Weak democracy and strong nationalism. Traditional forces fighting for the Status Quo, new powers in favour of radical change. And conservatives derailing to more radical positions
by Emanuele Bonini
Forget about the idea of the United States of Europe, and forget about the European Union as it has been so far. There will be no steps forward. On the contrary, on the horizon lies the status quo, at the best. Democracy is experiencing one of its worse existential crisis since the period which generated the premises for what has been know as the second world war, and the today context seems to be not so different from what already was once.
Traditional political forces become weaker and weaker day by day, and the only way they have (or they think to have) to survive is to shift to more radical positions in order to circumscribe extremisms coming from all across the continent. There’s an ongoing self-defensive run based on the assumption by which subtracting argumentations to the populists can save what has been achieved. But this is a tricky experiment. Brexit is there to recall what can happen when a ruling party starts to play the same game of anti-system forces.
Netherlands made clear there is enough EU
Looking at what the prime minister of the Netherlands stated last week during the plenary session of the European Parliament, it becames clear that the time for a further integration is over. «I believe the future of Europe should essentially be about the original promise of Europe, the promise of sovereign Member States working together to help each other to achieve greater prosperity, stability and security». Mark Rutte has no intention of making Europe a federation. A confederation as it is – or, well, as it was in its origins – must be the path to follow. This is a pure conservative vision which means no evolution. «The debate on the future of Europe is not about more or less Europe, but about what the added value of Eu can be». Here we have a genuine political slang showing how EU be too much powerful.
The Netherlands are one of the six EU founding Countries. The fact one of these countries speaking out against more Europe is not meaningless. On the contrary. There are of course domestic reasons explaining Rutte’s statements. First of all, he is a liberal. Liberalism refuses the idea of «more State», so the idea of «more super-State». Then there is an historical, traditional Dutch approch against the political Union: in 2005 the Dutch voted against the project of a European Constitution. Furthermore, Geert Wilders and its party Pvv have become more and more attractive in the Netherlands, and the current prime minister can’t ask for more Europe in a context of a public opinion more and more persuated in not having it.
«United in diversity» doesn’t work
Problems are not exclusively «made in the Netherlands». More in general everybody has been putting in question the entire frameworks, European as democratic. Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Slovakia, France, Germany and now Italy, too. Everywhere the anti-European forces are rising and getting consensus. The basic principle of living together is vanishing because it is not felt by the Europeans. Nationalism is replacing – and perhpahs already has – the cooperative spirit. «United in diversity», the motto of the European Union, is not working anylonger. Migrants, social dumping, Roma… Every kind of human kind is felt as a threat, no matter who they are, where they come from and so on. The today general approach is «us and them», as Italy cleary showed with the new national(istic) motto «Italians first», recalling the genuine Mussolini’s categorical imperative «Italy to Italians».
No more trust
Union assumes the idea of mutual trust. That's true in every circumstance. An union between two people is based and built on trust, and when confidence is over so is the partnership. The European life of Europeans is today more domestic-driven than in the recent past. That means that from north to south, from east to west, there is the feeling that Europe can't offer better answers to those provided by central government, so Nations are more than ever seen as the safest harbours in time of storm. With no trust, stepping up the Union doesn't make many sense.
EPP to sell EU values off (again)
There is the perception that «alone is better». Common rules are considered as a brake for national growth and sovereign development. Political leaders are showing their disregard for these rules, acting with an arrogance typical of every good aspiring dictator. That’s the case for Hungary’s Viktor Orban and Poland’s ruling party PiS. Both subject are in violation of rule of law, as well as they are acting against the EU values. The European People’s Party believes to can manage the situation. Orban is already a member fo the EPP, and PiS could be invited to come in. No actions have been taken against EPP member Viktor Orban, so it is realistic to consider no action will taken against Polish government once the PiS will join (if the case) EPP. In such a way the authoritarian force will get what it wants (whatever might be), and the EPP will sell the EU values off, showing all its weakness and its uncapability in push back the anti-democratic forces. Accepting the latter means to dangerously derail to the far-right. And what all this far-right can bring?
The balance has been broken. Democracy is weaker than ever, and nationalism are getting ground everywhere. Europe is at stake, as a Union and as a continent. Looking at history, it seems that on the background a war is to be prepared. Analogies with past are there, conditions to move forward are not. In such a scenario the best option would be to secure the present situation, but going back is the real risk. Unless the concept of democracy be totally re-written. Even so, how long would it last?
Forget about the idea of the United States of Europe, and forget about the European Union as it has been so far. There will be no steps forward. On the contrary, on the horizon lies the status quo, at the best. Democracy is experiencing one of its worse existential crisis since the period which generated the premises for what has been know as the second world war, and the today context seems to be not so different from what already was once.
Traditional political forces become weaker and weaker day by day, and the only way they have (or they think to have) to survive is to shift to more radical positions in order to circumscribe extremisms coming from all across the continent. There’s an ongoing self-defensive run based on the assumption by which subtracting argumentations to the populists can save what has been achieved. But this is a tricky experiment. Brexit is there to recall what can happen when a ruling party starts to play the same game of anti-system forces.
Netherlands made clear there is enough EU
Looking at what the prime minister of the Netherlands stated last week during the plenary session of the European Parliament, it becames clear that the time for a further integration is over. «I believe the future of Europe should essentially be about the original promise of Europe, the promise of sovereign Member States working together to help each other to achieve greater prosperity, stability and security». Mark Rutte has no intention of making Europe a federation. A confederation as it is – or, well, as it was in its origins – must be the path to follow. This is a pure conservative vision which means no evolution. «The debate on the future of Europe is not about more or less Europe, but about what the added value of Eu can be». Here we have a genuine political slang showing how EU be too much powerful.
The Netherlands are one of the six EU founding Countries. The fact one of these countries speaking out against more Europe is not meaningless. On the contrary. There are of course domestic reasons explaining Rutte’s statements. First of all, he is a liberal. Liberalism refuses the idea of «more State», so the idea of «more super-State». Then there is an historical, traditional Dutch approch against the political Union: in 2005 the Dutch voted against the project of a European Constitution. Furthermore, Geert Wilders and its party Pvv have become more and more attractive in the Netherlands, and the current prime minister can’t ask for more Europe in a context of a public opinion more and more persuated in not having it.
«United in diversity» doesn’t work
Problems are not exclusively «made in the Netherlands». More in general everybody has been putting in question the entire frameworks, European as democratic. Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Slovakia, France, Germany and now Italy, too. Everywhere the anti-European forces are rising and getting consensus. The basic principle of living together is vanishing because it is not felt by the Europeans. Nationalism is replacing – and perhpahs already has – the cooperative spirit. «United in diversity», the motto of the European Union, is not working anylonger. Migrants, social dumping, Roma… Every kind of human kind is felt as a threat, no matter who they are, where they come from and so on. The today general approach is «us and them», as Italy cleary showed with the new national(istic) motto «Italians first», recalling the genuine Mussolini’s categorical imperative «Italy to Italians».
No more trust
Union assumes the idea of mutual trust. That's true in every circumstance. An union between two people is based and built on trust, and when confidence is over so is the partnership. The European life of Europeans is today more domestic-driven than in the recent past. That means that from north to south, from east to west, there is the feeling that Europe can't offer better answers to those provided by central government, so Nations are more than ever seen as the safest harbours in time of storm. With no trust, stepping up the Union doesn't make many sense.
EPP to sell EU values off (again)
There is the perception that «alone is better». Common rules are considered as a brake for national growth and sovereign development. Political leaders are showing their disregard for these rules, acting with an arrogance typical of every good aspiring dictator. That’s the case for Hungary’s Viktor Orban and Poland’s ruling party PiS. Both subject are in violation of rule of law, as well as they are acting against the EU values. The European People’s Party believes to can manage the situation. Orban is already a member fo the EPP, and PiS could be invited to come in. No actions have been taken against EPP member Viktor Orban, so it is realistic to consider no action will taken against Polish government once the PiS will join (if the case) EPP. In such a way the authoritarian force will get what it wants (whatever might be), and the EPP will sell the EU values off, showing all its weakness and its uncapability in push back the anti-democratic forces. Accepting the latter means to dangerously derail to the far-right. And what all this far-right can bring?
The balance has been broken. Democracy is weaker than ever, and nationalism are getting ground everywhere. Europe is at stake, as a Union and as a continent. Looking at history, it seems that on the background a war is to be prepared. Analogies with past are there, conditions to move forward are not. In such a scenario the best option would be to secure the present situation, but going back is the real risk. Unless the concept of democracy be totally re-written. Even so, how long would it last?
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