Thursday, June 23, 2005

Blair's Project (on the future of Europe)

On 23 June,Tony Blair addressed the European Parliament on the future of Europe.
Here you find the full text.

Blair spoke as a real European leader. He is miles above the shabby leaders we have in France, Italy, Germany and the rest. His point is simple: Europe talks of itself as a great thing, but does not do enough to prove it. People, as a consequence, have expressed their doubts about it, when they have been given the chance.

This is time of change, Blair says, and he is right. It is not because Europe has achieved many things in the past, that we have to stick to the old path. Europe needs robust modifications that can only be achieved after consultation of all the constitutive parts of Europe.

Those who do not want to move forward, it is said, hide behind stereotypes and point the finger at Britain as if it was the culprit of want of integration. But this is plainly wrong. Moreover, Blair dismissed the stereotype that associate a well-functioning market economy with the lack of social protection. Those two objectives should not be contrasted. Social protection should not take place instead of market economy, it should, and it can only, be based on it. What type of social model is it that has 20m unemployed in Europe?, Blair rightly asks.

Read the text and you'll understand why Blair is absolutely correct when he asks for a new debate about Europe. For a contribution to this debate, please read our supranationalist manifesto and the following supranationalist papers.

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