tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418904222136090761.post3103771030055399581..comments2022-11-30T15:59:00.926+00:00Comments on Alex Stargazer’s Blog: A Socialist’s Case for EU MembershipAlex Stargazerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16067044526299540182noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418904222136090761.post-5682482625907755062016-06-09T17:06:20.933+01:002016-06-09T17:06:20.933+01:00Me too. Very excellent point. So this means that t...Me too. Very excellent point. So this means that this poll is pretty unreliable, but yet, anti EU folks & ultra Eurosceptics take this poll @ face value b/c it conforms to their narrative & biases against the EU. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06819878005618544158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418904222136090761.post-35195806517642163472016-06-09T17:04:10.663+01:002016-06-09T17:04:10.663+01:00They probably didn’t add the undecideds/did-not-re...They probably didn’t add the undecideds/did-not-respond. It would be interesting to see their response rate—polls with low response rates are known to be biased. Alex Stargazerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16067044526299540182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418904222136090761.post-7328892831370575072016-06-09T14:58:27.347+01:002016-06-09T14:58:27.347+01:00I should also bring up that the results in this su...I should also bring up that the results in this survey don't add up to 100%. Pretty sloppy on their part.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06819878005618544158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418904222136090761.post-42986467531368412382016-06-08T20:24:29.032+01:002016-06-08T20:24:29.032+01:00Excellent points. The EU is very complex & the...Excellent points. The EU is very complex & there's some truth to the argument that that the EU is overly bureaucratic. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06819878005618544158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418904222136090761.post-79290807053299400562016-06-08T20:21:55.911+01:002016-06-08T20:21:55.911+01:00Lack of information among citizens I would say is ...Lack of information among citizens I would say is one of the biggest problems the EU faces. The EU is complex, and has many institutions with complicated relationships between them. The ECJ (European Court of Justice) is an EU institution, but the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights) was drafted before the EU—although being part of the EU means signing it. The European Parliament is made up of elected MEPs; the Commission is elected by the MEPs; the Commission has a complicated relationship with the Parliament, acting as an executive branch but one over which the Parliament has supreme sovereignty; the Council of Ministers is made up of national government politicians; and so on. <br /><br />Sadly, many national governments don’t inform their citizens about how the EU actually works and how the national government interacts with it.<br /><br />It’s no wonder the polls on Schengen are so misleading and unreliable. Alex Stargazerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16067044526299540182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418904222136090761.post-57801919380978272902016-06-08T19:56:19.127+01:002016-06-08T19:56:19.127+01:00Good points. I don't like the fact that they d...Good points. I don't like the fact that they didn't poll both Schengen & the Euro.<br /><br />Hell, even polls on Schengen can be pretty misleading b/c they don't ask for free movement across Europe w/strict external border controls & many Europeans have no clue what Schengen is.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06819878005618544158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418904222136090761.post-33484121259304690712016-06-08T19:53:10.548+01:002016-06-08T19:53:10.548+01:00No need to apologise. I enforce a no-profanity rul...No need to apologise. I enforce a no-profanity rule because many people are uncivil on the Internet, not because I’m prudish.<br /><br />As for the poll, yes; it’s worth reading a poll in-depth. The headline figures can be quite misleading, and so can the graphics. If you look at the poll graphic prima facie, you’d think the largest number of people want reduced EU powers; if you look more closely, you’ll see that there are three categories (less power, same as is, more power) and that the two smaller categories on the right actually amount to more than the one larger category.Alex Stargazerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16067044526299540182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418904222136090761.post-3840600004334862822016-06-08T19:16:04.503+01:002016-06-08T19:16:04.503+01:00I apologize 4 the profanity. I won't use it on...I apologize 4 the profanity. I won't use it on your blog anymore. <br /><br />Otherwise, oh, now I see. Thanks. I thought that you were referencing another poll. I also apologize for that.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06819878005618544158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418904222136090761.post-55907702445329258742016-06-08T19:13:04.538+01:002016-06-08T19:13:04.538+01:00I’m not sure what you’re referring to, Cody; I’m r...I’m not sure what you’re referring to, Cody; I’m referring to the data from the poll you’ve linked. Also, profanity doesn’t go far here on the Magical Realm. <br /><br />Alex Stargazerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16067044526299540182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418904222136090761.post-91190881035356377582016-06-08T18:55:37.551+01:002016-06-08T18:55:37.551+01:00Excellent point. You could also bring up the Ameri...Excellent point. You could also bring up the American exceptionalist element to this as well.<br /><br />"more people want the EU to keep its powers or even increase them than otherwise. The question ‘views of the EU’ is a bit open-ended: the results could express nothing more than a general pessimism, or a desire to see some sort of reform, etc." How the hell do you know about that? Can you please give me a source?<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06819878005618544158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418904222136090761.post-704699443558349332016-06-08T18:52:05.166+01:002016-06-08T18:52:05.166+01:00A number of things are at play. The migrant crisis...A number of things are at play. The migrant crisis and the considerable economic problems we’ve experienced since 2008 no doubt play a part in colouring perception of the EU—a fact abetted by a sensationalist media. It’s easy to get caught up in the turmoil and become embroiled in pessimism.<br /><br />There are some other things to consider. It’s one poll. The results are somewhat inconclusive—more people want the EU to keep its powers or even increase them than otherwise. The question ‘views of the EU’ is a bit open-ended: the results could express nothing more than a general pessimism, or a desire to see some sort of reform, etc.<br /><br />The polling company is also American, and I’m skeptical of their ability to canvass political opinion in the EU—a union of nations with very different politics even among themselves, let alone considering the stark differences between politics in the US and most European countries. Alex Stargazerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16067044526299540182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418904222136090761.post-86180729663371627612016-06-08T17:05:26.154+01:002016-06-08T17:05:26.154+01:00Hey, Alex, what do you think about the recent poll...Hey, Alex, what do you think about the recent poll by Pew showing that Eurosceptic sentiment in Europe is rising? https://plus.google.com/114784794108318491746/posts/SRVp5LkoM66Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06819878005618544158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418904222136090761.post-36404597280049241022016-06-07T19:47:49.066+01:002016-06-07T19:47:49.066+01:00Agreed.Agreed.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06819878005618544158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418904222136090761.post-10423237247097067012016-06-07T19:46:46.006+01:002016-06-07T19:46:46.006+01:00I’m not sure if Trump will ever become a dictator,...I’m not sure if Trump will ever become a dictator, but a soft-fascist, certainly. <br /><br />Sadly, what’s disturbing to me is that Trump is just par for the course in loony Republican politics. Here in Europe we should know better than to vote for closet fascists. Alex Stargazerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16067044526299540182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418904222136090761.post-34144796246958983812016-06-07T17:40:02.511+01:002016-06-07T17:40:02.511+01:00Agreed. Another thing to keep in mind is that ther...Agreed. Another thing to keep in mind is that there's not the same exact sensationalist media coverage of the US when it comes to Donald Trump. Nobody in the corporate media is crying "Is this the end of the US?" b/c of the rise of Donald Trump, despite the fact that Trump actually has a better shot of becoming the US president than Marine Le Pen does of becoming the French President. Also, if Trump were to win the presidency, then it's possible that Trump could implement Martial law by convincing the American people of a real or unrealistic, but realistic sounding threat to shut down congress & the supreme court & become a dictator. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06819878005618544158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418904222136090761.post-35826729170038360102016-06-07T17:32:44.168+01:002016-06-07T17:32:44.168+01:00Definitely—the media is sensationalist and it can ...Definitely—the media is sensationalist and it can be difficult to put a lot of the problems the EU is facing into context. That said, I think some of these road bumps may change the EU: Brexit is an obvious example, but we may also see new rules on banking, Eurozone conditions, EU entry, and more. Whether these changes will be for the better is yet to be seen.Alex Stargazerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16067044526299540182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418904222136090761.post-17499517729766922132016-06-06T23:40:57.429+01:002016-06-06T23:40:57.429+01:00There's also been unfortunately a lot of sensa...There's also been unfortunately a lot of sensationalist media that often sells the more doom & gloom picture of the European Union simply b/c of the rise of populist parties in recent years. This doesn't mean that they're going to take over & this certainly doesn't mean the end of the EU. It just simply means that the EU is currently going through a lot of road bumps & they'll eventually get through these road bumps.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06819878005618544158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418904222136090761.post-1079009704138612542016-06-05T14:05:07.660+01:002016-06-05T14:05:07.660+01:00Thanks for your comment, Cody (and apologies for t...Thanks for your comment, Cody (and apologies for the delay in moderation—lots to do in Brussels!)<br /><br />I agree that the EU is underrated as an institution and political force; that its economy, while not free from problems, is still the largest in the world, grew for many years since the inception of the proto-EU, and has a standard of living comparable or (in some countries) exceeding that of North America. The EU has also been an example of human rights and environmental protection that few in the world can match.<br /><br />Nonetheless, I admit I’m not familiar with the migration figures for Mexico. Do you have any sources for net migration between Mexico and US, or that Latin Americans are going increasingly to Spain than North America? If you do, I could possibly include them in the essay. Alex Stargazerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16067044526299540182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418904222136090761.post-12536878264716549322016-06-02T13:02:53.758+01:002016-06-02T13:02:53.758+01:00Alexander, what an awesome blog post. I love every...Alexander, what an awesome blog post. I love every point you make. This century is indeed the EU's century. The EU is nowadays a global economic & political union that is nowadays recognized as a gr8 power. Its economy is now larger than that of the USA & usually does better when it comes to human rights, civil liberties, worker protections, consumer protection & environmental protections than the US does. In fact, many people are now choosing to move to the EU instead of the US b/c opportunities in the US suck & many American immigrants are now moving back to their home countries; there are more people crossing the US/Mexico border to move to Mexico than the other way around & many Latin Americans are choosing Spain instead of the US as their immigration destination. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06819878005618544158noreply@blogger.com