lol. Yes, I suppose translation is a good reason for it. I'm afraid I only speak one language, and haven't learned another because of the simple fact that in my life at the moment, I have very few opportunities to use it in everyday life.
I must admit and apologise for the fact that I didn't really think about that post properly. The various forms of media in this country create such a stir over europe, etc, that sometimes this country seems xenophobic, and completely resistant to change, and so it sometimes appears to the public, (most of whom are disinterested in our own politics, without thinking about europe) that the EU don't really do much for us. When I think about "Objective one" funding, I realise that that is not the case. The problem is, we don't really see the benefits of such things because no-body is interested, and our government and local councils could do a far better job of using it.
The one thing in this country that really has made a difference in the public eye has to be the European Court of Human Rights, which I am happy praise. Unfortunatly the tabloids would have us in the UK believe that it is making a mess of our country and our legal system. There is definately a very 'anti-europe' movement in this country, and it does create an anti-europe climate in general public opinion, which is easy to be affected by.
Having said that, I am generally in support of the european union, though I still believe that a lot of time has been wasted on things like curvy bananas when that time could have been better spent on other more important issues.
What I do strongly feel is wrong though, is that in Wales at least, when I cast my vote in the upcoming general elections for a candidate for my Local MP (British parliament) I will also be casting my vote for a candidate for an MEP selected by his political party. As such, I have little control over whom I vote for when it comes to the European parliament. Another issue is the fact that while I am not apathetic about politics, there is not a single candidate for MP in my area that I feel is worthy of my vote, nor do I think their political parties are worth my vote either, but to vote in the European elections, I would have to cast my vote on a person and party for local government that I do not want for my local MP. I'm afraid that I cannot bring myself to vote for a political candidate whos policies and views I am against.
That said, Thankyou for the wakeup call over europe Sandra
This thread has been interesting to read - it is interesting for me to compare your experiences in Europe with mine in the United States.
First, I voted for the first time as Heather in March of this year. It was the precinct caucus meeting for the Democratic Party. Since then, I have voted on two more occasions - the county and state Democratic conventions where I voted as a delegate. I ran into no problems.
...
Your descriptions of the European Union remind me of an old lesson in U.S. history. Before the Constitution was adopted in 1787, the U.S. operated under the Articles of Confederation which set up a system with strong sovereignty for the individual states with a relatively weak central government. The system under which the EU is now operating sounds a lot like the Articles of Confederation. In the U.S., it didn't work out. The lack of central control caused the states to fly apart. Fortunately, they got together and developed a new system which created a stronger central government but still left a lot of power to the states, creating a good balanced situation.
In my opinion, for the EU, the present situation of loose confederation is probably a good idea for a transitional period. However, at some point, the Europeans will likely have to decide whether to create a more centralized state or to move back in the direction of having numerous independent states. In the long term, loose confederations are inherently unstable. Of course, there are a lot of differences between the modern EU and the U.S. under the Articles of Confederation, but the general similarities are interesting. In a sense, the EU is embarking on an experiment of a similar nature to that which took place in the U.S. in the late 1700's. This will be interesting to follow over the years; maybe Europe will come up with a better system.
Personally, I hope that eventually Europe will merge into a single nation with the current nations becoming semi-autonomous states within the union. Europe as a whole is potentially far more powerful and stable than its constituent parts taken separately. Perhaps having an equally powerful neighbor across the Atlantic would help teach us here in the U.S. a little humility, which we certainly need right now. If there has to be a counterbalance to U.S. power, I would rather that it be Europe than anyone else, since we share many of the same values and we can help keep each other honest (but please don't ever elect a European equivalent of George W. Bush; once is enough).
Perhaps this discussion belongs in the politics forum...
Heather H.
June 2, 2004 10:11 AM BST
way to go,laura!!!! good for you hun.I bet it was a wonderful feeling.lol maria xxx
), and I, even at 22 years old, still guess distances in yards, feet, and inches, but when it comes to buying what I want, I now have to convert my measurements into metres.
. When they start to do more important things more often, I'll start voting.