YUROP

Yeah, they all hated each other and their internal beer hall brawl spilled out over the borders. It wasn’t that Europe was any kind of united force. Maybe it’s time. We’re fucked in the US, now.

Though I gotta admit it’s ironic AF that the Allies set up Germany with a far better constitution/Grundgesezt and government framework than our own Constitution which ended up essentially frozen because politics have gotten so bad that opening it up would have probably destroyed whatever good remained in it thanks to talibangelicals and corporate money.

Europe is the biggest provider of independence days !

Not even most Europeans.

That's fine, Europe is several countries.

On the contrary, periods of imperial hegemony have been some of the more stable and peaceful episodes of human history. One of them is ending right now.

Undid Brexit too already

Switzerland is 100% dependent on the EU.

> In 2023, renewable energy represented 24.5% of energy consumed in the EU, up from 23.0% in 2022.

They're working on it a lot faster than (most of) the rest of the world!

'cause we know this relationship has its ups and downs but isn't over yet

Data from the general population https://github.com/twosheds2/wiki-eugraph

Not only EU beurocrats are slow to process informations 😖

Our island is full of idiots but I swear we can make this up to you

The inefficiency of democracy is not a flaw, it's a fundamental feature

I recognise you're just expressing frustration towards current affairs – a frustration I often share, but:

Decisions require a mandate and the reason the EU has problems making decisions about some things is that it wasn't designed to address them in the first place.

It's simply a slightly over-grown trading union with occasional federalist aspirations.

Responding to tariffs - fast and coordinated.

Responding to external military threats - scattered and complicated.

That's why the EU's response to defense was based on financial instruments.

To become a "superpower" and/or make quick decisions regarding e.g. military threats, it would need to actually become a state-like entity and begin building several bureaucratic arms it currently lacks which doesn't usually happen overnight. Not to mention establishing actual policies.

Before we get to that stage though, a consensus between member states needs to be formed and all manner of legal documents drafted. Centralising power means less independence for member states which is usually a hard sell. It would likely also require member states to alter their constitutions which could be an incredibly slow process even without resistance from all the respective governments. Not to mention the fact that a popular vote in all member states might be a good idea democracy-wise.

I'm not saying necessarily it's something we shouldn't pursue and hey, under extraordinary circumstances even bureaucracy can move quickly but it is a huge deal and moving quickly could also mean skirting around established democratic principles. (Actually iirc European bureaucracy is generally quite efficient as is –contrary to popular belief)

I guess I wrote this in the hopes of fighting disillusionment even though it's not the core message here. We'll do what we have to and I'm positive we'll get to wherever we need to be in order to survive and thrive in this century. It will require patience, nerve and active participation from all of us though.

Last thing I want us to become is like the folks over in the States claiming it's all already over. (A minority, I hope)

Sorry for the wall of text, I guess I had some stuff pent up.

Cahoots is a strong word. They're all ethnic nationalists who sympathize with the wave of anti-Muslim hysteria echoing through the continent.

But when push comes to shove, they'll start shooting at one another over the border happily enough.