THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EUROPEAN GAME

By Nicholas Newman 24 November 2006

At a seminar held at the European Studies Centre Oxford on 10 October and led by Loukas Tsoukalis (author of ‘What kind of Europe?’) and Jan Zielonka (author of ‘Europe as Empire’), The main difficulties facing Europe were identified as: its politicians refusing to adapt to the political realities of today’s Europe, the refusal to accept that often the EU is a better forum for defending their citizen’s interests rather than the nation state, and the need to attract a higher calibre of politician to the European Union’s forums of power.

Politicians prefer to dodge the blame or as Loukas terms it ‘blame dodge’, when policies prove unpopular but claim the plaudits from work done by the EU, when it is proves to be successful. It is no wonder the European Union has a low reputation with the general public Such politicians seem to prefer to live in the rhetoric of a past era of some fifty years ago, not in the realities of today’s political game.

A good example of a political party preferring to live in the past when dealing with European matters is Britain’s Conservative Party. It prefers to base its policy decisions on an out dated political reality of the Cold War, where the nation state is seen as the only tool for protecting ones citizens against the forces of globalisation, whilst deliberately ignoring, the new reality, that supranational organisations like the European Union are a more appropriate set of tools for promoting and defending the interests all its citizens.

The break up of Yugoslavia and the fall of the Iron Curtain are two classic examples of the failures of Europe’s nation states to tackle these issues. It was only supranational bodies like NATO and the EU that ensured Europe was not plunged into war again, together with providing the means to resolve such issues.

Even amongst the leaderships of the newly independent eastern European states, there is a growing realisation that if these nations were to prosper; it was in their nation’s interests that they join the EU as soon as possible. Only then would they have an effective voice in protecting the interests of their citizens against the negative effects that globalization can bring.

Amongst the concerns of Oxford academics like Loukas Tsoukalis and Jan Zielonka is that Europe’s leadership is are failing to take Machiavelli advice ‘to deal the with the world as it is and not as you would wish it to be.’

French politicians are past masters of ‘blame dodging’. They treat the EU Budget as there own piggy bank for personal ‘pork barrel’ projects for their constituents, making sure to claim all the glory, yet prefer to blame Brussels for their own failures. Part of France’s problem lies in their refusal to change their European view of itself, as the dominant nation state with a humbled Germany at its beck and call, and with the European Union as a subservient appendage of the French state.

The dilemma is, today’s political realities are not like this. Time has meant Germany is no longer prepared to be France’s dog’s body and Brussels has become the only game in town on many issues for protecting the citizens of Europe against the negative impacts of globalization.

One suggestion put forward by Loukas Tsoukalis to force the politicians to adapt to today’s political realities is to open up the top offices of Europe to democratic election. If the European Union is to attract the ambitious politicians that Europe needs, then both the offices of EU Presidency and Commissioners should be elected by members of the European Parliament from their own number after the next European elections.

The prospect of high office would it is argued attract a higher calibre of politician, and the candidacy of statesmen like Tony Blair or the notorious Le Pen. This would encourage more EU citizens to vote at elections for the European Parliament.

Perhaps such a development would encourage our leaders to realise that it is in the best interests of British citizens to play their political games in Brussels' European Quarter and not in the backyard of purely national politics and interests?