EU for the past 40 years: "yeah let's destroy all our industry, degrade and defund welfare, and rely on external countries for our energy needs, that will surely work wonderfully!"
this post was submitted on 06 Feb 2026
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Was Europe energy self-sufficient before that? I know Romanian oil was a big deal circa WWII, but I don't know how quickly it ran out, exactly, and it ended up in the eastern bloc anyway.
Well, we killed both nuclear and solar, that's my main point.
The EU is the most successful multilateral group on the planet and the height of civilization.
To me, "proud" is the wrong word. I didn't do anything when it comes to founding the EU. So how can I be proud of something I didn't do? "Grateful" is the better word in my opinion.
Pride makes you part of the system. Gatefulness puts you outside of it. It may seem pointless to weigh between the two terms, but surely it is sourced from mindset and influences the mindset.
We don't control or significantly influence the system individually. Still, it's important to take ownership and control, even if it's only in the very small, even if it's just being a good citizen, even if it's just being friendly or supportive of other people. Especially for a diverse, collaborative, and democratic system like Europe it's important we see ourselves not as passive receivers but as active parts.
Being a part of the system is enough to be proud as long as you're not actively working on destroying it. Even if it's small, even if it's just being friendly to others, participating is upholding.
If we don't see ourselves as active parts of the system, others will influence and change it. The biggest risk is those who have the motivation and capability (be it position, influence, or money) will erode it.
The culture that made that happen also played a role in making you who you are. It's OK to be proud of that.
(And likewise, it's good to correct for how your culture influenced you in ways that you aren't proud of. For example, it took me a long time to realise what Black Peter must look like from the outside.)
There isn't a single European culture, and this word is often a dog whistle to racism, especially in Northern Europe.
Not saying you're using it that way, just telling you.
Wait, what word? Culture?
Note that I wasn't talking about European culture specifically, or any specific culture, for that matter. Just that your environment shaped you, and thus you can feel some pride for what that environment also begat. Pride needn't be reserved for the extreme right.
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Europeans should count their blessings and be proud of their continent!
The top 10% of Europeans own roughly 56% to 75% of total wealth (depending on the specific region), while the bottom half of the population holds as little as 2% to 5%.
Arenβt they better stats than most other places?
You don't have to be ill to get better
Most poor countries have a wealth distribution more like Russia than the West.
One illustration is that, despite the massively higher costs and shitty exchange rates on top of that, poor country elites send their kids to the West for university no problem.
Of course, there's different kinds of EU members. I'm not sure how they all stack up.
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Yeah not all of us
To win the cultural and intellectual battle, Europe must staunchly defend its model,
There is no argument in the article for why this should work in the future.
Europe profited from post colonial structures.
Redistribution is a political decision and possible to continue forever. But was redistribution the source of our prospetity, or just a bribe to buy our silence so that the elite could keep plundering the world?
With competition from China, we can't keep selling our technology above fair prices. Without those profits will people stay willing to share? Will we be able to maintain culture and education?
Our biggest strength now is predictability and safety through social, political, and justice systems. Diverse collaboration on fair and safe ground has competitive and collective gain advantages.
Our biggest systematic risks on these unique advantages are deteriorating social systems (including the distribution of wealth) and attacks on basic rights and protections, as well as systematic inertness.
China can compete in many things, especially scale and production. But can it hold onto stability and innovation after tech has been stolen, corruption and nepotism are systemic issues, and bubbles like their real estate construction or pandemic handling are over? How well off will the average citizen be, materially, mentally, socially, and deterministically safe?
Regarding "above fair price" - the problem is currency and labor cost discrepancies. Europe can't match low income production on price. I don't know if that was your point, but "fair price" is different depending on the source and depending on which side of the provider and buyer you view from. If you were addressing systematic costs that should be lowered, then I don't see that from the statement.
A lot depends on the economy, but if Europe can stand its ground and transform into a self-sufficient union, it's not missing anything that would prevent keeping its strength and collective citizen upsides/goodness. Europe doesn't have to produce the cheapest goods or be able to export as successfully if it shifts its economic system and political goals.
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