Eurovision 2021

[thomas]

This week Niall Ferguson, a well-known British historian, professor and TV personality, has published his hilarious views on what Europe will be like in 10 years from now:

2021, The new Europe, ten years after the great crisis of 2011.

The Brits have left the EU, the euro has been saved and Germany rules from the North Sea to the Mediterranean.

Here are the cornerstones of his visions:

• Altogether 10 European governments collapsed in 2011.
  
• The euro has been saved, but banknotes are no longer in circulation: they were replaced by electronic currency.
  
• Europe's HQ is no longer located in Brussels (a week symbol anyhow), but in Vienna, the heart of the former Habsburg Empire.
  
• Belgium btw has finally succumbed to separatist forces and split into a Flemish and a Wallon nation.
  
• The poorer south-European states (Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal) suffer from a constant unemployment rate of 20 percent, but benefit from constant streams of subsidies from their northern neighbours. Southern Europeans work as maids and gardeners for rich Germans.
  
• Europe has merged into the USE, the United States of Europe.
  
• The euroskeptics have won in the UK, the Brits have left the EU/USE and now benefit greatly from direct Chinese foreign investment.
  
• The Scandinavian states - including oil-rich Norway - formed the Nordic League and left the EU/USE. Nevertheless, with Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Flanders and Wallonia the total membership in the U.S.E. rose to 28.

So far, so entertaining. Or visionary. However, Mr Ferguson goes on to expand his views on what's about to happen to the Middle East.

• Israel will attack Iran's nuclear facilites in 2012.
  
• Iran counterattacked through its allies in Gaza and Lebanon.
  
• Turkey seized the moment to take the Iranian side, while at the same time repudiating Ataturk's separation of the Turkish state from Islam.
  
• The Muslim Brotherhood seized the reins of power in Egypt, repudiating its country's peace treaty with Israel.
  
• With Israel being entirely isolated, the United States of Europe intervened to prevent a desperate Israeli resort to nuclear arms.

Just satire driven by innate British Euro-angst, wishful thinking or is there more behind it?

 

[Elizabeth van Kampen]

Wow!!! In 10 years time? Could it be possible that not Germany but China, Japan and Brazil will buy the whole lot of Europe?
Brussels to Austria? Does he think about WWII, Hitler? No, Brussels will stay. The poor Italians, Greeks, Portugese and the Spanish are not coming to western Europe as servants, but those who have studied are coming for they are young and are out of good jobs.
It is an ilusion to dream that Europe will become a U.S.E. we are too different. Only when you emigrate to another country where many people can be united into one people. And the Brits? They are living on an island outside Europe.
Maybe the people from Belgium will save Europe ... you never know!?

About life and wars in the other countries? I have no idea. In 1954 I read the books from John Gunther, like "Inside America" and "Inside Europe". Great books!!!


About

 

[Elizabeth van Kampen]

This is funny!! Yesterday in the late afternoon I received "De Groene Amsterdammer" a Dutch magazine. And what do I read?
A wholle article about 2021: Het nieuwe Europa" by Niall Ferguson.
Hm ... it looks likes gallows humour. And his dislikes towards the "Continent" is more than obvious. Ah well such is life!

 

[thomas]

And the Brits? They are living on an island outside Europe.

Mr Cameron has his 15 days of glory at home, but once the holidays are over Brits will realise that their economy is still in a terrible jam, with unemployment and inflation rate surging. And not (just) because of Europe. Short-sighted indeed, Mr Prime Minister.

Maybe the people from Belgium will save Europe ... you never know!?

Well, at least they have a working government after over 600 days in limbo. That's a beginning. ;-)

More ink from Mr Ferguson's pen: Great Britain Saves Itself by Rejecting the EU

 

[Elizabeth van Kampen]

Yes very true

Well, at least they have a working government after over 600 days in limbo. That's a beginning.

. I guess that is more a language trouble. Two languages French and Dutch in one country seems to be very difficult.

But I miss England as a real European country. It is a very important country and always was in our European history.

 

[Hezam]

So far, so entertaining. Or visionary. However, Mr Ferguson goes on to expand his views on what's about to happen to the Middle East.
Israel will attack Iran's nuclear facilites in 2012.
Iran counterattacked through its allies in Gaza and Lebanon.

This will never happen.

Turkey seized the moment to take the Iranian side,

No way, not even 1% .

while at the same time repudiating Ataturk's separation of the Turkish state from Islam.

No way,[/QUOTE]
Yes, Ataturk was one of the worst dictators in the middle east, The Turkish will never forgive him for destroying their culture and the great empire of Ottoman, What will happen is same as what is happening in Tunisia,Libya, Egypt.

The Muslim Brotherhood seized the reins of power in Egypt, repudiating its country's peace treaty with Israel.
With Israel being entirely isolated, the United States of Europe intervened to prevent a desperate Israeli resort to nuclear arms.

Well.. Let me explain the purpose of the Arab revolution,
- Step 1 : downfall of dictators.
- Step 2 : build governments who people trust
- Step 3 : reunite all government under 1 government.
- Step 4 : Free Arab land.

there are 3 Obstacles on Arab spring way....
1- Arab Gulf governments [ except Qatar ].
2- Iran government and it's organizations.
3- Russia,China and some idiot governments.
3- Israel and the western governments.

As we can see in Syria those above are trying hard to protect the Syrian government.

But the revolution is gonna succeed.