Dutch Disenchantment

The Guardian has an article (6th June 2016) on declining support for the EU project in the Netherlands:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/06/netherlands-eu-immigration-liberalism-european

Dutch windmill

Here are some selected highlights:

And with every new terrorist attack, wave of refugees or expensive euro bailout, the forces of regression grow stronger, both on the far right and the far left.”

Many of the reasons for the “Dutch turn” mirror those elsewhere in Europe … And as the eurozone limps from panic to panic, people wonder whether the currency can and should be salvaged … Is “more Europe” really the answer to every crisis?”

These questions … are now being debated across the continent, reflecting a deep loss of faith in the competence and trustworthiness of traditional elites … When those same elites then implore their voters to trust them on the EU, the euro and immigration, many voters now think twice.”

What if the European project is an edifice with fatally flawed foundations?”

There was a time when mainstream Dutch politicians and opinion-makers would answer breezily that the EU was a work in progress and that successful integration would simply take a generation … That self-confidence is gone and what will take its place is anyone’s guess.”

With so many in the EU now questioning its values and its competence, why is the British government arguing that Britain is safer and better off in the EU?

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