It would quickly fall apart due to reactionaries and nationalism, Yugoslav wars except on a continental scale
We’re united in in-action, politically and economically!
When will humanity mature? I mean really?
Economically and culturally, Europe is already a superpower. Militarily it isn’t, and maybe that’s not a terrible thing. Politically, it just seems to have a bias for moving slowly and by consensus, although it responded quickly to COVID and the assault on Ukraine, so it can do what’s needed?
Thanks, but no, thanks.
Signed: Former colony
It’s hard to get them to agree on anything let alone actually coordinate real world actions together. You are going to be waiting a long time.
We just have to through the Bell riots and WW3, but then it’s all tea. Earl gray. Hot. From thee
WW3 is scheduled for later this decade
The top US export is oil.
If you want to do something, wean yourself off oil. Big push for solar, wind, and anything else that doesn’t rely on digging up bits of dinosaurs.
Electric vehicles, public transport, bikes, walking.
And as an added bonus, the world gets a little cleaner. Might be important, you know.
This is what I always have to bring up when people go “bUt cHInA!”. So what? Energy independence is valuable and should be pushed for.
> In 2023, renewable energy represented 24.5% of energy consumed in the EU, up from 23.0% in 2022.
They’re working on it a lot faster than (most of) the rest of the world!
In 2022, renewable energy sources contributed 31% of the electricity used in Texas. Fucking Texas.
Get those numbers up. Those are rookie numbers.
Don’t worry Texas is going to fix that. They’re getting ready to pass a bunch of laws that limit renewable energy usage in Texas.
The insane thing is that renewables has been increasingly more cost efficient and more ROI than fossils for a long time, especially in places like Texas. Wind and sun for days. Investments in tech and production pay off big time, and obviously keep paying off long-term.
It is just oil subsidies and profiteering holding almost all of society back for decades. But things can change.
One of the ironies of the Texas electricity grid - ERCOT - is how it accidentally created huge incentives for new solar and wind energy by trying to prop up the natural gas markets.
ERCOT operates via an auction system, wherein the electricity carriers put in bids for GWhs and producers meet those bids. When demand is low, electricity is very cheap - $10-25 MWh. But it rise rapidly during a heat wave, peaking at $3000 MWh in some instances. Gas plants don’t have any incentive to sell onto the grid at this point, so they turn themselves off until the price rises. But when a bunch of gas plants operate as a cartel, they can coordinate when they release electricity and drive up the price.
The problem is that the auction price is set on the last GWh sold but it applies to the entire sale of energy for the auction cycle. So if you’re selling continuously across the day, you can accidentally trip into a ahem windfall when gas producers surge the price.
Because green producers can’t really control how much they put out onto the grid, they’re at the mercy of the market. But if they know, in advance, that the gas companies are going to fuck with things, they can anticipate enormous profits during these strategic moments. And because wind/solar don’t need a supply chain like gas does, you can just keep building and building and building wherever you find opportune spots for harvesting (which Texas has in spades).
So the gas companies inadvertently kicked off a green energy boom by their periodic price spike scheme.
Renewable energy development being rapidly accelerated by gas companies price gouging with artificial scarcity… thereby causing Texas to move toward a post-scarcity energy economy… magnificent. What a strange world.
Weird map. The non-Union Balkan states and Norway are cut out, but Switzerland is filled in.
and UK
fuk switzerland, free riding mfers
Some of you European federalists seem keen to annex and rule to ensure a full and strong federation.
Switzerland spends a fraction of what their neighbors do on defense as a portion of GDP, which they get to do because of the benevolence of those neighbors. They’re “neutral” because they know that their neighbors are peaceful which they take full advantage of while contributing nothing. Of course their neutrality also conveniently allows them to harbor the money of the worst people and regimes in the world, going all the way back to Nazi Germany.
they’re not really the neutral banking country anymore. a lot of the money fled after they started freezing Russian accounts following the Ukraine invasion.
Which is why you would want the EU to enter undeclared war on Switzerland, invading the country and replacing their local government, killing and arresting anyone who would resist.
Superpower is such a joke to call yourself. if russia is a superpower EU is superpower x100.
Goku would still beat them tho.
Why is the forsaken UK still on the map ?
Our island is full of idiots but I swear we can make this up to you
The continent is full of idiots too. Their are no reasons for us to feel superior about this on this side of the pond.
France, Germany and Italy are giving it a good go too. I think our position on Ukraine has made the UK a lot of friends in Europe. That and voting out the Tories.
Switzerland and Liechtenstein are also not member states, and Estonia’s islands are not shown.
Scotland has islands on this map, but in a really weird way: all of the five biggest ones are missing, and I’m 95% sure that one of the two depicted is actually a peninsula that the map has chopped off from the mainland
Alternatively we can just assume Norway took the islands back
They bothered to remove the non-EU Balkan states and Norway, but filled up Switzerland. This map is just terrible.
Waiting for the George Costanza move
'cause we know this relationship has its ups and downs but isn’t over yet
Right, like the UK is a sibling that you hated growing up, but as adults it’s not so bad and you know you’re going to be friends again once they go through their binge drinking phase.
Not only EU beurocrats are slow to process informations 😖
Data from the general population https://github.com/twosheds2/wiki-eugraph
Interesting. Are those poll results sampled amongst the general population, or something more specific like from the parliament ?
Still too close. The mistake of Brexit was taking such an important decision based on a slim majority, you need at least an absolute majority, 66%.
I would put it more that there should have been an agreement on what Brexit would be pursued. The pro-Brexit camp promoted all forms of Brexit while there wasn’t a good idea on how Brexit would be implemented.
The UK still hasn’t solved the trilemma.
You have to use more sticks …
Better yet, unite and form SCORPION CAT!!!
Being a superpower means making decisions. The EU has problems with that: EU’s responses to anything are too slow and too weak. Deep concerns isn’t a language of power.
I recognise you’re just expressing frustration towards current affairs – a frustration I often share, but:
Decisions require a mandate and the reason the EU has problems making decisions about some things is that it wasn’t designed to address them in the first place.
It’s simply a slightly over-grown trading union with occasional federalist aspirations.
Responding to tariffs - fast and coordinated.
Responding to external military threats - scattered and complicated.
Tap for spoiler
As a sidenote: According to John Bolton Trump, at least during his first term, was completely oblivious to how the European Union worked and was somehow also under the impression that Juncker, then president of the European Commission, got to decide the NATO budget. Crazy, right?
That’s why the EU’s response to defense was based on financial instruments.
To become a “superpower” and/or make quick decisions regarding e.g. military threats, it would need to actually become a state-like entity and begin building several bureaucratic arms it currently lacks which doesn’t usually happen overnight. Not to mention establishing actual policies.
Before we get to that stage though, a consensus between member states needs to be formed and all manner of legal documents drafted. Centralising power means less independence for member states which is usually a hard sell. It would likely also require member states to alter their constitutions which could be an incredibly slow process even without resistance from all the respective governments. Not to mention the fact that a popular vote in all member states might be a good idea democracy-wise.
I’m not saying necessarily it’s something we shouldn’t pursue and hey, under extraordinary circumstances even bureaucracy can move quickly but it is a huge deal and moving quickly could also mean skirting around established democratic principles. (Actually iirc European bureaucracy is generally quite efficient as is –contrary to popular belief)
I guess I wrote this in the hopes of fighting disillusionment even though it’s not the core message here. We’ll do what we have to and I’m positive we’ll get to wherever we need to be in order to survive and thrive in this century. It will require patience, nerve and active participation from all of us though.
Last thing I want us to become is like the folks over in the States claiming it’s all already over. (A minority, I hope)
Sorry for the wall of text, I guess I had some stuff pent up.
One thing I remember from the Brexit “debate” was that many viewed the prospect of the EU having an army as a terrible thing that couldn’t be allowed.
“It’s the Germans wanting to re-militarize under a different flag”
Fast-forward 6 years and Russia invaded Ukraine and the mood has certainly shifted on that one.
“Come on Germany. Get those factories going.”
The inefficiency of democracy is not a flaw, it’s a fundamental feature
Double-edged sword, as it were.
I would say it is more of a tradeoff. Being able to quickly make decisions is nice. But I rather have a strong and democratic parliament than a president as powerful as a medieval monarch.
True.
Maybe they need to appoint someone to be in charge, who can make decisions and really get things done.
Or just move their chair-rooted asses a little bit faster? Using modern XXI-century communication means would also be nice. Having a roadmap won’t harm.
Cant tell if youre being sarcastic or not
Always
I like a democratic parliament more. Otherwise we may have a Trump in Europe. I don’t want a singe person as powerful as a medieval monarch to decide over about half a billion people.
Otherwise we may have a Trump in Europe.
You have at least two, and arguably more, right now. Historically you’ve had some real fucking doozies too, people that make Trump look like a school child.
I don’t want a singe person as powerful as a medieval monarch to decide over about half a billion people.
That’s what you’ll get eventually.
Get this, there’s already a thing called the European Union - almost like we’re already pretty united! :)
I don’t really think further unification is the goal here.
USA misunderstand that European State are nowhere similar to US states. If you expect Germany France and Poland to go federal and have common institution for security defense etc… let me tell you it will not happen, we were at war 80 years ago and we’re not even having the same language. Ain’t no way do I’m trusting anybody else than France to represent and defend France
We are not truly united, not yet. There is darkness from the east that seeks to divide us and corrupt us. Only together we can face it. So sharpen your weapons and train your body because before long we will have to defend our way of life.
The Enemy is already trying to damage our morale. He wants to leave us divided, indecisive, feeble. If we show to be united and determined we will end this war before it comes to our door
