I think it's not only over the top, after awhile it's getting extremely tiresome. This quote is 20 years old, but before and to this day anytime someone is upset about German politics all they can come up is to call us Nazis, referring to the Gestapo or SS or liken people to Hitler etc.
I think the EU has an overwhelming communications problem. Just look at the election in June. No one really gets what it's all about, if they even know about it in the first place. No one feels like he is seeing results from his decision. And if you take a look at who the parties are about to send to Brussels you easily get the impression this whole thing is worthless. After all, they are sending the people they don't need in their regional governments, who have done a poor job or who are simply unknown.
And only a few of these are able to then approach the public and communicate the idea of the EU effectively.
Just think of the whole issue of subsidies. Over 50 percent of the EU budget goes into agricultural subsidies, and they have not been able to lower that amount by even one percent. And they are not likely to do so in the coming years. I don't see how that is meant to make us so extremely competitive.
On most issue there is not one voice speaking. If we are lucky, there is groups. And the tendency is not towards one voice. Merkel is trying to do her thing, Sarkozy is trying to do his thing, Brown is a bit like a tennis ball, and the others do everything they can so as to not becoming obsolete in the whole system. I agree that Germany and France are strongly enforcing their will and using their respective powers, just as Blair was and Brown is pretending to do. And this certainly leads to decisions that are not in the best interest of the Union. But then I also have to blame the other 24/25 member states of not collectively stand against these powers.
I don't know how many people in the general public are aware of the goal of creating a countervailing economic power. I guess it's only a minority. When the EU does something, they are doing a poor job when it comes to telling its citizens why they do this or just have decided on that. I don't know why, but they are a little like a club of elites that decides and then says "Accept our will, but don't ask why". It's not generating trust, and leaves little wonder why the public votes No in every referendum. If the German public was allowed to vote we would say No as well. Rather ironically, and terribly sad, our politicians won't allow us to vote because we Germans can't be trusted with so much power. You know, Nazis and such.
Got my eyes on you, Germania.
