Right.
Here’s one to keep an eye on in the longer term.
The reason I post is that I am concerned that in the longer term, we may well see violence on the streets of places that up until recently, we enjoyed weekend breaks etc.
As the austerity measures imposed by the EU start to bite deep, I can see things taking a beating in a number of countries.
Parliamentary democracy has a very recent history in Spain. Greece and Portugal (and others) and in my lifetime, they’ve all been dictatorships.
Do the members here think that these countries could slip back to something darker in the future–possibly after a fragmentation of the EU..??
As ever, thoughts appreciated.
By: Creaking Door - 25th November 2012 at 11:08
As the austerity measures imposed by the EU start to bite deep…
You make it sound like the EU suddenly upped and imposed ‘austerity’ on perfectly healthy economies! 😀
The EU ‘imposed’ austerity as a condition of lending more money to EU countries (but not Spain) who had spent, and were spending, more money that they could ever afford to pay back…
…the choice was EU loans (with the condition of some austerity) or bankruptcy!
All these countries chose the EU loans…..although the population of most of these countries don’t seem to understand the realities of the situation that they are in.
By: charliehunt - 25th November 2012 at 09:04
That bears a great deal of thought. And of course countries with much longer records of democracy have seen riots on the streets as well – here of course, and France from time to time.
I do not believe the EU will continue in its present form for much longer – I don’t see how it can, or that it should. Released from the strictures of life in the EU club life will be tough for the PIGS and some others, but bit by bit they will rebuild their economies and I believe they will be happier for it.
I imagine the Scots will be watching events in Catalonia with great interest!
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November 25, 2012 at 8:34 am