Increasingly the UK is being required to choose; are we Europeans or are we in partnership with the USA?
Many of us may feel European, but our political class (and right now especially our Govt.) when pushed to choose, seem to prefer to focus on transatlantic relations rather than rebuilding the relations across the channel.
Its increasingly clear this is very much the wrong choice....
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
Donald Trump is pursuing regime change – in Europe
The US made it clear this week that it plans to help the parties of the European far right gain power. Keir Starmer and his fellow leaders have to face this new reality, writes Guardian columnist Jonathan FreedlandJonathan Freedland (The Guardian)
This entry was edited (6 days ago)
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Claire McNab
in reply to Emeritus Prof Christopher May • • •The European political class has managed 35 years of advanced strategic idiocy.
The end of the Cold War provided a unique opportunity to build a common European home. But instead European leaders preferred to keep Europe divided on Cold War lines, but with the border pushed eastwards, in breach of clear promises to Gorbachev.
That expansion alienated Russia, and left Europe dependent on American muscle. Now America has left Europe to face its own fight. So Europe is grovelling.
Emeritus Prof Christopher May reshared this.
Dave Robinson
in reply to Claire McNab • • •Claire McNab
in reply to Dave Robinson • • •@dave I'm talking zbout military expansion, both through NATO and through an increasingly militarised EU.
Europe pushed an aggressive military alliance right up to the borders of Russia, and generated a predictably hostile response.
Dave Robinson
in reply to Claire McNab • • •Claire McNab
in reply to Dave Robinson • • •Dave Robinson
in reply to Claire McNab • • •Claire McNab
in reply to Dave Robinson • • •@dave No, it probably wouldn't have happened anyway. There were several crucial turning points along the way. I recomnend paying a bit more attention to the Russian perspective, rather than glibly dismiss8ng it all with a cry of "dictators".
One doesn't need to have any sympathy for the ugly regimes of post-Soviet Russia to appreciate the strategic nightmares they face.
Emeritus Prof Christopher May
in reply to Claire McNab • • •@2legged @dave
To some extent, this reminds me of the discussion of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962... which looks a lot different when one knows the US had deployed nuclear missiles in Turkey ahead of the Russian deployment in Cuba!
Havoc BSc MSc
in reply to Emeritus Prof Christopher May • • •ABOLISH PRIVATE HEALTHCARE!⚫
in reply to Emeritus Prof Christopher May • • •John Cook
in reply to Emeritus Prof Christopher May • • •For me it is really simple, Trump cannot be trusted. As such we should be moving closer to Europe as America certainly won't step up and help.
Gaza and now the Ukraine peace plan has nothing to do with peace, simply a way for Trump and his billionaire pals to make more money.
GhostOnTheHalfShell
in reply to Emeritus Prof Christopher May • • •How many people would want to even be associated with the lunatics now in power in the United States?
I don’t hold out any hope for politicians in the the two main parties in the bat shit lunatic right wing party..
How much longer before simply declaring the entire UK prison cell is the cheapest option for them?
Dizzy
in reply to Emeritus Prof Christopher May • • •TerryB
in reply to Emeritus Prof Christopher May • • •Ruled by thieves
in reply to Emeritus Prof Christopher May • • •"Trump’s defenders have sought to argue that the administration has no problem with Europe per se; it’s the European Union it can’t stand"
The irony in that statement is a metre thick. WTF is the 'United States' if not a fucking political union??? Dickheads
wauz ワウズ
in reply to Emeritus Prof Christopher May • • •We also need to crack France, Spain and Germany in some smaller units, to fit with others.
That federation needs a good constitution and I propose to have a look on the current German Grundgesetz.
Jessie Kirk • 🏳️⚧️ 🇪🇺 • 🇵🇸 🇺🇦
in reply to wauz ワウズ • • •wauz ワウズ
in reply to Jessie Kirk • 🏳️⚧️ 🇪🇺 • 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 • • •@thejessiekirk
Well, I said: "declare". That means: putting a label on it. You're totally right, that 'identitary' ideas, whatever culture, language, "ethnicity" are to simple and, clearly said, misleading. Nobody needs to be a 'true scotsman' and nobody should be forced to be.
Though, my idea is about leaving identitarian states, the idea of a nation. As a "German", I know that pretty well. The time, Germany was nearly complete a national state, was in the time between 1938 and 1945. (I dont need to explain further).
My idea of an Eupean Federation is based on the idea, that the federate entity should be more equivalent in size and population. To leave out the idea of identity doesn't mean, that we should ignore differences. There are some in the UK, there are many in (current) Germany, there are also many in Spain and Italy. France has a tradition to suppress differences, and that caused a loss of much cultural variety.
@ChrisMayLA6
Jessie Kirk • 🏳️⚧️ 🇪🇺 • 🇵🇸 🇺🇦
in reply to wauz ワウズ • • •wauz ワウズ
in reply to Jessie Kirk • 🏳️⚧️ 🇪🇺 • 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 • • •@thejessiekirk
I'm sorry for that sloppy, misleading expression. I'm aware, that in Scotland and Wales far not everybody has a celtic language as native language, or otherwise any 'identity' thing to call celtic.
The change I like to propose: more regional political participation. The UK is very London-focused, and that is in my opinion not very desirable. Even more in France.
Also, current Germany is too much Berlin-focused in my eyes. I want smaller units, bc I think, that gives democracy more chances.
I fully acknowledge the argument, not to claim false commonness. Let me say that clear: everyone who lives in Wales would be "Welsh" just bc of citizenship.
@ChrisMayLA6
Jessie Kirk • 🏳️⚧️ 🇪🇺 • 🇵🇸 🇺🇦
in reply to wauz ワウズ • • •Cybermatron
in reply to Emeritus Prof Christopher May • • •Emeritus Prof Christopher May reshared this.
Emeritus Prof Christopher May
in reply to Cybermatron • • •@TheCybermatron
nicely put!
GeofCox
in reply to Cybermatron • • •Unfortunately I think it goes deeper than that. You really notice it when you live outside the UK but sometimes see UK television, etc. Try, for example, watching a popular quiz show and counting the number of questions (and correct answers) that relate to US politics, sport or culture, - and the number that relate to Continental European. US media content and advertising has penetrated down to the bones of UK life, I'm afraid.
Emeritus Prof Christopher May
in reply to GeofCox • • •@GeofCox @TheCybermatron
Yes, I would agree; and that's likely partly because the US (perhaps because of a partially shared language) seems like a directly linked culture whereas for many monoglots the continent is always seen/heard through a fog of translation....
Cybermatron
in reply to GeofCox • • •Cybermatron
in reply to Cybermatron • • •Emeritus Prof Christopher May
in reply to Cybermatron • • •@TheCybermatron @GeofCox
Yes, I think that's a fair point about the direction of causality for the UK's rampant monoglotism
Quarky
in reply to Emeritus Prof Christopher May • • •Emeritus Prof Christopher May
in reply to Quarky • • •@Quarky
which is hardly likely to be accidental....
Captain Jack Sparrow
in reply to Emeritus Prof Christopher May • • •Emeritus Prof Christopher May
in reply to Captain Jack Sparrow • • •@Captain_Jack_Sparrow
thanks, now corrected; appreciated