The Union of European federalists has published a manifesto that deserves to be signed. We must say no to nationalism and yes to federalism. Campaigns for NO (in this case to nationalism) only succeed if they are constructive (saying YES to something, in this case to federalism), friendly and have a smile in the face. This is something the NO campaign in Scotland should learn fast; it is not enough to have the right arguments. Of course, it would have been cleverer to have a referendum question where the secessionist had to campaign for a NO vote (NO to staying together), and to have a campaign leader who had not been the finance minister in the time of the worse economic crisis after second world war. But it is too late for that. The prospect of independence must be really really bad if their proponents are not winning against such a bad campaign.
The federalists manifesto says that Europe is passing through a period of
turbulence and uncertainty. The European Union itself is in deep
trouble. The long financial crisis, which has led to economic
stagnation, unemployment and political fragmentation, has exposed not
only the flaws in the design of the Economic and Monetary Union and the
weakness of EU institutions, but also a lack of commitment to European
integration by EU states. As a result, the European Union has lost the
trust of many citizens.
If the European Union is to survive for
years to come, it must pursue the paths of social peace, prosperity and
political unity through the business of democratic government.
(You can read the rest of this manifesto here).
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