I wish I could agree with you.

You seem to be in love with the European ideal but not the present practices and mindsets. I laud the fact that you feel as you do, like you I value it but I have to remind you that the notion of diversity originated and I suggest has been held only during the good times. The EU is a union of nations whose membership is not founded on ideals but as a result of the the economic benefits and advantages that they wished to receive. I notice that you speak of being in Berlin and Ireland. Ireland, despite its economic difficulties remains progressive and Berlin has had a reputation of being so. I wonder whether you would feel quite that way had you been in Poland, Hungary, Austria, Italy or even Bavaria.

As an observer of the migration scene and the economic conditions of the EU, and particularly Germany, I felt that ordinary Germans, would experience considerable unease given the admission of the large number of refugees and in such a short period of time . The infrastucture required to accommodate them and their needs would be enormous and would change the traditional expectations and ways of life of ordinary Germans. There would be a need for housing, special needs for educating non-native speakers, provision of work in the existent labour market, requirements of transport etc and in particular the provision of all forms of welfare and health services.

To an ordinary German, not a right winger, these needs would require a considerable increase in funding that could lead to a dilution or dimunition of service provision for citizens, a probable increase in taxation and less opportunities in a flooded labour market. It would be expecting a hell of a lot from people not to be shocked by all of this. The unease that would manifest itself in these conditions would not be receptive to anyone proclaiming the European ideal.

I believe that there exists an inherent conservative tendency in all Western countries, not only the EU and that this tendency expresses itself in the acceptance and maintenance of a status quo. That status quo is reflected in a mindset oriented towards what is regarded as normal and traditional. This mindset is threatened, in particular, by a rapid and worsening change of the economic conditions. It is further threatened by the view of an upheaval that an increase in migration and the admission of a large number of refugees, creates.

As long as prosperous economic conditions prevail and the existing life styles are mantained conservatives are and were likely to accept an open minded ideal such as the European. The EU ideal was founded during a period of great economic growth

2008 changed all that. There are still considerable economic difficulties and hardships in Spain, Italy and Greece. When these initially occurred, the views of the Northern Europeans were neither charitable or generous. The German government’s attitude with regard to Greece is a prime example. Unemployment, in the Southen European countries, especially in the younger and educated generation is high, over 20% in some countries and remains high. For people in this situation, the promotion of ideals and charity don’t have the resonance they had before.

To cut this argument short: the fear of the economic and financial has strengthened the forces of conservatism throughout the EU. The right has feasted on this rising conservatism and has promoted a retreat to nationalism and sovereignty as an answer. I can’t see that the trends initiated by the economic downturn will end and expect that the resultant resurgence of nationalism will continue.

Poland, Hungary and Austria are already in violation of the European ideals, the Italians look like they will follow and even in Germany, Merkel, the main architect of the acceptance of the Syrian refugees, looks like she is dead in the water because of it

If nationalism is the general European cultural and political response to migration and the acceptance of refugees and if that response is heightened by the forces of financial globalisation, then the concept of diversity and the idea of multiculturalism will not survive. If Europe can no longer provide the benefits that its members currently receive and expect or the benefits are not regarded as sufficiently advantageous, then the cry for sovereignty and national identity will lead to an exit of some of them.

The EU has always been a union of nations not of diverse communities. It has always been so

    Horst Rainer Imberger

    Written by

    Former university teacher, social democrat with conservative tendencies and critical interests in just about everything