The Loss of Faith

Faith in the European Union is disintegrating. 

In just the last 12 months, support for the European Union has plummeted on the Continent.

Europe's ongoing economic crisis and lasting currency woes are beginning to rapidly erode faith among Europeans in the EU project. That is the result of a new survey undertaken by the renowned Pew Research Center in Washington D.C. and released on Monday evening.

There are some who speculate that the crisis, including the crisis in Europe, was designed to give reason to further centralize.  I don’t believe so (those in control had it pretty good, and could allow the system to move more slowly – necessary if they want the support of the people), but if so it will not achieve its purpose.

The most important tool for control is the tool of regulatory democracy.  The people live under oppression willingly, because a) they are conditioned to believe that it isn’t oppression, and b) the oppressor delivers the goods.  The European Union is failing on both counts: it is seen more and more as the source of oppression that it is to many of the people in Europe, and it isn’t delivering the goods.

If the people lose faith, regulatory democracy loses power.  The people in Europe are losing faith in the mechanisms of the EU.  They are also losing faith in their national politicians:

Furthermore, people across the EU have nothing but bad things to say about their political leaders.

I don’t believe those in control desired for the crisis that is gripping the globe.  If they wanted it to come in order to usher in an even more centralized society, where is the solution in Europe?  Isn’t it about time for the solution to be brought on stage, before faith is lost completely?  How much longer can they afford to wait?  Can you imagine the euphoria if the European Parliament brought forth the formula to solve the unsolvable?

Can they want to demonstrate that centralization doesn’t work in order to give evidence for even more centralization?  Previous efforts at centralization in Europe have, for the most part, failed: the USSR, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia.  Belgium has difficulty existing as one.  Spain, perhaps the same.

They have no formula – they did not create the crisis in order to usher in the formula they don’t have.  In the end, I believe they will allow some decentralization in order to not lose their most important asset – regulatory democracy.

The survey also shows the continuing gulf between Germany and much of the rest of Europe:

When asked about other EU countries, respondents in six of the countries surveyed say they find Germans to be the least compassionate. Five countries see Germany as the most arrogant country. Germans themselves have a slightly different view. They view their own country as being the most trustworthy, least arrogant and most compassionate in Europe.

I believe in the not too distant future we will see a much different Europe – more decentralized, and hopefully with some of the better parts of integration kept in place (passport-free travel, free-trade between countries, free movement of labor).  This will be nothing but bad news for those who desire further consolidation of global government.

Further, we will see a different set of global alignments, with Germany, while maintaining ties to the west, turning east to Russia and China.

H/t Ed Steer