after all the walking of the last 2 days, i am at ArtBox resting, reading and researching today.
I am reading a copy of the “Time” magazine (http://www.time.com) from 2 years ago, I found it in my parents’ house just before coming here in Serbia and I took it with me as it has the interesting title “The decline and fall of Europe (and maybe the west)”.
It is an old magazine (my parents tend to heard stuff) and wha makes it even more interesting is comparing what was published 2 years ago to the situation today. It is dated August 22, 2011 and it has on the front page an image of the London’s riots.
Here some extracts:
“The European Union and the euro zone were supposed to bring about economic stability and remove traditional barriers to growth…it’s become a selfish union in which flailing economies feed raising nationalism…”
and also:
“Why should prudent Germans…have to rescue a bunch of spendthrift, book cooking Greeks and Italians?…”
Doom & Gloom.
It is a long article on the financial situation, markets, nationalism, instability and anger., and the potential collapse of the EU.
2 years on, however, the EU is still standing.
In England, where i live, sometimes I read about this or that politician threatening to get the UK out of Europe, which makes me wonder what would i do, would i stay? or go back to italy? I would not want to live in a country where i need to ask “permission” to be in.
In the meanwhile, Croatia has joined in, the Uk is still in, Greece has thankfully not been booted out, while in Turkey, an aspiring member, there are violent riots.
I am not an economist, but I read with interest as it always surprises me how the belonging or not belonging to “Europe” in its political configuration seems to be determined by the economy and politics rather than a common cultural ground.