Homo europeaus part. I : the one who loved consensus
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I don’t know if you have noticed, but there is a common point between most major political ideologies of the 20th century. Okay, yes, they all had a fancy into long and boring speeches, ugly ans old-fashioned artworks and useless mass demonstrations.
But apart from that, they all wanted to create a New Man. Yes, a New Man !
You know, when all those intellectuals finally went out of their offices to have a drink or two, they had to realize that their table neighbours did not quite fit into their grand design. So, at first they went depressed and stopped thinking and writing. Some even considered becoming journalists or politicians.
But then they came out with a solution. People are not ready for revolution ? No problem ! Let’s change them and make them happy for the great future that awaits them ! Then there shall be no more fight, no more war, no more debate. Heaven on earth!
It is a little bit the same with European Union guys today. They have the long and boring speeches, they have the ugly and old-fashioned artworks, in that case the Berlaymont and the European Parliament. They even have useless demonstrations, although this time they are more often set up against them,…and they have the New Man ! Yes, there is a European new man, there is homo europeaus ! For the guys in Brussels, homo europeaus is the future. It is so much different from the stupid average guy, who understands nothing to the great benefits of the new European governance…
One of the main features of homo europeaus is that he is built for consensus. He knows that in life you cannot have everything. He knows how to strike “mutually profitable deals”. He has read all the books about negotiation and diplomacy and he can present things so that no one is ashamed.
Above all, he knows that the European Union is so fragile that any sign of dissent could destroy fifty years of glorious history. So he makes sure that any disagreement is kept behind closed doors. All that the people have to know is that the European Union is working efficiently, in full coordination with all the member states, to increase prosperity on the continent. Period.
For homo europeaus, an agreement is a victory, a non-resolved opposition is a failure. So, if we are to preserve what has be done so far, one should do its utmost to reach consensus on every subject. What would people think if they came to know that there are debates taking place in Brussels? They might lose confidence into the great plan of uniting European people! Since debates always happen because of selfish national interests, there should be no trace of something like this in the European institutions.
Therefore, it is much better to work with chosen committees, “stakeholders”, and people who are decent enough to know how to negotiate without unnecessary friction.
Homo europeaus knows no left wing and no right wing. These are outdated notions. Okay, it is still a good space management criterium within the European Parliament. But apart from that, homo europeaus knows that you always find a way to make all those people agree. After all, those MEPs understand nothing to the texts they’re voting…
And in the end, no one there would take the risk to start a real debate and disagree with the other camp. Because if they did, average people would then get interested. And when average people get interested, you never know where this can lead…