From: tomas_e@LINK.Physchem.KTH.SE (Tomas Eriksson)
Subject: Re: Laughing at americans
Reply-To: tomas_e@LINK.Physchem.KTH.SE
Organization: Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 15:15:47 GMT

In article <EXJTMM.92Jul21083930@ida28.tts.lth.se>, exjtmm@tts.lth.se (Thommy M. Malmstr|m) writes:
>>>>>> "TE" == Tomas Eriksson <tomas_e@LINK.Physchem.KTH.SE> writes:
>
>TE> ...and as I have understood the discussion on swnet.politik you *don't* 
>TE> want to join Europe... :-)
>
>Please Tomas, learn this once and for all: Europe is a continent
>bounded in the east by the Urals, in the south by the Mediterranean,
>in the west by the Atlantic and in the north by the Arctic Ocean.
>We can't join something we're already in! Got it?

Sure, I know what the geographical definition of Europe, and Sweden is 
part of it. That means that "Europe-Yes!" or something like that is
fairly uncontroversial. However, the point of pro-EC propaganda in 
Sweden is that we should strengthen our ties with European neighbours, 
"bring Sweden closer to Europe" as it is sometimes said. When social 
democratic (and other) ministers throughout the 1970's and 1980's
favoured going to Vietnam, Cuba, Nicaragua and Tanzania instead of 
Germany, Belgium, France, UK... this reorientation is much needed.

To ridicule those who favour a Swedish EC membership because they choose 
slogans which perhaps sound a bit devoid of new views is not very 
constructive. What slogans do *your* side (the no-to-everthing side, 
that is) use? "No to EC!" Not "No to Swedish membership in EC". If you 
really mean what you say, you will probably have as much sucess as the 
former official peace movement in the Soviet union, the one which on its 
agenda had disarmament of the NATO countries. If you really want to see 
EC cease to exist, in favour of more isolationistic national states, 
that's fine with me, but then you should probably move to an EC country, 
since Sweden can't dictate how Portugal and Ireland choose to cooperate.

>TE> ...or perhaps you and your fellow green party people think that EC is 
>TE> *not* in Europe?
>
>EC is sure in Europe but EC is not, and will never be, the same as
>Europe.

EC will probably become more and more synonymous with Europe. If Norway, 
Sweden, Finland, Austria and Switzerland joins EC, then all European 
countries except Iceland west of the former iron curtain will be members 
(as well as ex-DDR). The next step will then possibly be to bring 
Hungary, Poland and the Czech??? republic in, in ten years or so, 
perhaps together with an occasional part of ex-Yugoslavia (at least
Slovenia), provided that some semblance of order and democracy is 
established there.

I don't know if EC every will be totally synonymous with the 
geographical Europe, possibly not. But I think it's a grand vision. You 
probably don't

Tomas
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Tomas Eriksson                                          tomas_e@physchem.kth.se
            Surface Force Group, Department of Physical Chemistry,
               Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
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Quotation of the week (30), from "Endymion" by Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of 
Baconsfield:
	"'As for that', said Waldershare, 'sensible men are all of the same
	religion.'
	'And pray, what is that?' inquired the prince.
	'Sensible men never tell.'"