The European Union

Earlier today on Twitter I was told I was the "only person in England who supported the EU".  Thrown into this was the implication that because I'm half German the actual total was zero.  A quick tweet produced a reassuringly high number of responses that suggest the contrary.  Here I set out why in my opinion the EU is basically a great thing.

Single Market or Political Project?

There are any number of reasons for supporting the EU.  Even most Eurosceptics would accept that the remarkable achievement of creating a free trade zone and single market across a historically disparate area of 500 million people is to the general benefit.  This market contributes to wealth generation, millions of jobs, and has led to a huge rise in prosperity since its creation.

Signing the Treaty of Rome 1957

Clearly, however, the EU is not a simple free trade zone.  To those who say that the EU somehow "sneaked up on them" from behind the cloak of the Common Market, just go back and look at those texts of the Treaties of Paris (1951) and Rome (1957).
It's there. Right at the start. Hidden in those sneaky things those called preambles.  The aim was always primarily to create a political and an economic union - let's agree that it's a bit daft to suggest it's not.


Free Trade Zone Instead: Norway!

Those who object to the political aspect of the EU would have us leave the EU to join the European Economic Area (EEA) - a free trade zone "without all that interference from Brussels".  I'm not an economist, but as a lawyer would say they are (apparently) frankly astoundingly ignorant of the realities of the EEA.  A functioning single market cannot operate without a body of law and robust institutions to enforce those rules - otherwise it is not worth the paper the agreement is written on.

Poor boy: he needs a say in EU

Norway is the example the Eurosceptics swiftly grasp at.  Norway is indeed a member of the EEA - which gives it access to the EU single market.  It also means that the law of the European Union applies pretty much lock stock and barrel to the country - with almost zero say in its creation.  Norway has to enact EU law in the areas of social policy, consumer protection, the environment, company law etc.

Norway has virtually no say whatsoever in the creation of EU law, no representation in the European Parliament or European Commission, and its contribution to the EU budget was in excess of €1.2 billion over the last five years.  In return it receives zero from EU development funds.

Great, eh? Bring it on, UKIP - I'm sure your voters would go for this if it were explained to them.

Norway

Yes, Norway is wealthy - a model continental Social Democracy in fact.  Much of this prosperity comes from its natural resources and some extremely clever long term planning and investment by its government.

Switzerland too has done well with wealth creation - again intimately tied to the fact that the EU is by a long way its biggest trading partner.  Unlike Norway it does not contribute to social cohesion funds, because it only belongs to EFTA - but again it is subject to the jurisdiction of an EU court (the EFTA court) and it accepts swathes of EU law without any say in their creation.

Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland accept this -frankly far from ideal situation- because on a simple cost/benefit analysis, close ties with the EU benefit them greatly in economic terms.  The lack of a say is presumably considered worth putting up with.  I wouldn't be so happy if I were a citizen of the countries concerned: I'd be out campaigning like Mrs T did in 1975.

Peace after War

Vote YES! Thatcher campaigns 1975

The EU is a political project.  The "European Dream" comes out of the wreckage of WW2.  40 million had just died.  Europe lay in rubble on a scale we cannot imagine in our worst nightmares.  Centuries of wars and bitter hatred had come to a head with the development of nationalism and its departure from being a 19th century liberal ideal to a 20th century excuse for aggression, hatred and racism. 

Again it is not just about the "common market".  It never was.  Those who say they voted only on that in 1975 are a bit silly.  Again guys - read just the preamble to the Treaties!  It has institutions and makes rules well outside the scope of that - it was in fact a reaction to the destructive forces of nationalism.  It intended to link the economies of Europe together so that war would never again happen.

My German family experienced the full horrors of the full horrors of this.  My English family were twice bombed out of Portsmouth in Luftwaffe raids. The grotesque cost in human suffering, destruction of life and culture are no joke.  European cities and families are still scarred by these horrendous times in 2011. 

Never Again. Königsberg 1944

Of course no one can prove that the EU has ensured almost 70 years of peace for its member states - history does not do "what ifs".  The fact is though that the existence of the EU does coincide with an unprecedented period of peace, prosperity and cooperation between European nations.

My belief is that the EU *is* responsible in large part for this: where disputes frequently led to war, now differences of opinion are worked on in a spirit of cooperation for the first time, literally, in its history.  Pooh-pooh this if you wish Eurosceptics - but just a cursory look at Franco-German relations from 1800 to 1939 compared to 1949 to 2011 reflects a sea change of unimaginable dimensions.

The effects on people's lives of this period of peace cannot glibly be dismissed because there are other reasons you dislike the idea of European integration.  It bloody well matters - more than almost anything else in life can to the people of this continent.

Rights of Ordinary Europeans - yes, that's me and you :)

There are plenty more reasons I love the EU.

European Court of Human Rights

As someone who believes strongly in liberal values, I stand wholeheartedly behind the ideals of the European Convention of Human Rights, which although created separately, is now part of EU law.  It was not Tony Blair's government that voluntarily equalised the gay age of consent or dropped the illiberal and idiotic ban on gays serving in the military - both cases were resisted by UK government lawyers in European courts.  The votes in Westminster only came after our country was ruled against and because our MPs had to.

As a social democrat, I support the EU for its efforts to improve the work position of people across the continent.  How many anti-EU Sun readers realise that their 4 weeks mandatory holiday is an EU creation, or that their working week is limited because of EU law? How many women would be happy to put up with (legally permissible) lower wages that existed before the EU acted to prohibit them? The evils of racial discrimination have been prohibited by law right across the 500 million bloc.  Time and again, European law and European human rights law have protected ordinary people in the EU against their governments and interest groups that seek to maintain the status quo.

Help Us, EU!

In the process of EU law making, countries that drag their feet have pressure put on them by others to raise standards.  We see it in social policy, in human rights, in permanent and temporary workers rights, on the environment, on animal rights.  When the EU bans battery chicken farming (effective 2012) it has very real effects right across a bloc of 500 million people.  Excellent.

If our (or another EU) country won't do it on its own, great that the consensus helps matters along. If one country swings out with an unacceptable agenda, the rest pulls them into line: Latvia and Poland can't get away with homophobic moves because of EU pressure. Romania and the Czech Republic cannot continue to discriminate against deprived minorities such as the Gypsies.  The EU acts to improve the lives of citizens across the Union sometimes directly in opposition to their governments.  Wunderbar.

I love immigration.  It is essential to the life blood of a country. I love the fact millions of Eastern Europeans have come here to work since 2004.  I love the Schengen agreement - I see borders as annoying, artificial historical throw backs that are in large part useless.  The House of Lords EU Select Committee unambiguously stated "We believe that in the three major areas of Schengen-border controls, police co-operation (SIS) and visa/asylum/immigration policy-there is a strong case, in the interests of the United Kingdom and its people, for full United Kingdom participation." Of course this would never do - Daily Mail readers need to feel safe behind their barbed wire and hostile UK Border Agency employees and signs.

The EU stands for a mixing of people across the continent. I can (and I have) lived and worked without restriction in Germany, Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Finland.  So has my brother and he has studied abroad free too.  I receive free emergency health care when abroad in 27 countries.  If I'm denied boarding EU law places obligations on airlines.  My mobile phone roaming charges are capped: no government could have introduced that itself and no multi-national would have done it voluntarily.  I have an ease of travel across this wonderful continent that was impossible in my mother's lifetime.  I LOVE this about the EU. Uitstekend!

Banning Curved Bananas

Those EU straight bananas

People frequently say "I agree with the EU ideal, but Brussels is doing it wrongly".  How exactly, I ask? Ever thought that the major failing with the EU is its quite dismally poor PR record and that you can't always believe the relentless attacks of the right wing press in this country?  Banning curved bananas, calling English chocolate "vegelate" - yeah what an utter pile of cack those stories were.

Still you hear about the EU "gravy train"... well the Commission employs the same number of people at the average medium sized city council anywhere in Europe.  They're actually doing an extremely important job too, much of which is concerned with working against big companies in the field of competition law - guess who that benefits? Yep, we consumers across the EU. 

Gotta love pix like this: suck it up Tory Eurosceptics :)

The Common Agriculture Policy is attacked.  I know it takes up a huge chunk of the EU budget.  The press makes out it's all some kind of French Farmer conspiracy.  Again I'm not a farmer, nor an economist - I'm not really in a position to pass informed judgement, but I will not just swallow this because the Daily Fail tells me it is so.  As with any other huge undertaking, there are no doubt areas that could be done better: so let's reform them.  It does not invalidate the whole enormously important and successful project.

Democracy Deficits and EU Referendum

The "democracy deficit" also comes up time and time again.  The critically important EU law flows from meetings of the Council of Europe - yep, that's our Chancellor of the Exchequer or Foreign Secretary attending those meetings and exercising their powers on behalf of us, the voters of the UK - some of whom at least voted for them.

It's not faceless space aliens making these laws: voters amongst the 500 million Europeans regularly take part in democratic elections and elect leaders who then represent them by way of delegated power.  Who was it elected the politicians who created the Treaty of Maastricht or Lisbon? Yes, that's right, it was our premiers, voted for by erm, us, in erm, democratic elections.

The powers of the EU parliament have also been strengthened - people still complain and yet of course at the same time don't bother to go out and vote in EU elections *facepalm*.

Kinda irrelevant pic. But hey!

As for the referendum issue - guess what, I didn't get to vote on membership of Nato.  Or on hosting the 2012 Olympic games.  Or to triple higher education fees.  Or to renew Trident.  Or to keep nuclear power.  Or to have a monarch or a presidency.  Or to reduce the deficit. Or, or, or....

Surprise: we are not Switzerland - our country doesn't vote directly to create laws on either every day or fundamental issues - so why single out EU membership?  Some countries such as Eire have referenda written into their constitutions. We do not.

There is a party that stands for withdrawal from the EU: UKIP.  If you feel so strongly about a departure, you can vote for them in a general election.  Otherwise accept that our democracy functions by voting in regular general elections and our delegating issues to MPs and the government that is formed. 

Little Englanders and English Europeans

I'm sure there are intelligent, non-xenophobic voices that can argue against the EU.  My sneaking feeling, however, is that what is more frequently behind anti-EU sentiment is a mentality that inherently regards "our way of doing things" as superior to that foreign lot across on the continent.  I utterly reject that.

To me nationalism is fundamentally a failed, damaging, backward, tribal philosophy and I am glad for the most part that it is a dead or dying force in Europe.  I identify with people of similar outlooks, interests, and philosophies wherever they are from - not because we happened to be born on the same island.

I am an English European. I am extremely glad to have been born in a time where this is, in fact, far from a contradiction of terms.  The EU represents to me both in practice and in principle: peace, prosperity, respect for individual and collective rights, a mixing of people, and a progressive non-nationalist agenda.  Long may it continue.

I'm living the dream

The end of the first week in WSM, Somerset. I'm loving it.

Today marks the first day I am a Boots employee. I travelled two hours to reach the Boots Divisional Office in Bristol. It was a 10am till 4pm training session. We get paid for attending training! My division had two very enthusiastic male staff, giving us training tips n introducing us to the world of Boots! Aim: To make us Legendary Pharmacists!

I was told it was boring. But, NO, it was FANTASTIC! I learned so much that I look forward to start work and can't wait for the 8th week to meet up with my fellow West division people again. In addition to that, there was free flow of hot chocolate, coffee and tea and there were brunch, lunch and tea breaks which allowed us time to mingle with the other West division students. Majority of them were from Bath Uni. We also had plenty of group discussions and presentations during the day.

S.T.E.Ps to impress:

• Smile
• Tone of voice
• Eye contact
• Posture

Smiling has not been a problem of late. Everyone around me has been helpful from the bus driver to the train ticket counter lady to the passengers to the housemates and even to the people on the streets. I love it MUCH more than Glasgow.

Day one at the pharmacy begins tomorrow. The staff and my tutor were lovely when I dropped by to say hi.

Elves

Strolling along Laugavegur on Friday, I came across a performance piece, Hásálfar, gracefully presented by a trio of artists: performer Sandra Gísladóttir, dancer María Þórdís Ólafsdóttir and electronic musician Viktor Birgisson, who now go by the name Samaris. They are part of an ongoing Creative Summer Groups production by Hitt Húsið, the Cultural and Information Center for Young People, deftly managed by incorrigible Ása Hauksóttir, an artist who has seemingly single-handedly advocated for the youth of our Smoke City for years now. Aside from the entrancing music and subtle artistic display of the trio, what caught my attention was the nature of the material they were performing: their objective is to reanimate the classic Icelandic elves tales in modern dress, to "intertwine folk stories with today's modern society."

What specifically got my attention, though, is the location they performed at: the newly renovated edge of a triangle, where the Nike store used to be, that I dreamt years ago was the location of an Elves Hall. Synchronicity in action.

I received an email today from Sara, who is coming to Iceland in September, asking a classic and important question: what to pack for her trip. The answer is a little bit of everything. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for a more detailed answer, and read this post for a few more hints.

While looking for these posts (using the blogger search box in the top left corner) I ran across a post with links to some important info for visitors. I'll post them again for you here:

Where to Get Good Coffee, Drinking Water, Driving in Iceland, What to Wear (see end of post), Quality Fleece, Taking Care of Your Silver Jewelry, Swimming Pools, The High Cost of Alcohol, Pizza, Reykjavik with Kids, Buying Groceries, Places of Historical Interest.

Read and enjoy!

Have you tried Dynamic Viewing yet? Five new views in all. Use the blue tab at the top of the view page to check them all out : )

Sentiment

Why, of course you can!

Knit-graffiti left at the top of Skólavörðurstígur by an intrepid, and sentimental, tourist.

(Have you tried Dynamic Viewing yet? Use the blue tab at the top of the view page for five amazing new views.)

Nap

A tourist takes a shady break on a bench in a tiny park right by Hallgrímskirkja. There used to be a house on the lot, a ramshackle cottage that was torn down a few years ago and replaced by roll-a-lawn. I pass this lot almost every day (a wall of the college where I teach is in the background) and certainly did not expect it to stay empty and green for as long as it has. With the addition of of a couple of arty sheep silhouettes and a bench, it's now a proper park-ette, though as is only visitors take advantage of its idyll.

Was the land bequeathed to the city, I wonder? Is there some green benefactor purposed with sprinkling small gardens about town? Nice thought, and with the same healthy benefit as our pop-up Heart Park, which I wrote about in 2009, and again last year when street artists took it over with urban style (note that the brick wall in the first link is the 'canvas' in the second ; )

Grass, trees, some benches and art...has there ever been a better combination to soothe a city's soul?

Sjómenn

One more photo from Arnarstapi, on the Snæfell Peninsula, and this one in honor of our seafaring men and women of the last millennia-plus on National Seafarer's Day, or Sjómannadagur. Iceland Eyes offers great thanks for their courage and sacrifice throughout this country's history. (And not least to my father, Þórir Pálsson Roff {Thor Roff in the States} who served a four year tour of duty in the U.S. Navy on the USS Great Sitkin 1960-64, with some excellent stories to share for it : )

Thinking of sailing to/around Iceland? Every summer we get scores of intrepid sailors visiting our harbours in their fancy yachts and sloops. If so, visit the Icelandic Maritime Administration site for info. And be sure to be here in time for the Sail Húsavík Nordic Coastal Cultural Festival 2011. They've got some very lovely boats set to attend.)

A good reason to get a Mac

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