Good morning, everyone, Great post, Keith.
While language is important and can serve as an attractant during times of crisis, this is neither automatic nor necessarily predominant over other attractants. As a near ex-Swiss, I can testify that Switzerland works well, politically, and even during times of internal stress, despite having four official languages -- German, French, Italian and Romanche. One of the reasons that this works well, is that each of these languages is recognized officially and reflected in all official documents, including, last time I checked, Switzerland's banknotes. Many years ago, when I was taught Switzerland's creation myths (though as reality, rather than myths!) we came away with a strong sense of Swiss unity, pride in the accomplishments of its parts -- regardless of language -- and with great affection for its founding cantons -- Uri Schwiez and Unterwald, despite the fact that they are German speaking and I was living in Geneva. Europe, of course, does not have a comparable creation myth, but then, neither did Switzerland at the time of the confederation. Fortunately, myths are there to be created, and to create a true United Europe the appropriate creation myths will have to be, well, created. Then the excellent quote that Keith gave us from Jean-Claude Juncker may be answered: politicians are re-elected when their policies and actions line up agreeably with the polity's creation myths. Cheers, Lawry On Dec 6, 2011, at 3:45 AM, Keith Hudson wrote: > At 19:55 05/12/2011, Ray wrote: >> Keith, you make it seem like the Tower of Babel. > > The irony is, however, that all well-educated Europeans speak English. Even > though we're not members of the Eurozone, English is the language used by > officials when negotiating. But this English-facilitated "European-ness" > doesn't translate to the worker level in the 17 countries! > > Keith > >> >> REH >> >> From: [email protected] [ >> mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Keith Hudson >> Sent: Monday, December 05, 2011 4:31 AM >> To: RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, , EDUCATION >> Subject: [Futurework] What an interesting week to come! >> >> The Merkel-Sarkozy plan (that of a new Eurozone government with taxation >> powers) which they'll be cooking up today at lunch-time is bound to fail for >> one simple reason. Indeed, it was for the same reason that it wasn't dared >> to be instituted right at the beginning of the Euro-banknote era in 1999. >> This is that humans, being an intensely social species, will instinctively >> revert to their nearest convenient denominator when stressed. We clump >> together even more tightly. This applies whether we are talking of cultures, >> or religions, or languages, or tribes, or social classes, or professions, or >> work groups, or neighbourhoods, or ultimately, families. >> >> The idea that Germans, Italians, French, Greeks, Portuguese, Spaniards, >> Irish, Flemish, Luxembourgians, and eight more cultural denominations (at >> their largest linguistic dimension, never mind smaller ones) will cheerfully >> submit to a centralized budgetary authority is crazy in the extreme. Even if >> Merkel and Sarkozy are so desperate to agree today on some sort of formula, >> and even if the Eurozone leaders agree to it on Friday, then the only >> epithet we can apply is the old one: "Those whom the Gods wish to destroy >> they first make mad". >> >> The only eminent politician who has put his finger on the problem so far is >> the Prime Minister of the smallest country of the Eurozone, namely >> Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxemburg. He recently said: "We all know what to do, >> but we don't know how to be re-elected once we've done it." >> >> Precisely. Never mind the social eruptions, revolutions or even coups d'etat >> that would inevitably follow such a proposal, it is the amour propre of the >> career politicians alone (or even their lives if they ever wish to show >> themselves in public in the coming years) that will prevent any sort of >> United Europe. What an interesting week to come! >> >> >> Keith Hudson, Saltford, England http://allisstatus.wordpress.com/2011/11/ >> > Keith Hudson, Saltford, England http://allisstatus.wordpress.com/2011/11/ > > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
_______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [email protected] https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
