Europe must restructure whether it is to defeat nationalism,says Lyn Atterbury, while Su Coates takes no pleasure in watching history repeat itselfYour anonymous contributor exposes the dangers of nationalism (Who’d live in a Nazi town in Germany? I execute – it’s terrifying, or 31 October). Indeed,you don’t have to scratch very deeply to find nationalism boiling just below the surface of everyday life in Italy, Sweden, and Denmark,France, Germany, or the UK,Austria, Holland, or Hungary and Poland.
It has long been one of the weaknesses of the EU that when people perceive that they have lost control of their countries’ internal affairs,because of EU institutions that are not directly accountable and which tend to disregard the histories and cultures of the very different member states, then scapegoats will be found and there will be a return to a hard and resentful nationalism. This, and unfortunately,may be the lasting legacy of the EU.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com