My Orchids. Phalaneopsis "Virtual Candidate". Photo ET Avatars
It
is story about a Wannabe President of something in Europe, campaigning on a US
style campaign bus. As a feature story, of course the author doesn't allow
himself to further analyze the political message. This would be more the realm
of NYT's investigative journalists, who traditionally vouch for the high
editorial reputation of the New York Times. But what is striking, if you dare
to go into analyzing, is the conclusion that candidates for political office
are the same everywhere, and tactics are basically interchangeable from culture
to culture. It doesn't stop at the bus.
Without
going into the detail of the many strategic missteps in building an ever closer
European Union, let me list some, most of which carry also Mr. Juncker's finger prints: It has
been a long and tentative wandering from the Treaty of Rome, starting in 1958 with
a core Union of six countries, to today's 28 nations Union.
The
ultimate goal of the Union has never been defined. Tall and small chiefs around the Union see, and
act, and talk of the Union as of a work in progress and mold it into visions of
either a Common Market, a United States of Europe, a Confederation, a Pick and Chose
Menu Club, a Federal Union, etc. After more than 50 years of erring around, the
"European Union" has become an undemocratic bureaucracy, where
defeated national political greats and other non-elected officials find (well
compensated) refuge, and hold sway over euro-cronyism.
Looking
at Mr. Juncker in this particular exercise and indeed the NYT feature story,
this is what defines him:
He
is candidate for President of the European Commission. He is quoted as saying
that either he or Mr Schulz (candidate of the left) has to be
"chosen" for President. And talks at the same time about
"democratic legitimacy". Fact is, that there seems to be a rule that the
elections for the European Parliament in May should produce a winner. Mr.
Juncker, as the top contender of the European conservatives (a disparate
collection of European conservative parties, as most European parties are), is
not even a candidate for his party that however somehow he leads into the
elections! So he might win the elections with zero votes, which would allow a
couple of hundred elected representatives to speak on behalf of 550 million
European citizens, who will probably even not bother to go to vote.
For the rest it is business as usual, as in
any election: promises and flip flops. Mr. Juncker is going to be the champion
of a more social Europe, after having championed big business, the Euro ,
saving the Euro, saving Banks by confiscating deposits as in Cyprus, and
pushing austerity. He is against a United States of Europe (despite the bus) ,
but he wants to preside its government. He promoted Euro-bonds before being against
those. And he supported Turkey's admission into the European Union, before
opposing it. And, oh yes, he wants Britain to stay in the Union.
So
Mr. Juncker or Mr. Schulz will preside the European Commission. Some say that
Mr. Juncker actually, if "chosen" wants to skip that position and in
a bait and switch operation really wants to become President of the European
Council, another unelected position that can be negotiated. In that case, as he
is not a candidate in these Parliamentary elections, but top candidate and
campaigning as such, he will not be elected, but therefore "chosen"
to be President of the European Commission as the un-elected top candidate of the
European Parliamentary elections. Once "chosen" as President of the
European Commission, he will probably resign immediately so to be "chosen"
as President of the European Council. Get it?
Maybe
his designated replacement as President of the European Commission is already
Mr. Schulz? A sort of Putin - Medvedev, Medvedev - Putin thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment