What The Economist said!

EDITORIAL: “The unanimity problem,” by Charlemagne, The Economist, 28 June 2008, p. 60.

Key bit: “Devout federalists have their answer: unanimity is the enemy of progress in an EU of 27 countries”—read, states.

The ultimate fix is proposed: same-day popular voting in all states. But The Economist says a “large majority of national governments are just not ready for that.”

Not only is the EU behind the United States curve, it won’t be catching up any time soon. Granted, we took roughly a century and a bloody Civil War to get over the concept of states just not being “ready for that.”

The EU, past the whole war concept, will simply have to muddle through. But clearly, it is neither a superstate now nor was it ever the first one.

Comments

[Hans Suter]

Tom, your blog reaches a US and an English reading audience with all the spontaneousness you put in it. Now think EU and do it in 23 + languages. You might well add a subtitle to your blog: "Lost in translation".

[Rory Stolzenberg]

Don't forget a complete revamp of the whole system (the Constitution) 10 years after it started, to centralize power because the old system was too weak.

[Constantina]

Having this blog in multiple languages was brought up before by someone else. ( I think Jarrod) so I'm glad to see it brought up again. I concur with Hans.

[JoshNarins]

I know George Washington derided the notion that the states were sovereign, so what do you think was the first super-state? Napoleonic Germany? The Kalmar Union and Poland-Lithuania were both unions of only two states, so can't count here.

[Anonymous]

Hans and Constantina: good idea, as i've already told Jarrod. haven't had a chance to research yet. if anyone knows an easy way, let me know.

Josh: Tom would say the US and does so in this coming week's column and GP