Voter approvals of leaders mean nothing except that the leader is giving the bogans what they want in the way of handouts. Unfortunately, it's the lefty leaders of once centre right parties who are giving stuff away to these bogans. In our own country, the Ad Man has not just convinced these bogans that he has saved them from the China virus, he is also chucking money at them on a level never dreamed of by Labor. The one qualification for politics? The ability to manipulate people. And nobody fits that job description more than the Ad Man does. I wonder how many customers he conned before he went into politics.

Mr Opinion: "Which is interesting because the EU was always meant to be a political unification to prevent the USSR from dominating the continent and not for the purpose of free trade."

Well Wikipedia would disagree: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union and so would most people with an interest in world affairs who are older than say 50+. Since anyone born before 1970 has lived during the whole existence of the EU (established in 1993) and also a very large chunk of EU's immediate predecessors' history (withthe EEC/ECSC formed in the early 1950's).

These treaties and their respective governing/bureaucratic bodies were not formed explicitly due solely to the threat of the USSR. However ones like NATO were.

The desire for of a more unified European economic area and politic goes back millennia to the first European union ie., the Roman Empire. And ever since the fall of the western half of the emprie there have been numerous efforts (usually through war but sometimes peacetime diplomacy) over the centuries to re-establish tighter integration. All the previous attempts that covered any decent proportion of the area of the current EU have never lasted long (eg: the Napoleon Empire).

Oh, yeah something I forgot to mention above: the USSR collapsed in 1991 which his is BEFORE the EU was established by the Maastrict Treaty in 1993.

But of course since Mr Opinion is Austrlia's greatest intellectual with four degrees. Highlighting of course those in the Arts covering areas as sociology, history, etc. He of course knew this didn't he?

Also, to be fair, I mentioned the Roman Empire being Europe first Union. Really it was broader in scope than that of course since it stretched down below the Mediterranean Sea to Africa and also a long way East/South-East into the Middle East/Central Asia. But it didn't go as far North/North East as modern Europe (eg: didn't have much control beyond the "Limes Germanicus" which is basically the Rhine and Danube) nor West (since didn't include Ireland, Icleand, etc.)

thinkabit,

It is obvious that you have no training in history because most of what you have just said is gobbledygook.

But you do take an interest and try to work things out albeit based on a modicum of knowledge, which I do admire you for doing.

Mr Opinion. You don't need to having formal university training in history to know it. All all need to do is read it.

If you have had training, as you often claim, then I'd be interested to know which institution you studied at because your claims about the EU and USSR are complete rubbish. As I pointed out: the EU came into existence AFTER the USSR collapsed (ie: at no point did both the EU and USSR exist contemporaneously). So it is ridiculous to make the claim that the EU is the "political unification to prevent the USSR from dominating the continent and not for the purpose of free trade." It is simply a crazy, illogical statement about history to make- on the level of runner's (where is he lately?) or Ozspen's claims about science.

But more than this, the history of the EU is very recent (has I pointed out already- it come into existence in 1993) so if you are middle aged then you should have lived through it! If 40+ you don't even need to read recent history books, all you need to have have done is watch/listen to news broadcasts to know it. If you didn't know the simple facts that the USSR dissolved in 1991 and the EU formed in 1993 then you must have lived a very, very sheltered/distant from western society life since both events were given saturation coverage in the media at the time.

thinkabit,

The EU has its roots in the 1950s and eventually evolved into the EU in the 1990s.

Is that what you are trying to say?

I'm sure like everyone you were taught some history in primary and secondary schools but one needs to do it at university where it really counts if one wants to claim one knows history. Which obviously you will never be able to you.