The Bulgarian post-election landscape can be summed up in a single phrase: everything went as planned. The caravan has passed. Last year's barking dogs are now applauding. And the Left is dying.
Love your glasses, Boyan. Can we talk about how our dreams of becoming part of the EU have been crushed? There is a huge lack of democracy in Eastern Europe and it has happened (partly) during our bring members of the EU. What the heck happened? Why are we shitting on our own doorsteps and why does the EU assist to this? Somebody (I think in a Jacobin article) made a very good point that Hungary has massive proportions of Western (mainly German) investments and their interest is to keep things as they are: low wages, weak unions, employment law that favours employees. Neoliberalism at its best. Have we had a crazy good opportunity (joining the EU) and screwed it up or was it all just an illusion? I'm confused.
In terms of the EU, I would say that it was beneficial to some countries, not so beneficial to others, and that it ended badly for others. Bulgaria is a great example of the latter, as joining the EU was essentially the final nail in the coffin of its statehood. Those who believed (as I did) that joining the EU would help us break free from the oligarchic shackles were mistaken. This pathology had not only not been weakened, but had actually been strengthened. The top mafia thug and Bulgaria's prime minister for nearly 15 years, Boyko Borisov, turned out to be Angela Merkel's best friend, and the EU was fine with him destroying the country. Nonetheless, I continue to believe that joining the EU was the best of all the bad options available to us in 2007. Boyan
I had no idea Borisov was Merkel's bestie! I've always had an impression the EU was selective about what they deemed being against "the European values" (whatever that may be). If I was cynical, I would say the EU is a soft-colonizing project to create new markets and investment opportunities for Western corporations. Thanks goodness I'm not that cynical!
Love your glasses, Boyan. Can we talk about how our dreams of becoming part of the EU have been crushed? There is a huge lack of democracy in Eastern Europe and it has happened (partly) during our bring members of the EU. What the heck happened? Why are we shitting on our own doorsteps and why does the EU assist to this? Somebody (I think in a Jacobin article) made a very good point that Hungary has massive proportions of Western (mainly German) investments and their interest is to keep things as they are: low wages, weak unions, employment law that favours employees. Neoliberalism at its best. Have we had a crazy good opportunity (joining the EU) and screwed it up or was it all just an illusion? I'm confused.
In terms of the EU, I would say that it was beneficial to some countries, not so beneficial to others, and that it ended badly for others. Bulgaria is a great example of the latter, as joining the EU was essentially the final nail in the coffin of its statehood. Those who believed (as I did) that joining the EU would help us break free from the oligarchic shackles were mistaken. This pathology had not only not been weakened, but had actually been strengthened. The top mafia thug and Bulgaria's prime minister for nearly 15 years, Boyko Borisov, turned out to be Angela Merkel's best friend, and the EU was fine with him destroying the country. Nonetheless, I continue to believe that joining the EU was the best of all the bad options available to us in 2007. Boyan
I had no idea Borisov was Merkel's bestie! I've always had an impression the EU was selective about what they deemed being against "the European values" (whatever that may be). If I was cynical, I would say the EU is a soft-colonizing project to create new markets and investment opportunities for Western corporations. Thanks goodness I'm not that cynical!