08/23/2016
Are liberal elites capable of learning from events that contradict the theory?Certainly not Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union. He recently made headlines by remarking that “Borders are the worst invention ever!”
Whoa. That comment followed an invasion via immigration of over a million unfriendly Syrians and other Middle Eastern grifters marauding through Europe in the past year. They or their fellow muslims committed hundreds of sexual assaults in Cologne on New Years, truck jihad in Nice, last November’s multiple attacks in Paris, to name a few.
Does Jean-Claude have a problem with pattern recognition?
On Tuesday, former UN Ambassador John Bolton appeared on Fox News and explained how Europe’s open borders ideology is a case of learning the wrong lesson from history: elites believe that WWII was caused by having nation-states, and if that political system was eliminated, then war could be prevented in Europe.
Good luck with that. Hasn’t war been a rather common condition among groups of humans throughout history? Human nature is tribal, territorial and acquisitive — and war often results as a consequence.
MARTHA McCALLUM: So the head of the European Union saying that national borders are quote the worst invention ever, Jean-Claude Juncker says that he wants to open all of the borders between the countries in Europe. This despite a flood of refugees from the Middle East and the recent terror attacks in Germany, France, and Belgium. Joining me now with his thoughts on this, John Bolton, former US Ambassador to the UN and a Fox news contributor. Good to have you here this morning. So what do you think about this comments?(See a longer video of the interview here.)JOHN BOLTON: Well cue up the John Lennon music. Look, what you’re hearing here is the essence of the European Union theology that war in Europe was caused by nation-states: the way you eliminate war in Europe is eliminate nation-states and it’s one reason, I think the most profound reason why the British just voted to leave. They actually like their country and would prefer to keep it rather than see it in a borderless Europe like Junckers imagines. But the practical consequences really do though go to day-to-day security for average Europeans with this flood of refugees, covering so many terrorists with the terrorist attacks we’ve seen. A borderless Europe looks a lot less attractive today than it did back in the dreams of the founders of the EU.
McCALLUM: It feels like the sentiment in Europe is going in the actual opposite direction of what he’s talking about. Is that your sense or is that just what we read about how people are feeling in Europe?
BOLTON: No, I think that is it: increasing mood in the public as a whole. It’s certainly been spurred by the refugee flows, but but it’s been building for a long time, and it goes to the basic flaws in the European Union project. This is a top-down initiative driven by people who have concluded on an ideological basis that a Europe without nation-states, making a super-state out of all of Europe, will stop war on the continent, and and that’s what they’re about. And it’s failing in many respects, it’s failing because the euro the common currency is failing, it’s failing because people are rarely consulted about what they think of this project, and when they do, in referenda in country after country they tend to vote against it. So when you add on the terrorists problem, the terrorist threat cause by the refugee flows, it’s no wonder it’s coming to a boiling point.
Furthermore, borders for the most part reflect the people that they demarcate. Classicist Victor Davis Hanson made that point in a recent opinion piece:
Why borders matter — and a borderless world is a fantasy, Los Angeles Times, July 31, 2016But liberal elites — like Jean-Claude Juncker — believe they know better.Yet the truth is that formal borders do not create difference — they reflect it. Elites’ continued attempts to erase borders are both futile and destructive.
EU boss sparks border OUTRAGE: Juncker slammed over ‘beyond parody’ checkpoint madness, UK Express, August 23, 2016CALLS to drop border controls in Europe sparked fury yesterday. Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, claimed they were “the worst invention ever”.
Ukip spokesman Peter Whittle said that his comments were “beyond parody”.
This was another reason “why we must exit the EU as quickly as possible, otherwise our security could be left exposed by Juncker’s anti-borders policy.
“Safe and secure borders help to define a nation, you only have to look at Germany to see what happens when you when you effectively discard them.
“Mr Juncker is also well behind the curve to think he, or his colleagues amongst the European political elite, can stop popular democracy from flourishing across Europe following the historic Brexit vote.
“I’m happy to predict that Britain will not be the only country to leave the EU and become a free and sovereign nation again,” added Ukip’s national culture spokesman.
Mr Juncker’s comments at the European Forum Alpbach in Austria’s Tyrol were taken as a sign that he intends to block attempts to tighten border checks to deal with the migrant crisis overwhelming Europe.
It is also a challenge to France and Belgium who have pushed for an end to the Schengen free-movement zone across the EU to stop terrorists crossing the Continent without checks after Europe was rocked by a series of atrocities.
The intervention from Mr Juncker came as Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel, French president Francois Hollande and Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi met on the Italian island of Ventotene where the concept of the EU was first dreamt up, to discuss the impact of Brexit.
The latest views of Mr Juncker, who also said the EU needs to “block popular nationalism” in response to Brexit, were immediately disagreed with by Theresa May.
Downing Street insisted that Mr Juncker’s views on borders were “not something that the Prime Minister would agree with.”
Her spokeswoman added: “Having more control of our borders is important and that’s an issue we need to address.”
The European Forum Alpbach website said Mr Juncker told the audience: “Borders are the worst invention ever made by politicians”, and said solidarity must be given to refugees and their children.
Mr Juncker also said Brexit was not a pretty moment, and one which the EU must overcome.
He also described Brexit as an “unheard-of political crisis” for the EU but told member states that the only way of overcoming the challenge would be to remain as one.
He said: “In the concentration of globalisation and European problems, we must not lose our way.”
His remark comes as nations across Europe have looked to tighten their borders in response to the growing migrant crisis.
It follows sexual assaults and rapes in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Sweden by migrants from who flooded in following Mrs Merkel’s policy to invite them to her country.
Last month a survey by the Pew Research Center revealed that increasingly in eight of the 10 EU member states surveyed, more than half of people feared rising terrorism.
Mrs Merkel, Mr Hollande and Mr Renzi, are plotting further integration with common defence, foreign affairs, security and closer finances and tax systems despite a huge rise in support to follow Brexit.
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