No time to play the fiddle

As Rome was burning, Nero looked on and played the fiddle. This was the beginning of the end of Rome as it decayed over a few hundred years to be overrun by Attila.

This week’s kidnapping of Nicolas Maduro and the declaration by Donald Trump that the US will “run” Venezuela gives more importance to German Chancellor Frederich Merz’s speeches and proposals to the European Council to act now and strengthen Europe – or else.

A speech by Merz last month at the annual congress of the Bavarian Christian Social Union, the CSU, one of the three parties forming the coalition government in Germany, highlighted the risk of following down the path to destruction in the footsteps of Rome unless Germany and Europe stopped fiddling and acted seriously.

Merz is probably the best hope that Germany, Europe and the EU have in the coming years of finding a way forward for our European civilisation.

In his speech, he explained that the Trumpian, Putinesque and Xiite vision of creating a New World Order where the world would be divided into three equally sized and armed spheres of influence is a direct threat to us in Europe.

As these three dictators secretly and not so secretly expose their agreements to partition the world among themselves, with China taking Taiwan, Korea and Japan while Russia takes Europe and the US takes Greenland, Canada and South America, each to rule their zones with absolute powers and dynastic leaders, what do the parties in Germany do? They squabble about whether to extend pensions at 48 per cent of the last salary for one or two more years or disagree whether immigrants are eating up the social budgets living off child allowance and dole payments instead of working.

All the while Putin and Trump hold secret agreements to break up the EU and weaken NATO and bring the common interests in democracy, rule of law and common defence between the US and Europe to an end after 80 years of peace and economic success. Similar internal disputes are also breaking up France, Italy and Poland.

The social partners are striking in most countries while the extreme right-wing parties, funded by the Kremlin, want to break up the EU and revive the dinosaurs of the nation state from the 19th disastrous century that was rife with territorial war.

The latest US National Security Strategy announced by the White House and applauded by the Kremlin should be a clarion call to all Europeans. If we share the Washington MAGA view of ourselves, namely that we are a dying culture and an ageing part of the world that has lost its compass, then all we have to do is roll over and die slowly.

Europe is like a healthy ageing person; it has a very strong physique with organs that pump fresh blood and oxygen throughout the system, in spite of the exterior being wrinkled with age. That oxygen, unlike the venom of dictatorship running through American, Russian and Chinese politics, is composed of social justice, equality rooted as far back as the Magna Carta, a democracy that still endures and the rule of law across most of its constituent states. These strengths, despite a few corrupt or corrupted members such as Hungary, Slovakia and certain tax havens, are assets that must be recognised and taken advantage of.

At present, the almost 70-year-old European Union and the equally aged NATO are facing very serious challenges to their very existence. Yet, NATO and the EU continue to be attractive to new members, which are clamouring at the gates asking to join. But if we fall into the trap being laid by Steve Bannon, JD Vance and the Trump dynasty that we are losing a raison d’etre, then joining will be fruitless.

The US National Security Strategy should be a clarion call to all Europeans- John Vassallo

European leaders like Merz, Emmanuel Macron, Donald Tusk, Giorgia Meloni and Pedro Sánchez, who represent the big five, together with the Dutch, Belgians and Luxembourgers (founder states of the EEC) and the wealthy Scandinavian members and the Baltics, which are all facing direct threats from the Russian bear, should get together to shake the ageing Europeans to reawaken their self confidence and pick up where Jacques Delors and Helmut Kohl left off 30 years ago by promoting the last steps required for total completion of the federal vision of the founders of the EU. They meet regularly to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.

The future of the EU is in their hands now.

Forget fiddling on details about when to start membership talks with candidates or whether to ban combustion engines by 2030 or 2050. These are minor details in the threat scenario to our very existence that the US document rightly points out. What is needed are quick steps to further integration, starting with the complete elimination of the veto in all areas and move to majority decision-making in foreign affairs, defence, taxation, enlargement, with or without the dissenting members.

The way to achieve this is to move beyond the current EU structures if some existing members refuse to agree to these steps. Predictably, countries such as Hungary and Slovakia, having been infiltrated by Russian influence and by certain anti-European American MAGA politicians, will protest. Even among the core member states, extreme left-wing or right-wing parties, funded and encouraged by these same forces, are also likely to object.

It behoves strong pro-European integration politicians in our own ranks to stop belly-button-gazing and wake up to realise that it’s now or never. We need strong leaders to show us the way forward, to stand up to our values and to challenge the three dictators with action that brings us together, pulls back the UK to the fold and, with stronger armies, economies and beliefs in our core principles, bring the population to desire another 400 years of European presence in the New World Order as the fourth power bloc that will attract Canada, Australia, India, Africa, South Korea and Japan away from the tripartite visions of the dictators into the democratic union based on law and order.

The age of might is right was brought to an end by the French and American revolutions. We must avoid its return by leaving aside our petty interests for a while and concentrate our efforts to strengthen ourselves and stand up for our beliefs. The Greens can postpone their programme, the Socialists their vote-catching squabbles for pennies and the extreme parties should toss out their extreme members and move closer to the middle.

Together and with belief in ourselves, we Europeans have a bright future and we should not let others cloud our eyes.

John Vassallo is a former ambassador to the EU.