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Before we blame the EU for all our woes, is there anyone doing any better? Before we blame the EU for all our woes, is there anyone doing any better?
(5 months later)
Amid all the worried speculation about the current state of the EU and Britain's relation to it, few people have stopped to ask a simple, critical question: the EU may not have been doing well of late, but compared with what? Have the governments of its individual member states been superior examples of efficient and effective decision-making? No. And has the US – often quoted as an example of everything that the EU is not, but should be – led the way in defining and fixing pressing policy problems? Definitely not.Amid all the worried speculation about the current state of the EU and Britain's relation to it, few people have stopped to ask a simple, critical question: the EU may not have been doing well of late, but compared with what? Have the governments of its individual member states been superior examples of efficient and effective decision-making? No. And has the US – often quoted as an example of everything that the EU is not, but should be – led the way in defining and fixing pressing policy problems? Definitely not.
It has been pointed out in recent weeks that faith in the EU has been declining, which is true enough. But what has not been said is that faith in government generally is on a downward slide. Eurobarometer polls show not only that the number of people who trust the EU institutions has fallen (from 57% in 2007 to 33% in 2012), but also reveal that levels of trust in national government institutions are down over the same period, from 41% to 27%.It has been pointed out in recent weeks that faith in the EU has been declining, which is true enough. But what has not been said is that faith in government generally is on a downward slide. Eurobarometer polls show not only that the number of people who trust the EU institutions has fallen (from 57% in 2007 to 33% in 2012), but also reveal that levels of trust in national government institutions are down over the same period, from 41% to 27%.
And if we think things are bad in Europe, spare a thought for the worries of Americans. They may continue to argue that the US is the pinnacle of democracy and capitalism, and some – like George W Bush at the recent opening of his presidential library – cling to the notion that its best days are still ahead. But at few times in US history has the future looked so bleak for so many of its citizens. Since 2008, the number who believe that their country is on the wrong track has ranged between 60% and 80% of the population.And if we think things are bad in Europe, spare a thought for the worries of Americans. They may continue to argue that the US is the pinnacle of democracy and capitalism, and some – like George W Bush at the recent opening of his presidential library – cling to the notion that its best days are still ahead. But at few times in US history has the future looked so bleak for so many of its citizens. Since 2008, the number who believe that their country is on the wrong track has ranged between 60% and 80% of the population.
While the shopping list of problems that afflict the EU is certainly long, those afflicting the US include a dysfunctional political system, persistent poverty, decaying infrastructure, incivility in public discourse, institutionalised racism, worrisome social divisions, an expanding gap between rich and poor, unsustainable levels of consumption, a prodigious trade deficit, an addiction to fossil fuels, a byzantine tax code, looming threats to social security and a snowballing national debt.While the shopping list of problems that afflict the EU is certainly long, those afflicting the US include a dysfunctional political system, persistent poverty, decaying infrastructure, incivility in public discourse, institutionalised racism, worrisome social divisions, an expanding gap between rich and poor, unsustainable levels of consumption, a prodigious trade deficit, an addiction to fossil fuels, a byzantine tax code, looming threats to social security and a snowballing national debt.
Of course, the grass is always greener somewhere else. So while we hear many Europeans – albeit in rather muted terms since the breaking of the global financial and eurozone crises – expounding on the superior qualities of the US political and economic model, there are plenty of Americans talking about the superiority of the European alternative. To be sure, Republicans like to warn that Barack Obama is moving the US towards a "European-style" social welfare state. But when it comes to assessing their domestic problems, Americans will point to Europe for better records on everything from healthcare to public transport, educational achievement and even gun control.Of course, the grass is always greener somewhere else. So while we hear many Europeans – albeit in rather muted terms since the breaking of the global financial and eurozone crises – expounding on the superior qualities of the US political and economic model, there are plenty of Americans talking about the superiority of the European alternative. To be sure, Republicans like to warn that Barack Obama is moving the US towards a "European-style" social welfare state. But when it comes to assessing their domestic problems, Americans will point to Europe for better records on everything from healthcare to public transport, educational achievement and even gun control.
What this tells us once again is that how we see the world depends on our points of reference. Because the EU lacks such points (it is, after all, a unique entity that is poorly understood), and because it is such an easy target, it is also more likely to be scapegoated. But is this really fair? Britain is not part of the eurozone, and yet it has faced enormous economic difficulties of late. This would seem to suggest that having the freedom of managing its own national currency is not necessarily the advantage that many critics of the euro propose. Which suggests, in turn, that for eurozone members to opt out of the single currency may not be the easy solution that Eurosceptics would have us believe. Examples from neither side of the Atlantic offer much hope.What this tells us once again is that how we see the world depends on our points of reference. Because the EU lacks such points (it is, after all, a unique entity that is poorly understood), and because it is such an easy target, it is also more likely to be scapegoated. But is this really fair? Britain is not part of the eurozone, and yet it has faced enormous economic difficulties of late. This would seem to suggest that having the freedom of managing its own national currency is not necessarily the advantage that many critics of the euro propose. Which suggests, in turn, that for eurozone members to opt out of the single currency may not be the easy solution that Eurosceptics would have us believe. Examples from neither side of the Atlantic offer much hope.
Before we point the finger of blame at the EU institutions (all of which are either directly or indirectly accountable and responsible to the voters and governments who so often complain about them), let's first see if we can identify anyone who is doing a better job of fixing our problems.Before we point the finger of blame at the EU institutions (all of which are either directly or indirectly accountable and responsible to the voters and governments who so often complain about them), let's first see if we can identify anyone who is doing a better job of fixing our problems.
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