If you are from Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland the Slovak Republic, or from Slovenia, a warm welcome!
I think that enlargement may be difficult, but is the right choice for all parties. I hope we'll be able to close negotiations with the rejected countries soon enough, especially Turkey. If you gave someone a book on much of the 20th century history and then asked them if Europe was possible, he'd probably laugh. And yet we're doing it. I find that moving.
This is as strange as it is delightful. I was born in a country counting circa 55 million inhabitants. By mid-2004, there'll be 460 million of us. Nice demographics if you ask me ;)
Re:Country
darobin on 2002-12-18T09:41:56
I do, others don't, most haven't asked themselves yet. Having asked around me, people tend to have a hard time finding reasons why it might not be a country. I'm pretty certain that, within a decade or so, that question will appear absurd.
Re:Country
pudge on 2002-12-18T13:03:42
Interesting. I considered it more of a loose confederation, not a country, but I've never been to Europe, so... Do you think this will encourage or discourage more nations from joining? :-) Re:Country
darobin on 2002-12-18T13:33:04
Same history, same currency, common cultural body is already a lot. It certainly makes for more than "a loose confederation". For sure there's a wide variety of people, but that doesn't really matter. You'll find less difference between a guy from Marseilles and a guy from Naples than between that same guy from Marseilles and your average Parisian.
It quite clearly doesn't qualify as being a nation, but the nation-state idea is so last millenium really
;) As for encouraging, hmmmm. At least five other countries want to join, and probably will at some point. Unless this round of enlargement goes very wrong, I think that yes, other countries will be encouraged to join. The more the wealthier (in all the senses).
I would also like to see a number of mediterranean countries come on board, notably Algeria, Morrocco, and Tunisia, because there are very strong cultural links but their governments would have to be more democratic. There's also the problem of how many we can be before we collapse under the weight of the incurred administration, though I think that's solvable.
And of course you'll always have the brits to want to be part of it but still pretend to have nothing to do with it because they have an empire. But that's ok, they've been like that since at least the Aulde Alliance, and we like'em that way =)
And hey, you should come to Europe once, there's a *bunch* of things worth seeing and doing here
:) Re:Country
pudge on 2002-12-18T13:38:40
I generally don't like travel, even in my own country. Maybe someday.Re:Country
darobin on 2002-12-18T13:48:08
Do you hate travel or do you hate taking a plane? IIRC you're in MA, so if you've been to the west coast, Europe's closer
:-p Re:Country
pudge on 2002-12-18T14:26:18
I hate travel. Especially to places I don't know. I like knowing my surroundings. I hate plane travel too, but I hate travel in general. I used to live in California, and I occasionally go back there, but I always hate the trip.
