(no subject)
Jun. 4th, 2009 12:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
naathSo go VOTE! (if you're in the UK, and have a vote). For someone other than the bloody BNP :-)
Personally I'm very pro-EU. Because, generally, I think that *having an EU* is a Good Thing, and it should be stronger, and bigger and stuff like that. That's not to say that I think the EU is 100% wonderful or that the current implementation is the absolute best possible or that I agree with everything that the EU does. But then I don't think that the government in Westminster is 100% wonderful or etc. either, I think that right now it's pretty shit actually, but I'm not going to start campaigning to go back to having the Queen tell us what to do, or stage a coup so we can have an el Presidente Dictator For Life instead of what we've got.
The anti-EU parties really PISS ME OFF sometimes. Because they send MEPs to Brussels whilst thinking that the whole thing is Made Of Fail, which doesn't seem like a good way to make the EU any *better*. I want to have MEPs who represent my interests in Brussels, I want those MEPs to work to make the EU into a better thing. I expect that other people have other interests and want their MEPs to work to get the EU to do what they want too. But I'm tired of EU elections being over and over again about whether the EU is any good.
There doesn't seem to be anyone here arguing loudly for a bigger, better EU. This is *sadface*. But the Greens and the LDs seem to be somewhat pro EU (I like nuclear power, I voted LD).
I like the EU because I think that there are some aspects of politics that work better at a larger scale, yes, there are also some that work better at a smaller scale and I am also in favour of more devolution of (some) responsibilities to small areas. I love that we the ECHR, lovelovelove (even if it doesn't always do what it says on the tin), the WTD is AwesomeSauce. I love that we Europeans (most of us anyway) can move freely around the EU and get jobs or study and live and YAY, free movement of people. I don't think the EU erases National Character at all, I think it brings people of different cultures together, I think that in spirit it's a very anti-racist idea (although in practice it can suck) and I think it's probably one of the reasons the BNP hate the whole thing. I love that we are supporting poorer countries in Europe, I love that we can use membership of our club as the carrot in the stick/carrot approach to getting other countries to Suck Less. I really really love that we have stopping *shooting at each other* and settled down into sniping over the proper curvature for bananas (incidentally I think regulating banana size/shape is fucking stupid, the EU should be given better things to do with its time).
I want to see the Euro succeed, not because I think a single currency is of much practical value but as a symbol of cooperation. I want to see a EU defence policy, and an EU defence force to back it up (and I want it to not read "do what the US tells us to"). I want the EU to be strong enough to stand up to the US (I want the world to have more than one super power). I want the EU to work at tackling climate change, it has a Bigger Picture than individual countries. I think that within the framework for the EU there is more scope for smaller nations to exist without having to chum up to a specific neighbour, I think it would be good if some of the larger countries would split up a bit.
I think we need better pan-EU political parties, and by "better" I mean "more clearly parties" which we have more of an idea what they stand for. I don't want to see UK parties on my EU ballot, I want to see EU parties (and UK parties only if the candidates for them are clearly not members of any EU parties).
Personally I'm very pro-EU. Because, generally, I think that *having an EU* is a Good Thing, and it should be stronger, and bigger and stuff like that. That's not to say that I think the EU is 100% wonderful or that the current implementation is the absolute best possible or that I agree with everything that the EU does. But then I don't think that the government in Westminster is 100% wonderful or etc. either, I think that right now it's pretty shit actually, but I'm not going to start campaigning to go back to having the Queen tell us what to do, or stage a coup so we can have an el Presidente Dictator For Life instead of what we've got.
The anti-EU parties really PISS ME OFF sometimes. Because they send MEPs to Brussels whilst thinking that the whole thing is Made Of Fail, which doesn't seem like a good way to make the EU any *better*. I want to have MEPs who represent my interests in Brussels, I want those MEPs to work to make the EU into a better thing. I expect that other people have other interests and want their MEPs to work to get the EU to do what they want too. But I'm tired of EU elections being over and over again about whether the EU is any good.
There doesn't seem to be anyone here arguing loudly for a bigger, better EU. This is *sadface*. But the Greens and the LDs seem to be somewhat pro EU (I like nuclear power, I voted LD).
I like the EU because I think that there are some aspects of politics that work better at a larger scale, yes, there are also some that work better at a smaller scale and I am also in favour of more devolution of (some) responsibilities to small areas. I love that we the ECHR, lovelovelove (even if it doesn't always do what it says on the tin), the WTD is AwesomeSauce. I love that we Europeans (most of us anyway) can move freely around the EU and get jobs or study and live and YAY, free movement of people. I don't think the EU erases National Character at all, I think it brings people of different cultures together, I think that in spirit it's a very anti-racist idea (although in practice it can suck) and I think it's probably one of the reasons the BNP hate the whole thing. I love that we are supporting poorer countries in Europe, I love that we can use membership of our club as the carrot in the stick/carrot approach to getting other countries to Suck Less. I really really love that we have stopping *shooting at each other* and settled down into sniping over the proper curvature for bananas (incidentally I think regulating banana size/shape is fucking stupid, the EU should be given better things to do with its time).
I want to see the Euro succeed, not because I think a single currency is of much practical value but as a symbol of cooperation. I want to see a EU defence policy, and an EU defence force to back it up (and I want it to not read "do what the US tells us to"). I want the EU to be strong enough to stand up to the US (I want the world to have more than one super power). I want the EU to work at tackling climate change, it has a Bigger Picture than individual countries. I think that within the framework for the EU there is more scope for smaller nations to exist without having to chum up to a specific neighbour, I think it would be good if some of the larger countries would split up a bit.
I think we need better pan-EU political parties, and by "better" I mean "more clearly parties" which we have more of an idea what they stand for. I don't want to see UK parties on my EU ballot, I want to see EU parties (and UK parties only if the candidates for them are clearly not members of any EU parties).