I always used to be bemused by the anti-Europe arguments I'd read in my parents' copy of the Daily Mail. "How will YOU feel when GERMANS run the country?!" they'd ask. My main thought was "Well, if they do a better job of it than the current lot, I'll be delighted."
What matters to me is how free, democratic and well-run the country is. I don't care if the people doing the job live in London, Berlin, Washington DC, or on the International Space Station; I see no evidence that locality of government corresponds to how good a job they do.
Similarly, the people in power can be English, French, Iraqi, or even grey aliens for all I care, so long as they do their job in an honest and efficient manner.
The one reason for devolution I see as valid is that countries should be governed with the consent of the population; if the vast majority of people in Scotland wants to be governed by a bunch of people sitting in a building in Edinburgh who all live in Scotland, they should get what they want. However, that works both ways--since (for whatever historical reason) the majority of people in Northern Ireland want to be governed from London, they should get what they want too.
One thing I do feel is that smaller countries are probably more democratic and responsive to the needs and desires of the people than larger ones. This was brought home to me when I travelled to Luxembourg, and noticed that the local politicians were all listed in the phone book, as well as posted on the outside of the parliament building.
I don't feel any kind of nationalistic fervor. The closest I get is that I feel that I was really lucky to happen to be born English. I do have one involuntary negative bias, though: I tend not to find English people sexy...
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
I for one welcome our new ant overlords
Date: 2003-03-28 12:30 pm (UTC)I always used to be bemused by the anti-Europe arguments I'd read in my parents' copy of the Daily Mail. "How will YOU feel when GERMANS run the country?!" they'd ask. My main thought was "Well, if they do a better job of it than the current lot, I'll be delighted."
What matters to me is how free, democratic and well-run the country is. I don't care if the people doing the job live in London, Berlin, Washington DC, or on the International Space Station; I see no evidence that locality of government corresponds to how good a job they do.
Similarly, the people in power can be English, French, Iraqi, or even grey aliens for all I care, so long as they do their job in an honest and efficient manner.
The one reason for devolution I see as valid is that countries should be governed with the consent of the population; if the vast majority of people in Scotland wants to be governed by a bunch of people sitting in a building in Edinburgh who all live in Scotland, they should get what they want. However, that works both ways--since (for whatever historical reason) the majority of people in Northern Ireland want to be governed from London, they should get what they want too.
One thing I do feel is that smaller countries are probably more democratic and responsive to the needs and desires of the people than larger ones. This was brought home to me when I travelled to Luxembourg, and noticed that the local politicians were all listed in the phone book, as well as posted on the outside of the parliament building.
I don't feel any kind of nationalistic fervor. The closest I get is that I feel that I was really lucky to happen to be born English. I do have one involuntary negative bias, though: I tend not to find English people sexy...