A Republic of Letters · European Politics

What happened in Europe on Friday (#4)

Two stories on European follies today; the ongoing Migration saga of Europe, and the Greek ‘debt relief’ agreed on Thursday night. They are contrasting examples of eras of European integration: the latter, the last hurrah for the Merkel style of politics that were seemingly going to shape Europe for decades to come; the former, the new Europe, where Merkel is isolated and intergovernmental agreements can no longer be made to look like they suite everyone’s interests.

Democracy in Europe · The Future of Europe

There is a dêmos-shaped hole in the centre of Europe – DiEM25 must fill it

The point Varoufakis is trying to make however is that, to say democracy is deficient in Brussels is to utterly understate the crime. Rather, democracy has never been at the centre of the European construct, and as such has only been an obstacle to negotiate in the minds of the men in power who built it. As Brussels has acquired more power, this fact has only become more evident in the way Europe has dealt with challenges against it, and more present in the minds of its citizens. The problem exploded in the wake of the Sovereign Debt Crisis, to the point that it can no longer be ignored. Left unchecked, it is now killing Europe.

Democracy in Europe · La Vie en bleu

Macron could champion the French wing of the DiEM25 Coalition

Kerneuropa will finally have rallied behind teutonic economic management, for the small price of formalising the political oversight of these principles. What some seem to be painting as the next ‘Grand Bargain’ will in fact be the final capitulation to Berlin and Frankfurt’s brand of neoliberalism, and the end of any hope for Southern Europe escaping the economic crisis with its dignity.