European Union Awarded Nobel Peace Prize

[jacnl2000]

Update 08.12.2012.

Monday, the 10th of December 2012, following 3 gentlemen will collect the 2012 Nobel peace prize for all European citizens:

Martin Schulz (President of the European Parliament):

Jose Manuel Barroso (11^th President of the European Commission):

Herman van Rompuy (President of the European Council):

Guess Herman will not be answering your questions on Monday ; - )

[Potosi]

I remember the times when the right wing applauded the Nobel prize. When some obscure Russian writer who betrayed his country got one, or Gorbatchev, or the co-founder of a union in Poland. Probably the only time they liked a union, also.

None of us remembers what a mess the continent had been until the first half of the 20 century, say 50 million dead in wars in those 5 decades alone? Thank you EU that we live in peace with each other, and even former backwaters like Romania, Bulgaria, Portugal prosper.

[Credo]

Potosi, thanks for putting some perspective on this nomination. In our haste to criticize the EU, the bureaucracy and some of the cumbersome regulations and what seems like silly decisions, we forget that it wasn't all that long ago that Europe was a mess. This prize is being given to the EU, but it is a tribute to all Europeans that you have been willing to see the commonality in the human condition rather than the differences.

Hopefully places the Middle East can take a page from your play book.

[folium]

Potosi, thanks for putting some perspective on this nomination. In our haste to criticize the EU, the bureaucracy and some of the cumbersome regulations and what seems like silly decisions, we forget that it wasn't all that long ago that Europe was a mess. This prize is being given to the EU, but it is a tribute to all Europeans that you have been willing to see the commonality in the human condition rather than the differences.

Hopefully places the Middle East can take a page from your play book.

The simple piece of maths would be to calculate how many people have died due to warfare in or between the nations of the European Union since their joining the Union, compared to any similar time period. As previously said, the EU has many issues and failings but removing even the possibility of warfare on a large chunk of the continent makes it thoroughly deserving of any peace prize.

[theblether]

@Potosi, Credo and folium.

On bended knee I thank you for pointing out the truth which underpins the EU. The founding principle of the Common Market / EU was to forever end the carnage of war between the European states. Not a single person has died as a result of warfare between Common Market / EU members since the beginning of this project.

The recent expansion to include former Soviet Bloc and Balkan countries is an extension of this mandate......when we saw this in the Balkans in 1992......

It reminded us of the following photo.....Every day that the EU prevents it's member states from sinking into that inhumanity is a gift.

This award is well deserved.

Edited December 9, 2012 by theblether

[JemJem]

EU's acceptance of Croatia next year and Turkey a few years after that doesn't sound like a good idea. Both these countries have poor human rights records.

Besides, I think that there should be a 'freeze' for around 5 years (ideally 10 years maybe) regarding the acceptance of new members.

[folium]

EU's acceptance of Croatia next year and Turkey a few years after that doesn't sound like a good idea. Both these countries have poor human rights records.

Besides, I think that there should be a 'freeze' for around 5 years (ideally 10 years maybe) regarding the acceptance of new members.

As an apparent fan of the Assad regime it seems a little rich to be accusing Turkey and especially Croatia of poor human rights records!

Croatia is to join the EU in July 2013 with Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Albania in the future pipeline. Quite rightly the EU has made these western Balkan nations a priority as inclusion will hopefully ensure that there is never again the bloodshed seen in the 1990's.

Turkey is unlikely to be joining soon, unfortunately, due to French "misgivings".

Why does the EU need to curtail such an enlargement?

[teatree]

However, the regular "mocking birds" of TV, and the UK press (which always mocks in order to sell) should read once more why they decided to give it to EU.

The European idea is greater than the haters will ever understand.

The IDEA is ok, the lack of democracy is not.

The executive arm of the EU (The Commission) is not elected by the European Union public but rather appointed by The Council. The Commissioners hold the real power in the EU and I as an EU citizen get no vote on who these people are.

The current system is more like the Soviet Union than a democracy.

[JemJem]

EU's acceptance of Croatia next year and Turkey a few years after that doesn't sound like a good idea. Both these countries have poor human rights records.

Besides, I think that there should be a 'freeze' for around 5 years (ideally 10 years maybe) regarding the acceptance of new members.

As an apparent fan of the Assad regime it seems a little rich to be accusing Turkey and especially Croatia of poor human rights records!

Croatia is to join the EU in July 2013 with Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Albania in the future pipeline. Quite rightly the EU has made these western Balkan nations a priority as inclusion will hopefully ensure that there is never again the bloodshed seen in the 1990's.

Turkey is unlikely to be joining soon, unfortunately, due to French "misgivings".

Why does the EU need to curtail such an enlargement?

You are asking why. Come on. I think you know the answer : the economic downturn of course.

Turkey's not being able to get in is due to poor human rights record but also the Cyprus factor. Okay, the acceptance of the divided island of Cyprus into the EU was a big mistake by the EU but now that Cyprus is in there, Turkey must agree to open its ports etc. to Cypriot vessels but it is refusing to do so and it looks like it won't compromise on this issue in the near future and so it will take several years before Turkey can get in. I don't agree that it is France's fault that Turkey won't be able to join EU anytime soon (not that I was a fan of the US-puppet Sarkozy).

By the way, I am not really an Assad sympathiser. I just fear the alternative (ie. an Islamist state).

[JemJem]

Anyway, my advice to my Turkish friends recently has been that Turkey should withdraw its application to EU and concentrate on leading an Eastern European Union (including Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus and the Balkan countries which may decide to go for this union rather than EU).

[Potosi]

The IDEA is ok, the lack of democracy is not.

The executive arm of the EU (The Commission) is not elected by the European Union public but rather appointed by The Council. The Commissioners hold the real power in the EU and I as an EU citizen get no vote on who these people are.

The current system is more like the Soviet Union than a democracy.

Why don't you think this over? It's quite like the presidential election in the US. Was your objective to compare the US and USSR? Probably not. Anyway, you can elect the council, and the EU comission has by far not the powers of the American president. I'm content there are no more votes to cast on Europe. City, county, state, federation, and Europe once each. That's enough.

[Potosi]

The prize money was given to refugee kids. http://www.rferl.org/content/eu-nobel-prize-money-refugees/24802581.html

[teatree]

The IDEA is ok, the lack of democracy is not.

The executive arm of the EU (The Commission) is not elected by the European Union public but rather appointed by The Council. The Commissioners hold the real power in the EU and I as an EU citizen get no vote on who these people are.

The current system is more like the Soviet Union than a democracy.

Why don't you think this over? It's quite like the presidential election in the US. Was your objective to compare the US and USSR? Probably not. Anyway, you can elect the council, and the EU comission has by far not the powers of the American president. I'm content there are no more votes to cast on Europe. City, county, state, federation, and Europe once each. That's enough.

It's quite simple. The Commission is not DIRECTLY elected by the EU public. This is not democracy.

Have a think about why it is in the people's interests to have government directly accountable to them.

The Commission isn't just a group of city counsellors deciding on whether someone can build a conservatory - they are extremely powerful. EU regulations, directives and laws override national laws and the Commission initiates and implements this legislation. They have real power to change each and every member state in fundamental ways, yet the public gets no say on who these people are.

The EU isn't about democracy, it's about the centralisation of power.

[balo]

Don't you find it a bit silly that my native country Norway is against the EU , they have voted NO two times to join EU , and now decide to award the prize to them.....

[Credo]

They really are quite different issues. The EU has done a lot for peace and stability in Europe. It has helped unite some old enemies and put their fights on the football pitch instead of the battlefield.

As far as joining them, your country is quite smart. You would find yourself paying for major largess.

[chuckd]

They really are quite different issues. The EU has done a lot for peace and stability in Europe. It has helped unite some old enemies and put their fights on the football pitch instead of the battlefield.

As far as joining them, your country is quite smart. You would find yourself paying for major largess.

So they got the award for NOT starting any world wars in the past 70 years?

[Mosha]

DominAsia, on 2012-10-14 14:21:54, said:

We should all support Nigel Farage and UKIP in order to protect our right to be a self governing nation.

Whilst I have some sympathy with anti EU opinion, I'm old enough to have voted in Wilson's referendum when we were told we were voting to join a common market which would have no effect on the UK's sovereignty, I would never vote UKIP.

Why? Have a look at their immigration policies. A UKIP government would mean a moratorium on immigration to the UK for at least 5 years; all categories including spouses and partners.

On the prize itself, as a EU national I eagerly await my share; which I calculate to be just under 1p!

Ted Heath knew what he;d negotiated. If he had passed that on the UK may have voted against. Charles de Gaulle was doing us a favour. That referendum was my 1st vote. I fell for it. Edited December 19, 2012 by Mosha

[Credo]

They really are quite different issues. The EU has done a lot for peace and stability in Europe. It has helped unite some old enemies and put their fights on the football pitch instead of the battlefield.

As far as joining them, your country is quite smart. You would find yourself paying for major largess.

So they got the award for NOT starting any world wars in the past 70 years?

That's not exactly how I would put it, but that does sum it up nicely.