austria, as a member of the top 10 rich countries of Europe, has to step in. Sure, we shall not forget about our brothers and sisters in our own country, but they're not the only ones, never where. We have to continue to expand and broaden our horizon and give back for what the European Union, with stability and expansion, has given us. Now, we also have to look out for the others that helped us to get where we are. For sure it is difficult and the economic situation in Austria has seen brighter days, but this is not a time for nationalist short-term policies. We need an economic vision that not only includes national needs, but promotes the broad distribution of wealth across Europe.
This never was a simple matter of economics - it's a matter of principle. Principles we should never lose, never compromise on. The fight for a renewed stability in Europe is a fight for a fair distribution of wealth and growth, focusing on education and jobs. Looking out for the poorest, we have to renew our faith in a democratic society that puts each and every one of us on equal footing. Without the same chances for everyone, the future of Europe might not be as bright as we would like it to be.
Klemens Wieringer
2 comentários:
Well, overall you confuse Europe and the European Union!
I know a lot of people from Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo and even Turkey or Aserbaidschan who feel far more European, than their "counterparts" from Austria, Germany, France or elsewhere!
A reason for the European We is the ongoing student exchange, and maybe you believe it, but student exchange is by any means not an invention of the European Union.
Behind the most of your sentences there is one thing, the European Welfarestate! The European Welfare State is THE achievement of the working class in the 20th century, not the European Union.
It might sound against the EU, but it is not. I just want to point out that several positive developments have barely anything to do with the EU, but a lot of people like you who work in the parliament, the commission, for some MEP think it has, but it is just wrong.
And besides that, you forget ideological core idea of the EU
Yes, yes, you are absolutely right. The EU did neither reinvented Europe nor the wheel (that's what actually at least one MEP i know of believes).
The EU is nothing more and nothing less than a vehicle for change. You can either take the wheel or let others drive. But then, you're in no position to complain.
And that is exactly what's behind all the "Oh the bad neoliberal core-idea of the EU"-talk. You can either take the stearing wheel and reform or sit and watch others drive.
What you forget is that Europe without the EU is way less thinkable than a few decades ago. You can go und build up your national welfare state and not care about Greece - or you can roll up your sleeves and help them do it too. A progressive EU makes that easier, just as a conservative EU makes it easier to exploit workers rights.
That's the challenge we are facing in Europe, concerning the EU. I don't want to stand by.
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