Mark Mardell’s most recent weblog entry superbly explains the recent tensions between Poland and Germany that so marked the last EU treaty gathering: Poland had won concessions in the voting system, but made overt reference to the suffering they experienced during the second world war.
The post itself is a fascinating read, and does an excellent job of explaining both the strengths and tensions within the countries of the EU, historically – when the EU was much smaller – and currently with it’s 27 members.
In this country, the press is frustratingly negative about the EU and all that it has achieved, and the subject has become loaded and charged in such a way that even friendly discussion about it with friends is almost taboo. So it’s a huge relief to see a journalist of Mark Mardell’s calibre reporting in such a well-balanced, informative and interesting way (The weblog output of the BBC as a whole is maturing in many ways, it’s really a key part of their coverage).
I just hope with his reportage, more people switch on to and work to understand this important subject, rather than switch off and write the EU off as some affront to the nation (or is it just England?).
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