| http://www.toogoodreports.com/column/general/flair/20020103.htm
The Euro: Baby-Stepping Towards The Brave New World Dis-Order By Isaiah Flair [Thursday, January 3, 2002; 12:01 a.m. EST] The Euro, the all-Europe money, made it's ignominious hard-currency debut at the same time the clock struck 12:01 a.m. on the first day of this new year. The concept of the Euro is to have a single, united currency for 12 sovereign (for now) nations of Europe. It is part-and-parcel of the decades-long drive to establish Europe as a single entity, under the European Union banner. The currencies of the nations signing on to the Euro will cease to be accepted as legal tender within two months. As reported by Toby Helm, (telegraph.co.uk) the Euro marks "the first time since the Roman Empire that bread, wine and salt can be bought with the same coin throughout western Europe." Romano Prodi, current President of The European Commission, said he believes that with the Euro, the European Union "have taken a major step that ineluctably leads to greater convergence of economic rules." In other words, the Euro is perceived by it's supporters as a critical step towards a Europe which is homogenized and centrally controlled in terms of economic matters. To this end, many have begun to call the E.U. "Euroland", and speak of days when there will be no borders between one (so far) sovereign nation and another. In essence, a United States of Europe. Many worry that this will erode the cultural identities of E.U. nations. More than six billion notes and thirty-seven billion coins have already been sent out to banks across the European Union. This further consolidation of monetary policy reflects decades of E.U. efforts to centralize decisions on social policies for member nations. The Finance Minister of Germany has hailed the introduction of the hard-currency Euro as a very significant step towards an all-Europe taxation system. Partly due to a fear of this very thing, the Tories in Great Britain have charged Tony Blair of pushing them into the one-currency pool, even though many Brits would prefer to retain the pound. At this writing, Great Britain is one of only a very few European Union nations to retain their own currency. The other two sticking with their own currency at the moment are Sweden and Denmark. All three are bravely swimming against tide. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has come out very much in favor of the Euro, and the centralization of Europe it progresses. Annan's spokesperson, Fred Eckhard, offered the following on the Secretary-General's behalf: "History will record the adoption of the euro as much more than an economic decision." "The secretary-general warmly welcomes the introduction of the Euro as the new common currency for 300 million Europeans," Eckhard said. "The adoption of the euro by a dozen countries represents a bold and visionary choice for unity over division, co-operation over conflict, and a common future over a divided past," he added. On Annan's behalf, Eckhard "congratulated the European leaders and nations which have adopted the euro on their decision and hopes that it may serve as an example to every part of the world – rich and poor, developed and developing – that uniting in a common cause can bring benefits to all!" So, Europe is faced with a vision, proffered by the big leviathan, the United Nations, and by the little leviathan, the E.U. Europe may accept that vision, homogenizing and centralizing taxation as well as fiscal policy, with one large; bureaucracy-drenched entity deciding the financial futures of the three hundred million plus citizens of a "Euroland". If they do, and they may well, centrally-determined social policy, even on the most controversial moral, religious, and family issues, will undoubtedly follow. With this path, such things will be decided on by political processes which individual citizens of particular E.U. nations will have little hope of affecting. This is the future that many bureaucrats and NGOs are writing. For it to fail now or fall later, citizens of (for the moment) independent nations in Europe must take a stand, and assert their right to sovereignty in all sociopolitical aspects. I hope they do. No centralized government which subverts the voice and identity of its people can survive for long. In the European Union, there will sooner or later be a major clash between all-Europe centralization on the one hand, and a need for localized control, identity, and pride from the citizens of sovereign nations on the other. Sooner or later. Better sooner. |
