The First ‘European’ Union

The First 'EU' Coat of Arms?

The 1st July 2009 marks the 440th anniversary of what was perhaps one of the first (in retrospect) ‘EU’-style unions on the European continent. The Union of Lublin (1st July, 1569) is often seen as a natural predecessor to the Maastricht Treaty (7th February, 1992). The Union of Lublin was a union of two states – the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The actual signing of the Union of Lublin may have been a defining point in history but it was only one moment in a whole series of acts of union and treaties that saw the eventual creation of a federal state.

EU Parallels
Not only is the Union of Lublin seen as a precursor to the Maastricht Treaty, but the state that the Union of Lublin created is often seen as analogous to the modern European Union. Does this mean that the member states of the European Union will follow the same path as Poland and Lithuania prior to and after the Union of Lublin? Can the respective histories of Poland and Lithuania give us valuable insights into what might become of the European Union? In order to answer these questions or even attempt to answer these questions, it is useful to look at what happened before and after the Union of Lublin with the help of a simple timeline…

Lublin Union - Maastricht Predecessor?

Union Timeline
1385 – Union of Krewo (Grand Lithuanian Duke marries Polish Queen);
1401 – Union of Vilnius-Radom (relating to issues of royal authority);
1413 – Union of Horodło (uniting the nobilities of both states);
1432 – Union of Grodno (saw increased ties between the two states);
1499 – Union of Kraków-Vilnius (was a political-military alliance);
1501 – Union of Mielnik (renewed the personal dynastic union);
1569 – Union of Lublin (created a ‘Commonwealth’ – two states with one ruler, government and foreign policy);
1791 – Creation of a unitary state (and abolition of the two states);
1795 – The ‘Commonwealth’ disappears off the map (with the Partitions of Poland).

EU Destiny
Will the European Union follow a similar path? We may argue that the deterioration of the Polish-Lithuanian state prior to the Partitions could well happen to the EU. The social collapse of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth opened the gates for the Partitions. Perhaps this is already happening in the EU? Rising bureaucracy, a growing feeling of dissatisfaction, a general feeling of apathy. Are we witnessing the start of the collapse of the  European Union or does Maastricht still have another 200 years left?  Could the EU also end up on the rubbish heap of history?

A History of Unions
If we count the start of the development of Europe’s first ‘Union’ to have been 1385 and the end 1795 then 410 years is not a bad result, although in reality we should count the Union of Lublin as the Union’s inception date. In any case 1569 to 1795 still gives us 226 years. The Scandinavian Kalmar Union lasted from 1397 to 1523 (a ‘mere’ 126 years). The British Acts of Union began in 1707 and still exist (which gives 302 years and counting). In any case, these three examples – the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the United Kingdom and the Kalmar Union – demonstrate that the European continent has a history of unions and this is, by no means, something foreign to us. Why did the Commonwealth and Kalmar Union fail? Why is the United Kingdom still going? Two questions that may prove to be important for the future of the European Union.

Monkeys, Jews and Poles

The Culture of Fandom

What do monkeys, Jews and Poles have in common? Very little actually but go to any Polish football ground and you’ll hear hundreds of hooligans making disgusting monkey gestures at any black players on the pitch and shouting a whole variety of Jewish insults at the players of the opposing team. With the whole of Europe working towards stamping out racism, Polish football has become somewhat of an anachronism.

Institutional Racism
An unbelievable racism-related story hit the Polish headlines this week. The Prosecutor’s Office in Kraków-Krowodrzy decided to throw out a case filed by the local Jewish community. During the Kraków derby (Cracovia Kraków vs. Wisła Kraków) Cracovia fans made monkey gestures at Wisła’s Brazilian-born Cleber. Wisła fans, on the other, shouted “to the gas chamber” at Cracovia’s Maciej Łuczak as well as “f##king Jews” and the suchlike at Cracovia’s other players and fans. The justification for throwing out this (obvious) case (of racism and anti-Semitism) was the police’s inability to stop these racist and anti-Semitic chants. What is more, Prosecutor Dorota Kuk-Turek astonishingly claimed that these racist and anti-Semitic chants “were not criminal in character”.

Football Phantom

Historical Reason
It gets better. Kuk-Turek outdid herself by claiming that there are historical reasons for the anti-Semitic chants of the Wisła supporters and said that the antagonisms between the two Kraków teams reach back to 1906 because Wisła had always been traditionally “Catholic” and Cracovia traditionally “Jewish”. She continued, saying that Cracovia’s best players had traditionally been “of Jewish extraction” whereas Wisła had traditionally never taken on “non-Catholic” players. These stereotypes, she claimed, have survived until today.

Criminal Innocence
Seemingly unaware of how ridiculous her reasoning might be to the rest of the civilised world, Kuk-Turek went on in her justification to say that the crime of inflaming racial hatred and racial abuse is premeditated in nature. She was not able to ascertain whether the racist and anti-Semitic chants committed by the hooligans were premeditated or necessarily targeted at a particular race in which case they were not a crime. She also dug herself another hole by ridiculously claiming that the anti-Semitic chants were not targeted at the Jewish nation but rather a particular player of the opposing team. Kuk-Turek’s decision is causing controversy in the media but the questions beg: why is this woman still working in the legal profession? Why isn’t someone doing something about this?

Poland – Land of Diversity?

Protect Us from Evil

Many, many years ago in a land of wild forests and lonely hills there lived a race of evil creatures called the Bies. These creatures looked like humans but were somewhat stockier, had horns and large black wings sprouting from their shoulders. They were, by all accounts, a thoroughly evil bunch and above all hated humankind. In order to make life harder for the farmers, rangers and simple folk living in this land, the Bies created the Czad, a mischievous little folk whose goal it was to pester, irritate and annoy humans. Everyday experience became story, story turned into legend and legend grew into fable. And the land of the Bies and Czad became known as the Bieszczady.

Lonely Mountains
After travelling to the Bieszczady in the south of Poland, I was once again struck by the diversity that was once part and parcel of Poland’s cultural makeup. Alas, much of this wonderful cultural diversity is no longer with us or is slowly eroding away so that in a few decades’ time we will have forgotten that such diversity once existed in this corner of Europe. The Bieszczady mountains and the surrounding area are a truly enchanting part of the world. Sparsely populated with the odd village springing up every now and again, you get the feeling that nature, not humankind, is king here.

Cultural Mix

Summit of Nations
The Bieszczady is an area with a unique history, a real cultural melting pot with Hungarian, Ukrainian, Boyko, Slovakian, Lemko, Romanian and Polish influences to be seen everywhere. A wonderful metaphor for this cultural confluence is Krzemieniec mountain – the point at which Ukraine, Slovakia and Poland converge. Travelling around the Polish part of the Bieszczady one notices odd words and phrases popping into the names of places, restaurants, companies and the suchlike. The Hungarian name of Krzemieniec, Kremenaros, seems to be quite a common linguistic tag, for example.

Demise of Diversity
One of the greatest surprises here is the inordinately large number of abandoned villages, cemeteries and churches, or rather Ukrainian/Lemko/Boyko villages and orthodox churches. Due to the now infamous forced deportation of Ukrainians, Lemkos and Boykos from Poland as part of the ridiculously patriotically-named Operation Wisła, the cultural map of the Bieszczady has been changed forever becoming tainted with a pallid homogeneity that still hangs over the area like the kiss of death. The Bieszczady was once a thriving region of many faiths, languages and cultures. It is now one of the most sparsely populated and poorest regions of Poland. All in the name of purity and reserving Poland for the Poles.

It Was 20 Years Ago Today

Who is "Solidman"?

Twenty years ago on June 4th 1989, the spark that ignited the fire signalling the fall of communism was lit. The first partially free democratic elections in the communist bloc were held in Poland and with it,  communism in Europe witnessed the beginning of the end.

This is the End
This unprecedented event and the euphoria that went with it for everyone was encapsulated by the words of newscaster Joanna Szczepkowska who, on the spur of the moment, decided to declare that, “on June 4th 1989, communism in Poland came to an end”:

This is the Beginning
As we all know, the elections ended with a resounding victory for Solidarity which then decided to install Tadeusz Mazowiecki as the new Prime Minister of Poland who in his first speech talked about the need to create a Poland “without divisions”:

This is Solidarity
There were divisions, of course, but the 4th June 1989 has come to symbolise a moment where, despite the high probability of failure, Poland’s regular citizens, not the political elites, were able to come together and force through democracy, freedom and the truth. Real solidarity, that is truly working together, was shown for the whole world to see on this day twenty years ago. In the words of the Great Moustached One: “Solidarity is nothing more than this: if you are unable to lift up a heavy weight then find someone who can help you lift it”. Simple but effective.

Who actually Won the War?

GERMAN Nazis

The events of the last few days have led me to ask the question: “Who actually won World War II?” Noises from the political elite in Germany and an even greater hoohah in Poland have got me thinking about two issues: (1) the necessity for Germany to feel responsible for the Holocaust and the slaughter of so many innocent lives in World War II, and (2) the growing rise of negationism, or rather historical relativism.

German Revisionism
The surprising news that has come out of Germany is that the two political powerhouses, the CDU and CSU, have called for the European Parliament to back a decision to condemn all forms of forced repatriation. Without such a joint EU declaration, Germany has intimated that it will not agree to further expansion of the European Union. This is all well and good and indeed forced repatriating should be condemned but this issue deflects away from the causes of the last forced exodus in Europe. As we all know, the forced repatriation of millions of European citizens was a direct result of the Nazi attack on Poland in 1945. The CDU and CSU have also added that all laws and rights violated through repatriation need to be reversed. This appears to be a call to give compensation to those Germans who were forced out of Poland after the war, a war the Germans began!

Polish Oversensitiveness
This has caused an almighty explosion of outrage in Poland. The first to respond to Germany’s call was Jarosław Kaczyński who has called upon PM Donald Tusk for his Civic Platform (PO) to leave the the European People’s Party-European Democrats (EPP-ED) political group, the group to which both PO and the CDU and CSU belong in a mark of protest against this German revisionism. He has also called the PO “weak” in the face of German brute force and expansionism. Germany has also stated that it wishes the German language to be stronger within the EU. There’s no getting away from the fact that Jarosław Kaczyński made these statements for political gain but he’s not all that wrong about Germany trying to deflect away from the cause of Europe’s most recent forced bout of repatriations.

European Problems
Yes, Poland is oversensitive. But wouldn’t you be a little touchy if you had experienced what the inhabitants of Poland experienced during the war. Not only was Poland’s Jewish population wiped out but its other citizens also faced humiliation, torture and death at the hands of the German Nazis. Any calls for a re-evaluation of the facts will unsurprisingly cause a stir. Two things need to happen for Europe to take a good look at itself and grow up. Firstly, not only Germany and Poland but ALL of the EU’s member states need to sit down and talk, not only at the ministerial level but at the level of local communities to see how these issues still affect us all today. Secondly, Europe needs to learn the true meaning of solidarity and the meaning of ‘being European’, whatever that means.

Pole Running for Lithuanian Presidency

Pole or Lithuanian?

In a bizarre twist of political fate and for the first time ever in the history of a free Lithuania, a Lithuanian citizen of Polish descent is running for the office of President of the Republic of Lithuania. Valdemar Tomaševski (better known as Waldemar Tomaszewski), will audaciously be trying to convince Lithuanians that he is the right man for Lithuania’s top job. Audacious because, not only is Tomaszewski openly pro-Polish (he is head of the minority party Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania (AWPL)) but he holds a Polish Card which is an official document issued by the Polish authorities to foreign nationals confirming their ‘connection’ to Poland.

Tomaszewski or Tomaševski
Not only is Tomaszewski’s political nous being questioned but also the formal requirements for him to be allowed to be a presidential candidate. Several Lithuanian parliamentarians have questioned his loyalty to Lithuania due to the fact that he possesses the afore-mentioned Polish Card and the fact that he represents a minority ethnic group within the country. This issue was so controversial that it was put to Lithuania’s Central Election Committee who, in the end, decided, nine votes to four, that Tomaszewski/Tomaševski can be a presidential candidate.

Unity or Division
Although Tomaszewski/Tomaševski stands no chance of winning Lithuania’s presidential elections (which begin on May 17th), he has once again touched upon the problem of identity in an ever-homogeneous European Union. What is the definition of nationality? Tomaszewski/Tomaševski holds a Lithuanian passport but he also holds a Polish Card and is of Polish descent. He speaks Polish and has a Polish name. Perhaps, the way forward is to accept these differences and use the distinction that is often used in Poland, that of obywatelstwo and narodowość (citizenship and nationality/ethnicity). Vive la différence?

Capital of Hope or Despair?

Expensive Dump?

As much as I dislike the methodologies put to use in most polls and surveys nowadays, one can’t help wondering if there’s any truth behind them at all. This is especially true of the latest survey which seeks to assess the quality of living in various cities throughout the world. I took a good look at the whole list and was horrified to learn that Warsaw is 85th out of a possible 215 (with Bahgdad being last). Our Eastern European neighbours also did poorly – Ljubljana came 78th, Bratislava was 88th whereas Zagreb was 103rd. What does this say about Eastern Europe? What does this say about Warsaw? Mercer, who conducted the survey, seems to think the living standards in Eastern Europe have gone up but this survey will do little to advertise our little corner of Europe.

Reasons to Despair
Mercer looks at 39 factors when they ranked the cities. These roughly form ten categories. Namely:

1. Political and social environment (political stability, crime, law enforcement)
2. Economic environment (currency exchange regulations, banking services)
3. Socio-cultural environment (censorship, limitations on personal freedom)
4. Health and sanitation (medical services, sewage, waste disposal, air pollution)
5. Schools and education (standard and availability of international schools)
6. Public services and transport (electricity, water, public transport, traffic congestion)
7. Recreation (restaurants, theatres, cinemas, sports and leisure)
8. Consumer goods (availability of food/daily consumption items, cars)
9. Housing (housing, household appliances, furniture, maintenance services)
10. Natural environment (climate, record of natural disasters)

Points to Consider
It’s pretty easy to see what Warsaw is doing wrong and what the city authorities might do in the future to improve the living standards of its inhabitants. Most denizens of Warsaw will agree that points 4, 5, 6, 7 need to be addressed sooner than later. The number of hospitals and clinics of a high standard is far too low for a member of the European Union. Parents are having increasingly more problems with finding adequate kindergartens for their children in the capital. Much to the chagrin of Warsaw’s authorities, the metro is laughable. An underground with one line and a handful of stops is most certainly not sufficient for a city the size of Warsaw. Finally, Poland’s capital may seem to have a rich assortment of cultural events but these are miniscule compared with cities like Prague, Vienna or Berlin.

Things to Do
What is most important is the fact that Varsovians, Warsawites, call them what you will, can have a big say in how Warsaw will look in the future. Even though I’ve only lived in this city for a few years I’ve been visiting Warsaw since I was a child. This city is completely different to the one I remember as a young lad. First of all, there was nothing to do in Warsaw a few decades ago. The city was a mass of grey and dirty blocks of flats. Now, at least, a whole palette of different colours has splashed onto the cityscape; cinemas, restaurants and bars fill the streets and there are more smiling faces around. All it takes is for people to care. Communism meant that nobody gave a damn. Now, people want to put flowers in their balconies and keep the streets tidy. It may not be much, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Top Ten Cities
For those of you who are interested, the top ten cities in the world with regard to living standards are:

1. Vienna, Austria
2. Zurich, Switzerland
3. Geneva, Switzerland
4. Vancouver, Canada
5. Auckland, New Zealand
6. Dusseldorf, Germany
7. Munich, Germany
8. Frankfurt, Germany
9. Bern, Switzerland
10. Sydney, Australia

Note how many are in Europe!

Magna Graecia

Italian Greece

As many of you may have guessed by now, I have an unquenched curiosity for history and minority languages. Whilst on my travels, I had the august pleasure of visiting the city of Lecce in southern Italy and driving around the surrounding area (namely the pennisula of Salento) and the easterly parts of the province of Puglia. What strikes one about this area is its glorious natural beauty, breathtaking in a very literal sense; its delectable food and wine; and exquisitely rich culture.

Grecìa Salentina
Salento is a hidden gem for a number of reasons. Santa Maria di Leuca, the picturesque little town at the tip of the pennisula, witnesses the meeting of two seas: the Adriatic and the Ionian and, in a sense, symbolises the history and heritage of Salento. The Adriatic has always been equated with the Romans, the Italians and their respective cultures whereas the Ionian with the Greeks and their culture. Salento is a meeting of these two cultures.

Greek Union

κατεπανίκιον Ἰταλίας
The southern part of Italy, including Salento, had been colonised by the Greeks since the 8th century BCE, although some sources claim that there was a Greek presence in Italy as early as the 7th century BCE. Southern Italy was a part of the Byzantine Empire for several centuries and, as such, experienced a large influx of Greek speakers. The Catepanate of Italy, as it was called, then witnessed the formation of a distinct Greek community.

Griko-Κατωιταλιώτικα
Although Salento is now thoroughly Italian, traces of its former Greek culture permeate to the surface. In several villages that lie between the city of Lecce and the town of Maglie, a dialect of Greek is still spoken today nearly a thousand years after the end of the reign of the last Italian Catepan, Mabrikias, in 1069. The Griko language centres around nine towns (united together in the Unione dei Comuni della Grecìa Salentina) in which some of their inhabitants speak Griko.

Minoranze Grike dell’Etnia Griko-Salentina
As always, numbers vary but there are said to be between 10,000 and 15,000 speakers of Griko (this includes Grecìa Salentina and Grecìa Calabra, in Calabria). Grecìa Salentina comprises the towns of Martano, Calimera, Corigliano d’Otranto, Soleto, Castrignano de’ Greci, Sternatia, Melpignano, Zollino and Martignano (in order of size) whereas there seem to be very few, if any, native speakers of Griko in Grecìa Calabra (around 2,000 speak the language here).

Estinzione linguistica
Fortunately, the EU seems to be supporting the language and the Italian parliament even recognises people of Griko-Salentinian ethnicity, which seems to be a rather quirky little construct. However, the future for Griko seems precarious. Grecìa Calabra is a lost linguistic community to all intents and purposes. Grecìa Salentina will, in effect, be the place where Griko makes its last stand. With a decreasing young population it could be difficult but the hope is that with EU support Griko might still live to fight another day.

Right-Wing Strikes Back

Eating Pie?

PiS head Jarosław Kaczyński has announced that the European Parliament will bear witness to a revolutionary change following the upcoming European elections. During a meeting of the party’s political council, the Law and Justice (PiS) leader announced that it had been decided that PiS will take part in a  project to create a new conservative grouping in the European Parliament.

MEPs Unite
Jarosław Kaczyński announced that MEPs of Law and Justice will be joined by Czech and British conservative MEPs to create this new right-wing organisation. The conservative group will come into being after the June elections to the European Parliament. Is this the start of something new? Of a change in national and European politics? Will we witness a shift to the right in some sections of the Euro-parliament? Does it matter?

Defenders Defend
The Law and Justice leader believes that in order to defend the national interests of one’s country within the EU, politicians need to be independent and be free of any outside pressure. He feels that the creation of a new conservative group will give these ‘defenders of national interests’ this much-needed independence. He also believes that this new group will not only be a significant player in Brussels but will be also keep a beady eye on what MEPs are really doing.

Eurosceptics Divide
Eurosceptics can perhaps be put into two groups. Those that will do anything to stop Brussels having a greater say in local matters and block any erosion of sovereignty, and those that will do anything to get as greater slice of the European pie as is possible. In Poland, the greatest Eurosceptics were members of Andrzej Lepper’s Self-Defence, who appeared to belong to the first group but once in power magically turned into the second. We all know that PiS advocates Euroscepticism; the question is whether this party (and the new conservative grouping) will advocate the first or second kind of Euroscepticism.

Making Sense of Easter

Christ Reborn / image (c) BBC

Easter is always a time for solemn introspection and for many Christians also a time for meditation on the true essence of religion, faith and the identity of Jesus Christ. In order to understand the nature of the Christ (and the nature of Christianity itself) our first task is to break the stereotypes that so often cloud our judgement. The historical figure of יֵשׁוּעַ or יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yeshua; Yahshuah) was in all probability not white, did not have blue eyes and had a typical near-East physiognomy. It’s about time we changed our vision of the man-God whose followers later changed the history of the world.

Canon & Apocrypha
The development of Christianity as a world religion is fascinating. The development of the texts that make up the core of Christian dogma is even more intriguing. Christian texts are often divided into canonical and apocryphal, with the former making up the texts found in the New Testament Bible, while the latter are the texts which have been relegated to ‘non-Bible’ status. Although authentic, apocryphal texts were simply not accepted by early Church leaders as part of the dogma of Jesus Christ. Interestingly, they reveal discrepancies in the very nature of the Christ, sometime subtle, sometimes radically different.

Nature of the Christ
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas reveals a young (five-year-old) Jesus who is quick to anger and mete out vengeance: “…[Jesus] was going through the village again and a running child bumped his shoulder. Becoming bitter, Jesus said to him, “You will not complete your journey.” Immediately, he fell down and died.” The Gospel of Mary Magdalene however reveals an almost Buddhist-like quality to the Christ: “The Saviour said, All nature, all formations, all creatures exist in and with one another, and they will be resolved again into their own roots. For the nature of matter is resolved into the roots of its own nature alone.”

Alternate Creation
In the Sophia of Jesus Christ, a completely different view of God and his son are presented by Jesus: “The Lord of the Universe is not called ‘Father’, but ‘Forefather’, the beginning of those that will appear, but he is the beginningless Forefather. Seeing himself within himself in a mirror, he appeared resembling himself, but his likeness appeared as Divine Self-Father… I want you to know that First Man is called ‘Begetter, Self-perfected Mind’. He reflected with Great Sophia, his consort, and revealed his first-begotten, androgynous son. His male name is designated ‘First Begetter, Son of God’, his female name, ‘First Begettress Sophia, Mother of the Universe’. Some call her ‘Love’. Now First-begotten is called ‘Christ’.”

Christianity Reborn
The Apocrypha reveal a Christ more complex in character and more powerful in stature. Some reveal a more human and emotional Jesus who gets angry, feels love, pain and attachment. In the Apocrypha, Jesus had his ‘favourite’ disciples: James and Mary Magdalene (not Paul) who he both calls ‘beloved’ and kisses each on the mouth. This is a Jesus Christ  who, after rising from the dead, did not wind up his activities but “spent eleven years speaking with his disciples” (Pistis Sophia). He is radically different from the Jesus found in the canonical works of modern Christianity. This is a Christ from a very different cosmogony. If this is the case, could the real Christ please stand up?