Re: CHAT: national identity

Dans un courrier dat=E9 du 16/05/99 03:34:39  , Tom Wier a =E9crit :

<< It makes me wonder, for what seems like
 the millionth time, why so many European nations continue to have
 unitary states, when there is a quite obvious desire on the part of
 minority regions in many countries (England, France, Italy, and especially
 Spain) to have some sort of extended local control over their own affairs. =
>>
I would just point out a French pecularity which has hampered European=20
integration for a long time. Most French politicians (in the current gvt :=20
Pdt Chirac, PMin Jospin, FMin Strauss-Kahn, Aubry, etc.), all top civil=20
servants and many chairmen of the biggest companies graduate from one same=20
university founded by Napoleon called ENA (only 48 students are admitted=20
there every year, age : 22-25 yo). They are taught there how to rule the=20
country for the the good of the State, the Nation and the People (I'm not=20
kidding, ask other French about that, and I was in the University meant to=20
prepare for the admission exams). They are very worried of loosing their=20
power in a new extended Europe. At first, they tried to resist European=20
increasing authority, refusing to admit EEC law's prevailing over state law.=20
They lost. Then they requested some of them to be appointed as top European=20
executives (European Bank director, etc.). They lost again. Many of them=20
still consider Europe only as a lever to translate French policies on a worl=
d=20
level. And they often succeed in that because they are so homogenous,=20
organised and faithful to each other whatever political wing they belong to=20
(this is called "esprit de corps"). Which means that no French leader really=20
cares about Europe for its own sake. Where are the EU Bismarck or Garibaldi =
?=20
:-)
Also Jacobinist French leaders somehow think EU as a regionalist threat. In =
a=20
Union where states loose sovereignty, more human-sized regions gain=20
popularity among the French, away from allmighty Paris. Since 1982 French=20
regions are gaining leeway to develop their own policies but it has increase=
d=20
local tax burden.
The problem here is that whatever the situation, the votes or polls are, a=20
bunch of 48 cooptated megalomaniac idealists still rules the country since=20
the 1810's. And on the top of that, top executives of top private companies=20
usually graduate from the scientific twin of ENA called "Ecole Polytechnique=
"=20
nicknamed "X" (a military school...). They like huge "projets nationaux" suc=
h=20
as Airbus, TGV, etc. The whole system is called "=E9litisme r=E9publicain".=20
Before I stayed abroad, I thought this was the only normal and conceivable=20
democratic regime like most French still do : "the Leader was selected in hi=
s=20
20's to rule us, He is super-clever, super-knowledgeable, He knows what is=20
good for us".

Mathias
BTW : I'm no loony anarchist and rather rightist in politics.