19/11/2006 9:14:05 pm
Debate at Trinity College. Ireland is fantastic. Hospitable, beautiful, historic, yet young and dynamic. Anyway, I was scheduled to speak Thursday evening at The University Philosophical Society at Trinity College. Chairman of the meeting was Dr Garret Fitzgerald, former Irish Prime Minister, an impressive reformer now 84 years old and still going strong. The two other speakers were Maurice Hayes, Senator, and Denis O′Leary, former Deputy Secretary-General of the EU Commission.

A leading member of the Society, Trevor Bream Browne, a student, presented a paper about why he believed that European integration has gone too far. Then, we each did our speeches. My message was that integration of governments and policicians has gone too far, but integration of people, cultures and companies has not gone far enough. We need a Union of liberation, that tears down borders in order to increase free integration, not a Union of regulation that attempts to introduce a failed big government model all over Europe.

A fascinating place. Over 100 people present, and they were allowed to interrupt with questions or protests. A real, classic, debating society. We don′t have that tradition in Sweden, which we should have. The views were many, the arguments very different and it was all very intense and in a good mood. But the paper was, eventually, voted down with a broad margin.