Because without progressive influence, that's what the EU will turn into. And as it heads further and further in that direction, you'll have less and less influence - not more.

Now I believe that the day of the Neo Libs is done as will be evidenced when the whole unsustainable horse's breakfast of a financial system collapses around their heads in the next 12 months.

Whether or not I'm right I'm not at all clear as to exactly who you mean by "progressive influence". It's not immediately obvious, but presumably that's a convenient label for Scandinavians?

Be that as it may, there are clear signs in Norway of a growing backlash against corporate excess (even of the lily livered Norwegian variety - and the whole Neo Lib approach - which has never sat well with Scandinavian values generally and the Norwegian variant in particular.

Sitting on a great deal of oil (still plenty left!) and oodles of gas, and with 2 trillion NOK in the kitty (not that much of it in $ assets/liabilities these days) Norway is extremely well placed to put two fingers up to Pol Pot were he to reappear and be appointed President of the United States of Europe.

"The future is already here -- it's just not very evenly distributed" William Gibson