Tom wrote: " I just don't understand how people seem so willing to give up their nation's sovereignty and independence. I cannot even imagine something like this going over in the U.S."


Ah Tom, but is this not precisely what happened in your country? I understand that after the British were defeated the Continental Congress first drafted the Articles of Confederation in which a central government was instituted, albeit with little power. I see a parallel here with the ECCS/EEC during the fifties. And the 1787 attempt to revise the Articles into the Constitution transferred much more power to the Central Government and defined the Congress' composition. This reminds me of the, admitted, much more numerous steps through Treaties to shift more power from European states to the EU's Commission. I read too that there was a lot of discussion between Federalists and Anti-Federalists in Early America and here again I see a striking similarity with the hefty opposition from some EU countries, e.g. the UK, to cede more power to "Brussels".

Last but not least, the "growing" of the EU through consecutive admittances of candidate member states looks very much like the joining of new states to the original 13 in what had become the USA. I would not be surprised if in time the EU's denomination is not changed again, and then probably definitively, in USE!

From my point of view Europe is now going through exactly the same process as the US once did, be it at a slower rate. And this is because on the "Old Continent" the nations, over the centuries, acquired such strong national identities.

Whereas Oregonians and Californians and North Dakotans and Texans will deem themselves Americans first and Oregonians, Californians, North Dakotans and Texans later (well... possibly the last peculiar group of individuals is maybe not such a good example), over here in Europe the situation is on historical grounds totally reversed.

Danes, Brits, Italians and Austrians are Danes, Brits, Italians and Austrians FIRST and Europeans later - many have not even come so far to think of themselves as true "Europeans", especially in those countries with a long and proud history. Each nationality has its own stereotype, as you are probably well aware of. Remember the well-known joke about the difference between the European Heaven and the European Hell. In the European Heaven the Germans are mechanics, the Brits police officers, the French (grmbl) cooks, the Dutch fundraisers, the Belgians lovers, the Scots whisky-distillers and the Swiss bankers. In European Hell the Brits are cooks, the French mechanics, the Germans police officers, the Swiss lovers, the Scots fundraisers, the Italians bankers and the Dutch whisky-distillers. So yes, it's going to take time for our populations to get used to the European idea. The reluctance of the British to give up their pound e.g. is a purely emotional matter. While the majority of UK businessmen would be glad to accept the euro the general population is not yet ready for it nor will it be for some time to come.

The UK harbors arguably the strongest national feelings and this is because it has now been since 1066 since it was last invaded (by the French!). Also, I think they are probably still deluding themselves they are as yet some kind of world power. I must admit, though, that from all former colonizing countries they played a clever trick in coming up with the Commonwealth. For Germany, France, the Netherlands, Portugal and yes, my country too, the decolonisation process was invariably a rather traumatic experience, as those countries were either being deprived of their former colonies through humiliating treaties or quite simply roughly kicked out. The UK though, can still kid itself to some degree that it "rules the waves" and the idea that it should yield power to some Higher Authority has therefore the greatest trouble to gain ground.

Kerry, I am not forgetting you. Will adress your questions this week. Just allow some time yet.