Comments on: Looking to the future http://www.jcm.org.uk/blog/2008/12/looking-to-the-future/ In search of a European identity Sat, 07 Jan 2012 12:16:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: peririn http://www.jcm.org.uk/blog/2008/12/looking-to-the-future/comment-page-1/#comment-60422 peririn Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:40:58 +0000 http://www.jcm.org.uk/blog/?p=1925#comment-60422 My only comment is that eastern europe is a region that was used to a union of language, currency, freedom of labour and travel before they entered the European Union (in dark Soviet times). Even before that they have had the experience of a strong welfare state that cacooned them and their children and formed a coherent society with a concience of it's own. Lack of those things is what causes irritation and discomfort now. There is a long way to go to live up to the standards experienced earlier by most Eastern Europeans. Besides that culturally eastern europeans tend to gravitate towards each other much more then to their western counterparts. History of such behavior and common conciosness goes back not to the establishment of the Berlin wall but to the separation of the Eastern from the Western Holy Roman Empire, namely creation of the Byzantine Empire. Accepting Greece, Romania and Bulgaria is one thing but once you are on that train you'll never get to destination without dealing with Turkey and Russia (who feels as the legitimate heir to Byzantium). My only comment is that eastern europe is a region that was used to a union of language, currency, freedom of labour and travel before they entered the European Union (in dark Soviet times). Even before that they have had the experience of a strong welfare state that cacooned them and their children and formed a coherent society with a concience of it’s own. Lack of those things is what causes irritation and discomfort now. There is a long way to go to live up to the standards experienced earlier by most Eastern Europeans.

Besides that culturally eastern europeans tend to gravitate towards each other much more then to their western counterparts. History of such behavior and common conciosness goes back not to the establishment of the Berlin wall but to the separation of the Eastern from the Western Holy Roman Empire, namely creation of the Byzantine Empire. Accepting Greece, Romania and Bulgaria is one thing but once you are on that train you’ll never get to destination without dealing with Turkey and Russia (who feels as the legitimate heir to Byzantium).

]]>