The US war preparations against Irak led to the foundation of a European public consciousness. We witnessed for the first time that tens of millions of European citizens engaged in the active, spontaneous participation at demonstrations in all EU Member States. And something extraordinary happened: The participants at the huge demonstrations were from a variety of national, political and religious backgrounds. At the Brussels demo I saw folks from Holland, France, Germany, Luxemburg, the UK, Spain, Italy etc.pp. It was truly pan European. Poetically speaking it was that EU 'Europe' had found its popular core belief - its 'soul'.
This could have been the founding moment of the 'Europe of citizens', of its founding myth, of the 'European narrative'.
If the European socialdemocrats, socialist and labour parties had picked up that 'moment' it would have guaranteed a huge popular support and propelled us thru' the European constitution referenda. We know that they failed to do so, we didn't succeed to link the peoples will for peace with a political project to re-vive the European economy on a anti neo-liberal platform.
So we lost the battle for the constitution and remained empty handed with regards to a European alternative to the free market hooligans on the right.
The results of this failure can be seen now in France (and soon in Benelux, The Netherlands, Germany and Italy).
So yes, I see the kids movement as a highly political reaction to our European party leaders vanity and intellectual laziness to define a viable socialdemocratic, socialist and labour perspective which englobes the elements of peace policies and social progress in credible and compelling terms.
The social unrest will spread throughout Europe and crowd control and police repression ain't gonna be the answer to deal with it.
ET should begin to think about developing a European 'narrative'. We will need one to steer the social upheavel and to give it some meaningfull direction. Our current leaders are speechless (if not worse). "The USA appears destined by fate to plague America with misery in the name of liberty." Simon Bolivar, Caracas, 1819
It is depressing.
I guess we better concentrate on the LocustWatch project and try to broaden it to make it eventually become a European 'narrative". It will be an absolute first. A 'riot' so to speak. "The USA appears destined by fate to plague America with misery in the name of liberty." Simon Bolivar, Caracas, 1819
The state of the SPE is truly deplorable, they are dead in the water.
For now only this:
When I worked for the EP party group I was warned by friends not to get too close to the SPE. I followed their advice and they were right. The closest I ever got to the secretary general was in Costa Rica in a djungle hotel. I was playing chess with a LA share broker who told me that he had been playing chess with another fellow from Brussels until recently and who had also worked for the socialists. He then described this person to me. I knew him. He was on the run with some million $ of Craxi's illegal money from the Agusta helicopter affair, which had led to the killing of a Belgian political big shot. He later went back to Milan and did some time in Uccerdone prison. "The USA appears destined by fate to plague America with misery in the name of liberty." Simon Bolivar, Caracas, 1819
