I consider myself hardcore pro European (Euro-patriotic if you will) but I think one of the reasons we’re still standing is how decentralised this arrangement is. Poland seemed lost to propaganda but managed to bounce back. So could Slovakia or even Hungary. Infiltrating the EU is so much harder compared to a single, large nation because of that. It’s also a pretty effective tool against imperialism in our own ranks. If you take a look at what other countries are doing it seems to me in comparison we’ve got a good thing going.
I agree, but there’s definitely some more integration that can be done. An initially opt-in military organisation would be great because it doesn’t really make sense for individual EU countries to do military alone. We should never fight with other countries in the block (and a military organisation would make that impossible), and it doesn’t make sense that the EU wouldn’t protect other member states.
I guess we might get that for free when we inherit NATO…
Shared military is probably the single strongest reason US states could never leave the Union. It comes up every single time Texas or California talk about secession. Some of our largest military operations are in those states, they would never be allowed to leave. Once you have nationalized military you have soldiers with no allegiance to your own state in all your bases and your own soldiers are spread thin among all the other states with no way for you to recall them without appeasing the current head of the military who is also always more loyal to the union (or the military or themselves) than your state.
If the EU organised a proper centralised and integrated army, how would one country attack another one within this alliance?
I guess at some intermediary stages it would look more like NATO does now, with individual armies that are not very tightly integrated with each other, but if it’s being integrated into the EU I’m thinking more in terms of an EU central command. Similar to how it would be incredibly difficult for Sweden to declare war on Skåne.
I’m German so it’s kinda always been at the back of my mind 😅 But it still took me a while to come to terms with the fact that things could in fact become as bad if not worse than they were back then. 2025 has been very sobering in that regard.
I always appreciated what the EU stood for and what it did for its member nations, but I didn’t think that there was a chance that our membership would be brought into question, let alone that we’d leave. I wouldn’t shut up about leaving being a bad idea in the run up to the referendum. I took us being members for granted.
Yes but what use is a flabby confederation that can’t manage to speak with a united voice and does little more than distribute cash to the farmers of its increasingly autocratic members?
I’m caricaturing the situation but it’s not that far off.
I consider myself hardcore pro European (Euro-patriotic if you will) but I think one of the reasons we’re still standing is how decentralised this arrangement is. Poland seemed lost to propaganda but managed to bounce back. So could Slovakia or even Hungary. Infiltrating the EU is so much harder compared to a single, large nation because of that. It’s also a pretty effective tool against imperialism in our own ranks. If you take a look at what other countries are doing it seems to me in comparison we’ve got a good thing going.
I agree, but there’s definitely some more integration that can be done. An initially opt-in military organisation would be great because it doesn’t really make sense for individual EU countries to do military alone. We should never fight with other countries in the block (and a military organisation would make that impossible), and it doesn’t make sense that the EU wouldn’t protect other member states.
I guess we might get that for free when we inherit NATO…
Shared military is probably the single strongest reason US states could never leave the Union. It comes up every single time Texas or California talk about secession. Some of our largest military operations are in those states, they would never be allowed to leave. Once you have nationalized military you have soldiers with no allegiance to your own state in all your bases and your own soldiers are spread thin among all the other states with no way for you to recall them without appeasing the current head of the military who is also always more loyal to the union (or the military or themselves) than your state.
I agree that an EU military would be a great idea but let’s say “less likely”. We used to say the same about nato and yet here we are.
If the EU organised a proper centralised and integrated army, how would one country attack another one within this alliance?
I guess at some intermediary stages it would look more like NATO does now, with individual armies that are not very tightly integrated with each other, but if it’s being integrated into the EU I’m thinking more in terms of an EU central command. Similar to how it would be incredibly difficult for Sweden to declare war on Skåne.
I’m European and happy to be but I also look at European history and don’t want us to go too hard.
Don’t take it for granted. Im British, I did. Many others did probably too.
I’m German so it’s kinda always been at the back of my mind 😅 But it still took me a while to come to terms with the fact that things could in fact become as bad if not worse than they were back then. 2025 has been very sobering in that regard.
I always appreciated what the EU stood for and what it did for its member nations, but I didn’t think that there was a chance that our membership would be brought into question, let alone that we’d leave. I wouldn’t shut up about leaving being a bad idea in the run up to the referendum. I took us being members for granted.
I agree with you about 2025 though.
Yes but what use is a flabby confederation that can’t manage to speak with a united voice and does little more than distribute cash to the farmers of its increasingly autocratic members?
I’m caricaturing the situation but it’s not that far off.