It's not the best moment for me to go into long discussions, so I'll keep this short. When I said cautiously optimistic, I mean being a realist, but looking at achieving the brighter of possible alternatives. I should had expressed myself better.
While I agree with you Skybird (it appears ever more so with passing years), I see no solution to the EU inside the concept of the nation state. Perhaps I missed that part of your argument (it is late), yet the state is as corrupt an institution as the EU. The EU may at least, on some small level, claim something akin to a benevolent dictatorship (there are advantages in trade and movement that even you can't deny). Nevertheless, EU is where it is because of national policies and politicians. I'll just add this, this whole crisis is a failure of us as well, as homo economicus, since we were more than willing to accept risks to seemingly greater prosperity and as citizens, since we allowed the political system to run rampant. As you've said, we're all guilty. The important thing is, when the crash comes (in whatever form, let's hope for the best, prepare for the worst and all that), where will we stand? On the side of the rebuilders, the denialists or the survivalists? I'd prefer that the most of us will fall in the first category, yet even I don't have such "faith" in the human condition.
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