European Union

I try my best to keep up with not just the politics of my own country, but of those of nations around the world. It's impossible to talk about the European political stage without bringing up the European Union. What do I know about it? Well, I know that it's essentially the greater political authority of the European continent and that many people think it's more of a hinderance than an asset. Why do people think this? In my opinion, it's because it is perceived by many as being an over bloated bureaucratic clusterfuck (for lack of a more civilized word). Many Europeans think that the European Union, not unlike the government of my own country, has become a mess of rules and regulations that holds it's respective member states back. That sounds very similar to what many conservatives in my own country say about the government of the United States. Frustrating as it may be, and even though there is a bit of truth to such viewpoints, I think that the bigger the society, the more necessary a bigger system of government is needed to keep it under control. Like it or not, I believe that the European Union is a necessary evil for the various member states within it. Of course it's not perfect, there are many times when the rules and regulations set forth by the European Union do little good and simply add more complications to the governments of the nations that lie within it. I think that kind of rhetoric was a key factor in the decision by the United Kingdom to leave the Union. Like I've mentioned before in this blog, UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party) did an extremely efficient job of running a campaign that painted the European Union as an over bloated rats nest that was holding Great Britain back. It didn't matter that many of the points they made were wildly exaggerated, because they worked, at least for a slight majority of British Citizens. Now, on my birthday of all times, I'm sitting tight and helplessly observing what the islands of my ancestors will do in regard to them leaving the European Union. I think that "Brexit" has been and will ultimately continue to be more of an over complicated clusterfuck than the very European Union that they are trying to separate themselves from. Talk about Irony. I know that many citizens of European nations would scoff at myself, an American, observing and commenting on their political happenings, but I don't really care because they do the exact same thing. I know for a fact that many European news outlets criticize my president on a fairly regular basis, but I have no problem with that. We all live on the same planet and the politics of all of the nations in this world are fundamentally intertwined. What each nation does has an impact on the other nations of the world so there is not only nothing wrong with keeping in touch, but it is imperative for the growth of all of us. Love it or hate it, the European Union isn't going anywhere. Bloated and complex as it may be, it provides crucial services in regards to trade, international relations, travel, regulations and many other aspects of life on the European continent.