Does Europe need to split?
We’ve known the answer to that for 60 years at least, ever since Peter Simple opined upon it. Split down to 27 different countries would be a good start, we could add a few more for luck – Flanders, Wallonia for example, the United Provinces might like a little more independence, the Mezzogiorno would do much better divorced from those hard working Germans in the north and so on.
But as Mr. Simple pointed out, what we really need to bring back is the Holy Roman Empire. Plus the Angevin Kingdom. Real decentralisation that is…..
On the one hand, Charles Michel, the Belgian President of the European Council, implied that the French president’s position reflects the views of several Western European leaders, including in Germany. On the other, Mateusz Morawiecki, the prime minister of Poland, spoke for most Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries when he stated: “The alliance with the United States is the absolute foundation of our security…
Poland has bet its entire future on being a heavily armed American FOB, run by neocons, permanently begging “let me at em, Uncle NATO!” until the balloon goes up.
I think this will work out about as well for them as it has for Ukraine.
Great people, the Poles. But, y’know, Slavs…
“Europe”
Sigh.
If only there was some word to describe this… It’s on the tip of my tongue, but my mind is balkin’.
“Hugh … began his career as son of the Count of Arles … and he wound up closely associated with one of the last and most troubled Carolingians, Louis the Blind, son of the usurper King Boso of Provence …
Louis was kicked out of Italy … and retired to Provence where Hugh now became his chief advisor and started an on-and-off war with King Rudolph II of Burgundy. … in 925 he [Hugh] became King of Italy … in 928, when Louis died, Hugh simply annexed Provence to Italy and ruled them both …”
King Boso! That’s the stuff, eh?
Let’s start with the United Kingdom!
Quite fancy saying I live in Ce!
Let’s pass on the return of Preuzen but I think we can all get behind the return of Braunschweig and Sorbia!
Steve. o really do talk some uninformed crap. It’s stopped being comical & started being sick. Poles really do not need US encouragement to distru8st despise Russia. Russia’s provided all the encouragement they need. As for them being Slavs. That makes as much sense as the English being German.
Bis
Alas, I was mulling a similar comment.
BiS, BiTN – I’m sorry you disagree with my opinion on Polish foreign policy.
I think they’ll find that attaching themselves, remora-like, to the people who brought you such adventures as Afghanistan is going to work out very poorly for Poland (hopefully not as badly as the last time Poland Stronk, in the 1930’s).
So as an ardent Kurwaphile, I wish them thoughts and prayers in the geostrategic adventure they’ve chosen. They will need both.
France recently increased the maximum age for military reservists to 70, and the USA is now recruiting men in their 40’s for the regulars, so we may well get invited to join the Poles in round 567 of their grudge match against Russia.
As for Slavs, yarp. They’re Slavs. An excitable bunch. Best not to get involved with their very many squabbles.
BiS – PS – I’m genuinely sorry if you feel my opinions are “sick”. My intention was not to cause nausea, regurgitation, or even mild dyspepsia.
I assume my intention as a Bloke on the Internet is the same as other such blokes: to have a chat and hopefully the occasional chuckle about stuff that’s in the news and on your mind.
Sadly, the chuckles have been harder to find these past three years. Sad! Gay! Remember the general sense of optimism of 2019, btw? Me too.
I’ve held the same sick opinion on every single one of our wars since Kosovo (1999), and I’ve been proved disgustingly, nauseatingly correct every damn time.
They’ve all been expensive disasters and Britain is profoundly the poorer, weaker and more refugee-ridden as a result.
Maybe the undeclared war we are currently fighting against the country with the world’s biggest atomic arsenal will finally prove me wrong.
I hope so.
Because it’s sickening.
I’ve always thought European solidarity was based on the fact that each country considers themselves unique while classing every other country as foreigners close to us so they assume they are just humouring a larger bloc of people by pretending to be European