In our personal lives respect is a desire to meet people with kindness and to acquiesce in their needs whilst in their company. In your personal life union is agreeing to behave in the same way as other people. Respect is a public, adult virtue, union is a private virtue between two people or, perhaps, within some families. Union is agreed control, respect is a willingness to trust other people and a demonstration that you can be trusted.
Politicians and ideologists often speak of "union", often passionately. What they mean is that they believe that they should govern a group of people and exercise a fairly intimate control over them. They do not use the term "respect" for this process because respect implies that the people are trusted to govern themselves.
Politicians and ideologists understand that power over other people is based on union. To be powerful in society you need a gang that will obey your rules. If your gang is sufficiently large it can force people in general to follow the same rules and be united.
Those who desire union use fear. They talk of enemies that may attack at any time, of poverty lurking around the corner. Those who desire respect in our relations use re-assurance.
Ideologists extol the virtues of union by declaring that we could live in a land without fear or suspicion and would all love one another if everyone were united and believed the same things. It is this use of the word "love" that is most despicable. Love is largely respect, it is allowing others to develop in their own way, it is accommodating difference, not crushing it; it is serving others, not demanding that they obey your rules. When the ideologists talk of harmony and "love" they are bending these words to acquire power: they really mean marching together.
The EEC was a treaty between countries that respected each other. Decisions at the highest levels in the EEC organization could be vetoed by the least of its members. The EEC no longer exists. It has been replaced by the EU. The EU is a Union between countries that is run by an EU Council where, since 2014, decisions are taken according to a majority vote. Individual countries cannot maintain their independence. There is no respect for independence, it is a Union.
The EU is about power. It will provide the means for the governing faction to control an entire continent and impose its will on its neighbours. NATO has defended Europe and kept the peace but the EU is designed for expansion and control.
First published 26/6/2015
Politicians and ideologists often speak of "union", often passionately. What they mean is that they believe that they should govern a group of people and exercise a fairly intimate control over them. They do not use the term "respect" for this process because respect implies that the people are trusted to govern themselves.
Politicians and ideologists understand that power over other people is based on union. To be powerful in society you need a gang that will obey your rules. If your gang is sufficiently large it can force people in general to follow the same rules and be united.
Those who desire union use fear. They talk of enemies that may attack at any time, of poverty lurking around the corner. Those who desire respect in our relations use re-assurance.
Ideologists extol the virtues of union by declaring that we could live in a land without fear or suspicion and would all love one another if everyone were united and believed the same things. It is this use of the word "love" that is most despicable. Love is largely respect, it is allowing others to develop in their own way, it is accommodating difference, not crushing it; it is serving others, not demanding that they obey your rules. When the ideologists talk of harmony and "love" they are bending these words to acquire power: they really mean marching together.
The EEC was a treaty between countries that respected each other. Decisions at the highest levels in the EEC organization could be vetoed by the least of its members. The EEC no longer exists. It has been replaced by the EU. The EU is a Union between countries that is run by an EU Council where, since 2014, decisions are taken according to a majority vote. Individual countries cannot maintain their independence. There is no respect for independence, it is a Union.
The EU is about power. It will provide the means for the governing faction to control an entire continent and impose its will on its neighbours. NATO has defended Europe and kept the peace but the EU is designed for expansion and control.
First published 26/6/2015
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