In 2015 Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland rejected the EU’s open-border policy, slamming their borders shut to the millions of economic migrants spewing into Europe from the Middle East and Africa. The unwelcome visitors were rejected for a variety of reasons: they brought with them a surge in vaccine-preventable diseases and a revival of previously eradicated diseases; an increase in crime and erosion of law and order; unacceptable cultural practices and anti-semitism; and too many proved unwilling to work once established in their host countries. In short, the negative attributes of global migration rendered the dream of a large mobile European workforce and increased productivity impossible. The theory looked good on paper but failed in practice.
Still, Angela Merkel pressed on, berating dissident EU members while struggling to hold the global concept together. But Merkel and the EU were dealt a second fatal blow with Covid-19. It forced them to close the 27 nation bloc’s external borders to slow down the spread with some countries forced to shut down their own borders. Italy, Spain and France are in lockdown.
“As the EU tackles the coronavirus outbreak, the bloc is again facing the challenge of trying to maintain solidarity between members.
Asked on Monday whether Europe can ever return to real ID-check free travel after this, Ms Merkel said: “I hope so. But it’s been shown that coordination didn’t work well everywhere the way one would have hoped.”
ABC
Merkel might easily have been talking about mass migration which also “did not work everywhere the way one would have hoped”. People being allowed to run rampant is responsible for both bunches of European countries closing their borders.
The irony is that the financial future of member countries of the EU following Covid-19 is bleak if there isn’t enough money to go around. In a crisis, instead of the strong helping the weak, the strong will look after themselves first.
The rise of nationalism swept Donald Trump into office under the banner “make America great again” and “close the borders, build the wall”. The rise of nationalism resulted in a drawn-out Brexit and the appointment of Boris Johnson who promised to finally implement it, and the growth of right-wing populist parties in Europe.
The lesson from mass migration and the global pandemic is that nationalism is much more than just ideology. It is also protection from being overwhelmed and exploited. It is also protection against pandemics.
The liberal elites who peddle globalism are criticized for caring more about foreigners than their fellow citizens, but actually they just care about themselves. We put ourselves at economic risk when we signed up to two financially crippling global agreements – the UN and the Paris accord. Covid-19 is our opportunity to beat a hasty retreat.
Globalism does care more about the rest of the world than its own back yard. On dubious scientific grounds, we are forbidden to use our own oil, gas and coal reserves to “save the planet” while still importing coal.
Globalists do not want us to develop one national identity. In New Zealand the globalist maxim was “divide and conquer”. New Zealand is no longer one nation but two. It is so much easier to control with two bickering factions. Heaven forbid we should abolish the two-state system and develop one national for all as that would be a real threat to the current leadership.
Current circumstances make us ripe for new leadership but it took a crisis to wake us up. The situation is awful and our financial future bleak. Our lack of unity has weakened us but, generally speaking, we are an inclusive lot, we are talented, we work hard and we have great aspirations.
Tighten our borders and reject the notion of a two-state nation. The financial fallout from Covid-19 will impact beneficiaries forcing us to examine all government expenditure. Cut unnecessary spending. Address unsustainable welfare practices and harness the resource sitting on the couch. We are a country poised and waiting for new political leaders with the vision to unite and rebuild.
