3 ms·

Hah! Life would be great if the EU's problems started with von der Leyen

by andrepd 2y ago

blackeyeblitzar 2y ago
Where did it start out of curiosity?
- Detrytus 2y ago
  With its creation, by which I mean Lisbon Treaty. Before that EU was basically just a free trade zone, after Lisbon the eurocrats took over, trying to turn EU into socialist's version of heaven on Earth.
  - blackeyeblitzar 2y ago
    Do you think individual countries can or will want to either limit the EU’s scope to make it far less invasive than today?
    - throwaway48540 2y ago
      They can't, not without the support of France and Germany
    - switch007 2y ago
      Will another country leave the EU? Probably not after watching the UK
  - andrepd 2y ago
    Jesus, there's a balanced and nuanced take!
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
- oska 2y ago
  Some say it began as a CIA project. > Declassified American government documents show that the US intelligence community ran a campaign in the Fifties and Sixties to build momentum for a united Europe. It funded and directed the European federalist movement. > The documents confirm suspicions voiced at the time that America was working aggressively behind the scenes to push Britain into a European state. One memorandum, dated July 26, 1950, gives instructions for a campaign to promote a fully fledged European parliament. It is signed by Gen William J Donovan, head of the American wartime Office of Strategic Services, precursor of the CIA. > The documents were found by Joshua Paul, a researcher at Georgetown University in Washington. They include files released by the US National Archives. Washington's main tool for shaping the European agenda was the American Committee for a United Europe, created in 1948. The chairman was Donovan, ostensibly a private lawyer by then. > The vice-chairman was Allen Dulles, the CIA director in the Fifties. The board included Walter Bedell Smith, the CIA's first director, and a roster of ex-OSS figures and officials who moved in and out of the CIA. The documents show that ACUE financed the European Movement, the most important federalist organisation in the post-war years. In 1958, for example, it provided 53.5 per cent of the movement's funds. https://www.quora.com/Was-the-European-Union-a-CIA-project https://www.quora.com/Was-the-European-Union-a-CIA-project
  - csomar 2y ago
    > Some say it began as a CIA project. Modern day EU, is a sharing of power structure over the EU between France and Germany. The institutional seats for the EU are in Brussels, Frankfurt, Luxembourg and Strasbourg. Poland and the UK wanted Turkey to join the union to provide voting balance against Germany and France. This didn't happen and France made it clear that they'll never agree to it. The UK left because of this imbalance (despite having special privileges). One way to think about the current EU in medieval terms: A personal union between France and Germany; and a bunch of associated vassal states.
    - TeMPOraL 2y ago
      So if we want to tie this back to CIA, it's less a CIA project, and more of major European powers deciding to band up before CIA comes for them too.

Hah! Life would be great if the EU's problems started with von der Leyen

blackeyeblitzar 2y ago

Where did it start out of curiosity?

Detrytus 2y ago
With its creation, by which I mean Lisbon Treaty. Before that EU was basically just a free trade zone, after Lisbon the eurocrats took over, trying to turn EU into socialist's version of heaven on Earth.
- blackeyeblitzar 2y ago
  Do you think individual countries can or will want to either limit the EU’s scope to make it far less invasive than today?
  - throwaway48540 2y ago
    They can't, not without the support of France and Germany
  - switch007 2y ago
    Will another country leave the EU? Probably not after watching the UK
- andrepd 2y ago
  Jesus, there's a balanced and nuanced take!
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
oska 2y ago
Some say it began as a CIA project. > Declassified American government documents show that the US intelligence community ran a campaign in the Fifties and Sixties to build momentum for a united Europe. It funded and directed the European federalist movement. > The documents confirm suspicions voiced at the time that America was working aggressively behind the scenes to push Britain into a European state. One memorandum, dated July 26, 1950, gives instructions for a campaign to promote a fully fledged European parliament. It is signed by Gen William J Donovan, head of the American wartime Office of Strategic Services, precursor of the CIA. > The documents were found by Joshua Paul, a researcher at Georgetown University in Washington. They include files released by the US National Archives. Washington's main tool for shaping the European agenda was the American Committee for a United Europe, created in 1948. The chairman was Donovan, ostensibly a private lawyer by then. > The vice-chairman was Allen Dulles, the CIA director in the Fifties. The board included Walter Bedell Smith, the CIA's first director, and a roster of ex-OSS figures and officials who moved in and out of the CIA. The documents show that ACUE financed the European Movement, the most important federalist organisation in the post-war years. In 1958, for example, it provided 53.5 per cent of the movement's funds. https://www.quora.com/Was-the-European-Union-a-CIA-project https://www.quora.com/Was-the-European-Union-a-CIA-project
- csomar 2y ago
  > Some say it began as a CIA project. Modern day EU, is a sharing of power structure over the EU between France and Germany. The institutional seats for the EU are in Brussels, Frankfurt, Luxembourg and Strasbourg. Poland and the UK wanted Turkey to join the union to provide voting balance against Germany and France. This didn't happen and France made it clear that they'll never agree to it. The UK left because of this imbalance (despite having special privileges). One way to think about the current EU in medieval terms: A personal union between France and Germany; and a bunch of associated vassal states.
  - TeMPOraL 2y ago
    So if we want to tie this back to CIA, it's less a CIA project, and more of major European powers deciding to band up before CIA comes for them too.