Kiss me I'm European
Opinion: EU identity can never compete with the pride of being Irish
Do you consider yourself Irish or European first and foremost? George Bernard Shaw said that "Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it". The famous line summed up, to Shaw’s mind, the absurdity of a loyalty determined by birth. Absurd or not, however, the power of national identity to influence, bind and rally people cannot be denied.
After all, it is this force which led millions around Europe to march dutifully to their deaths in the Somme, rather than rise up from their squalid living conditions in a worker’s revolt, as Marx had long anticipated.
Even where conscription did not oblige those to fight, a sense of nationalistic duty swept through countless young men during WWI. In Britain, where conscription wasn’t introduced until 1916, 750,000 volunteered in the first eight weeks; a further million joined them in the next 8 months.
And while it was a European war in a sense, those obliterated were fighting in the name of Germany, or France, or Britain – not Europe. As the Lisbon Treaty's 479 pages lie in the dust-bin of political stalemate, it's worth considering how important national identity is.
That interest in the EU has been on the wane for the last 25 years is hard to dispute; the EU-wide turnout for the 2004 elections was the lowest ever. This begs the question: is it reasonable to except citizens to feel connected with an organisation representing almost 500 million people in 27 countries, encompassing over two dozen languages and numerous cultural traditions? Despite the cynicism with which politics is regarded in this country, September’s pensioner protests demonstrated the possibility of effecting change at a national level. Can the same be said of the EU?
Whether one feels solidarity with the Italians, Dutch or Swedes aside; the legislature of the EU, The Commission, is unelected – this undoubtedly fails to inspire the minds of those unconvinced of the union’s democratic legitimacy.
The Commission has the sole power to propose legislation for consideration by the European Parliament - the only directly elected institution in the EU - which it then can amend, or accept outright. The Parliament itself can’t propose legislation, leaving the political agenda of the EU to be set by an unelected body.
Irish MEP Kathy Sinnott believes that a commission elected by the people would be a start in making the EU more democratic.
And according to Mrs. Sinnott, who sits with the Independents/Democracy bloc in Brussels, the Council typically only allows "about 80 per cent of the amendments [made by Parliament] to go through".
Another aspect of the process which alienates ordinary citizens is voting records in parliament. For a MEP's vote to be made known, an entire bloc– for instance the socialists - in the Parliament must request it. In addition, the Commission President can deny a roll-call on the grounds that it disrupts parliament. This means the ordinary voter may have no idea what his or her MEP has been voting on for the previous five years.
No matter what reform takes place, it seems unlikely that an institution as culturally incoherent as the EU will ever be seen as readily accessible by the man on the street. And if our war-time example of the power of patriotism seems removed from everyday life, disregard it; the almost religious fervor typically expressed at an Irish soccer, rugby or GAA match is testament enough to the fact the flags, borders and anthems still hold sway with the masses.
The day 80,000 gather in Croker under a yellow-starred banner of blue, will be the day the EU no longer seems too abstract for most people to have a real interest in; and on that day I'll eat my t-shirt.
By: John Power
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