Europe is Important
by Unusually, one woman’s vote in the recent UK election depended on the stance the parties were taking on Europe.
Image by U-g-g-B-o-y-(-Photograph-World-Sense-) via Flickr
So, Britain still has no government – on this day 10 May 2010. It’s a really odd feeling. So, just who is in charge – the Queen? What if there is a national emergency? Oddly today, too, the pound sterling is stronger against the dollar though weaker against the euro. Interesting as well that the American stock market is faring even less well than the British one though the problems are in Europe and in Britain – and Greece – in particular.
What a funny old place Europe is anyway. It’s the old world occupying a medium-sized landmass where a variety of languages are spoken and where cultures differ more dramatically from each other than the geographical features which force the boundaries. Can all of these cultures ever live in harmony together? Does it personify Babel?
I firmly believe that the world needs a united Europe and one in which Britain belongs completely. With Britain in it and working well there, Europe becomes a super-power and brings some balance to the USA. Unfortunately, that might not be all that comfortable for the Brits. Neither would our going into the euro now, when the pound is so weak. Ironically, though, this is probably the best time to go in, even though we’ll suffer in the short term. Our prices are currently low enough for other European countries to want to trade with us and even more so if they can do that without having to change currencies.
For me, Europe is the most important matter. Get that right and everything else falls into place. There was only one party I could vote for. Only one, as far as I could tell, had a sensible view on Europe. My views are probably not going to be the most popular. I guess I’ve come to this stance partly because of being a teacher of French, German and Spanish for over twenty years. Knowing those languages and the cultures they represent, I’ve come to see how important unity in Europe is – and how hard it would be to achieve. It certainly won’t be easy, but it’s definitely desirable.
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