Dear Prof Kalypso,
It’s somehow funny starting adressing a message on the future of Europe to someone who has eschewed even in her name the history of Europe – for my readers who certainly have done classical studies Calypso is the name of a godess in the Odyssey, one the oldest pomes of European culture.
It was nice to meet you again at the conference on the future of Europe by Policy Network. However, it’s depressive that the debate on Europe is still stuck in the UK, and not only there.
Half of the event was spent discussing institutional changes, the € and why the British government doesn’t convert to Europhilia. Hasn’t anybody woken up to the 21st century?
Even the session on citizens looked pretty absurd. A bunch of experts called in to tell us what citiznes want. Don’t we leave in a network society? If you want to know what citizens want you ask them. Actually, you ask a celebrity to run a show.
Policy Network convened a really smart group of people but the usual suspects we have heard and heard again. They know every details on the EU but they can’t change it.
We don’t need experts to tell what to do. We need leaders – ie leading not following opinion pools – and engage people. We need Europe need to empower people to take responsabilities of their lives and future in a globalizing society. I’m quoting you.
When I asked the view of the panel on how to engage the people who are not citizens but will pay for everybody’s pension – ie the immigrants – nobody answered.
The Statist Cavour famously said after the birth of the Italian Kingdom in 1860: ‘We have made Italy. It’s time to make the Italians’.
It seems to me the people gathers on Friday have mouved further. They have just extend the expanded the concept beyond the nation state.
In my view they are paid to much for such a little creativity. on the other hand, I propose to increase your salary. You have come out with one of the few new ideas.
You are the champion of a EU 2.0 in which European institutions enable people to lead the show.
This resonates in another statement that has sticked to my mind: ‘The 19th century constitutionalism is failing in tackling 21st century global challenges’. Quite a sweeping statement considering it was made by Robert Madelin, Director General of DG Information Society.
So let’s stop talking and make these ideas happen. In Egypt is happening!
