Comeback kid Sarkozy ?

[republicanism]

As long as they rule the EU with an iron fist and are in the position to force their politics on other, weaker countries, it will be very hard for the Left to defeat one of the Euro overlords in an election.

Most people are, deep in their heart, national chauvinists, and they love how the 'lazy Greek' and the 'corrupt Italian' have to obey their Chancellor/President.

Don't think that French and German are different in this regard.

[republicanism]

I remember when I was younger and had a very superficial understanding of politics I thought it sounded like an absolutely wonderful, humane concept.

Yeah it does. But so does the Soviet union, right?

Same is true for me by the way. I was an enthusiastic Europhile until 4-5 years ago. I started drifting away from the concept when I realized...

a) ...how much Democracy is reduced in the EU system.
b) ...how much of a handicap the neo-liberal common sense among the EU ruling class is for every national government of red shade.
c) ...how little the EU, even if it worked much better than today, has to offer for the working class and the poor in general.


But we are off topic.

[republicanism]

The main reason for my Euroskepicism is that I do not want the people of Europe (and the labour movement particularly) to risk what they have achieved (workable democracies and still pretty solid welfare states) for something that maybe, in 100 years, perhaps, God willing, will be even better.

Some leftist Europhiles remind my of old-school pro-Soviet western Commies: "Yeah, I know the EU is not democratic, and yeah, of course it is the shame that the neoliberals rule it and force the member states to enforce neoliberal law, and yeah, it's wrong how they treat national parliaments - but we have to go strait forward in this direction and finally, we will have solved all those problems and live all together in a land of milk and honey!"

[republicanism]

Bad and all as our home-grown clowns are, we can at least kick them out.

Very true!