[lbo-talk] European Union (was Conservatism)

James Heartfield Heartfield at blueyonder.co.uk
Wed Sep 16 10:39:44 PDT 2009


"You are missing an important point - the sickening nationalism of European nation states. EU offers a healthy internationalist antidote to this national;ism and that is why it is so hated by the right and insular Brits."

It is true that the European Commission, and to some extent the European Council are at odds with popular nationalism. But what they dislike about nationalism is the popular aspect. They are not 'internationalist' at all, but European chauvinists. That is why they slammed the door in the East European accession countries face for ten years, and then only allowed them to enter on degrading terms, and it is why they continue to treat the Turks like pariahs.

As was pointed out, under the Dublin Convention of June 1990, and then subsequently under the Maastricht Treaty European Union member states have coordinated their immigration policy to create a 'Fortress Europe' against illegal immigration (Webber, 1993: 147). Thousands of refugees held in camps at Sangatte, Calais (closed in 2007), the Campsfield detention centre at Kidlington, and Italy's aggressive coast guard actions against North African migrants all show the limits of European openness. On 21 May 2007 the Council of the European Union's Future Group presented a paper warning that 'Europe will increasingly become a region of destination for worldwide illegal immigration, organised crime and international drug-trifficking and a target of terrorist attacks'. The paper welcomed 'the development of a common European Security Strategy which is aimed, in particular at forming a "ring of responsibly governed countries from the EU's eastern borders to the Mediterranean (adopted by the European Council in December 2006).' (in Bunyan, 2009: 13)



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