Supranationalist 5

In response to Srdjan:

I don't think that the french social model is the only reason why these accidents are taking place. France is a model state in Europe: both positively and negatively. Nowadays, I believe, the crisis of the nation state, so well represented by France, is clearer than ever. France not only displays a social failure, but as I said, also a constitutional and an economic failure. The constitutional failure consists in the total lack of political accountability on the part of the President. The economic failure consists in the great level of unemployment (recall that if national unemployment is around 12%, in the suburbs it nears 40%).

Firstly then, I do not think that the problem is only the french social model. This is only the visible part of the iceberg. The rest, however, is as problematic, if not more.

Secondly, I do not think that France is alone in this crisis. Germany, Italy, Holland, Belgium and many others are showing structural problems at the political, social and economic level. Only they haven't reached yet the boiling point. But France can indeed works as a catalyst; what is happening in France can easily spread all over Europe.

The answer lies at our doorstep. Instead of chanting jollingly how beautiful Europe is, let's think about the structural failures of our Nation States, and proceed to a serious reform towards 1) more employment 2) more political accountability 3) a stronger, deeper, understanding of solidarity between classes, races, religions, and generations.

The last element is particularly important as I firmly believe that there is a class of people in Europe who is guily (maybe by default). Those Europeans born a little after the WW2, our parents, has lived in a booming era that accompanied the reconstruction of Europe. Now they find themselves in a comfortable position; they have everything and they do not want to compromise on anything. But Europe is not anymore in a booming position, if anything it is going down the slope, and global competition is not helping this process. Thus, the societal mould designed for our parents post-war booming societies is not fit for its job anymore.

We need a postnational, flexible, structure, able to integrate all the people that live nowadays in Europe as well as able to send outside of Europe a message of solidarity and commitment to collaboration for the sake of reaching a certain kind of stability.