"Europe's Last Chance" by Guy Verhofstadt

[woodchips]

I have just read this book, as anyone else also read it?

I am trying to inform and teach myself about Europe and the EU, this is the latest of many books I have read. If anyone else has a book to recommend I would be very interested to hear of it.

With Brexit, Europe seems to be in trouble. Possibly the UK is also in trouble.

Guy Verhofstadt was the prime minister of Belgium plus various other senior positions within Europe in the last 20 odd years. He describes hoimself as a Europhile. This book explains why he likes Europe and whey Europe needs to become a single federal country.

Unfortunately that really doesn't seem to be what he describes Europe to be. He days that Europe needs to come together, we would all be much better off. That the countries of Europe need to trust the EU.

Reading the central chapters, grouped into Delusion, Decay and Panic and I actually get the very strong feeling that the UK is much, much better off outside the EU.

Another book, The Passage to Europe by Luuk Van Middelaar, is similarly enthusiastic about Europe but again and again the top level decision making seems to be how to knife any other country to get your way. It is that word trust again, I simply don't see how any country can trust the EU elite to do anything but feather their own nest.

What are others views on this? From the EU, outside the EU and the UK. Has anyone read these books and agree with me, or had a different conclusion? I could quote endless passages from these books but will refrain.

[babysitter]

Grown up near where the borders of germany, france and luxembourg join, experiencing the removal of border control after the Schengen treaty, working in an export-oriented company (main customers in UK!) and enjoying standardisation, I must say I like the EU.
Of course some smelly things emanate there, but they would show up anyway, somewhere.

[Jeroen3]

What you are describing is Schengen, this was limited to a small group of somewhat equally wealthy countries, in all aspects.
Europe is a large group of not equally wealthy countries.

You can't make his European State work as long as there are 24 languages used in the parliament.

[tszaboo]

We are fine UK, really. Good bye! Off you go!
Topic can be closed, this is not the first Brexit topic. Dave does not want politics here. Simple as that.

[Zero999]

I voted remain but understand the EU has problems with accountability at the top. The leaders need to make the EU work for everyone and keep the majority of the citizens happy.

What you are describing is Schengen, this was limited to a small group of somewhat equally wealthy countries, in all aspects.
Europe is a large group of not equally wealthy countries.

You can't make his European State work as long as there are 24 languages used in the parliament.

Yes, that's one of the problems. Lots of countries have been given full EU membership too soon.

We are fine UK, really. Good bye! Off you go!
Topic can be closed, this is not the first Brexit topic. Dave does not want politics here. Simple as that.

I agree.

[Kuro]

You can't make his European State work as long as there are 24 languages used in the parliament.

Google's working on that. The issue with Europe is that the current wishywashy structure doesn't work. And there's too much corruption in Brussels.

Either go for U.S.E. with a central government and do away with national governments as they are now (bit like U.S.A. but fixing the issues it has) or go back to a really basic trade union. I'm for the U.S.E. route, but with fascist nationalists on the rise, that's not going to happen. The E.U. now is too much about big banks and corporations, and not about citizens, which makes frustrated citizens easy targets for populist nationalists who claim closing the borders will fix all problems.

Maybe they should get what they want - people don't seem to learn unless it hurts.