johnm wrote:No bother, the U.K. has been a reasonably stable democracy since the 1920s. EU is certainly relatively new and developing, but its structure is well defined and endorsed through Treaties.
The U.K. was amongst the economic basket cases in the 1970s and some would argue still is in some respects.
The EU has been remarkably successful in its short existence in providing a political and economic catalyst for stabilising Europe, but there’s no cause for complacency as events in Poland and Hungary have shown .
John - I would say I hate to play devil's advocate, but I do it for everything (meh, call it scientific method if you will).
The current constitutional makeup of the European institutions, based on actual Treaties - came into existence *when* exactly? Hint: I think I have socks that are older....
Certainly the makeup of the UK was not at all "democratic" for long and weary, but the alliance of Kingdoms, Principality and Provinces have been more or less stable for the best part of 300 years - and most of the component parts were stable for nearly 1000 years as political and economic entities.
Compare and contrast with the likes of Spain, where they're still bickering over the final resting place of their dearly and recently departed Fascist Dictator - and the enormous monument glorifying the victory of Fascism where his bones lie.
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