Should we count European medals at the Olympic Games ?

I share Charles's view, and don't regard it as outdated or odd.

I'd also like to address your puzzlement as to « why some people are so fixated on separating themselves from those around them by any means necessary ».

Firstly, that view is something of a straw man. It's not really a « fixation », and the separation doesn't really happen « by any means necessary ».

Secondly, some of us regard the centralisation required by federalism as inherently harmful. It can bring efficiency as the article suggests, but on balance we think the disadvantages outweigh the benefits.

The chief disadvantage is the loss of accountability and hence of democracy. The closer the executive is to the people, both literally and metaphorically, the better we're able to scrutinise its actions and ensure that it behaves justly and sensibly. If our politicians stay within range, they're also more likely to grasp and respond to the problems that really concern us, rather than working on imagined problems that don't really affect anyone. In our eyes, it's absurd that an MEP for Dubrovnik should be formulating legislation that will affect people in Tallinn.

We also find troubling the desire to create a « pro-European feeling » as described in the article. There doesn't seem any practical necessity for such a feeling, so it's difficult to understand why any effort should be made to create one. It wouldn't increase wealth, it wouldn't reduce inequality, it wouldn't make trains run faster, and I can't imagine it making anybody happier. It's not pro-European feelings that are likely to prevent war, it's the excellent work the EU has done to reduce trade barriers.

I hope that makes our (or at least my) position a little more understandable.

Should we count European medals at the Olympic Games ?

I doubt everybody shares your, rather outdated, view, Charles. I still can't understand why some people are so fixated on separating themselves from those around them by any means necessary. A united Europe is an idea that has been set in people's minds, and it will not go away, no matter what people that would rather cling to some odd sense of « nationalism » would like to think.

Should we count European medals at the Olympic Games ?

Europe is not a country and it makes no sense to total the EU individual state medals in an attempt to be the « winner ». We can cooperate, be friends to some extent, and accept that geographically our fates are more closely interlinked than we might like, but the perverse desire to be a federal union is neither wanted nor realistic.

Should we count European medals at the Olympic Games ? - commentaires

Should we count European medals at the Olympic Games ?

Should we count European medals at the Olympic Games ?

Should we count European medals at the Olympic Games ?