Protests against water charges in Ireland, 2015.

For the first five years of the euro-zone economic crisis, the attention of the media and European public was focused on Greece. Every development, strike, protest, fault or scandal was reported by most major media organizations in the continent.

So much that people almost forget that this crisis was not confined in Greece only. It has affected most countries in Europe, especially those in the eurozone. Yet while we have had a detailed portrayal or all events in Greece, we rarely had any information on how other countries are responding to austerity.

In 2015, Ireland has seen an unprecedented amount of its citizens, joining anti-austerity protests. What triggered the demonstrations was the introduction of water charges, which are part of the austerity policies that Ireland had to adopt, under its bailout plan.

Various anti-austerity, Left-wing platforms or community groups, have joined and initiated the protests, which started about a year ago. They were all driven by an “austerity fatigue”, plus a growing feeling of injustice, where people were called to bail-out financial institutions.

The protests came to the fore of public attention, with a protest of around 100,000 people in Dublin on 11 October last year. People across the country were involved, from all backgrounds. The latest one took place on August the 29th, in which some 80,000 people participated.

For someone that does not live in Ireland, a protest against water charges may seem odd. Every nation in Europe has already introduced water bills decades ago. In addition, Irish people will enjoy the cheapest charges in Europe for water. So why do they protest?

The water charges debate is not anything new in the country. It has been going on for decades and in fact in the past, water charges were introduced and then abolished by previous governments.

The situation was always a complex one, with local authorities and the elected government of each given period engaging in negotiations, leading to various agreements.

From introducing council service charges or “double taxation” as some named them, to payments through local government funds, governments tried to come up with solutions.

One Irish political figure, who is extremely vocal on the issue, is Paul Murphy. The former Member of the European Parliament is now a TD for the Anti-Austerity Alliance in the Dail (Irish Parliament).

Paul explains that there has never been a separate charge for water in Ireland; it has been paid through general central taxation. He believes that its use should be remitted through progressive taxation like income, wealth and corporation tax, rather than regressive indirect taxes like water charges.

“Charges like these will penalize those who have the least the most, whereas those who have the most would barely feel the charge,” he says.

“The Irish public is also opposed to the charges, because they think they are a precursor to making water a commodity and then privatizing their water infrastructure,” Paul describes.

He adds that people are involved heavily in the protests, because they have had seven years of vicious austerity. Which amounted to €31 billion of extra cuts and taxes, thus the timing of the introduction of the charges is bad.

“The government announced a recovery that few experience, plus they wanted to continue with austerity in the form of these water charges. The accumulated anger over the course of the crisis, exploded on this issue,” Paul notes.

The protests have been enormously successful so far, being the biggest social movement in decades. They forced the government to make significant concessions, delaying the charge and reducing it significantly, trying to convince people to pay it.

“Most importantly, the movement has succeeded in having 57% of people refuse to pay the water charges, despite months of propaganda and scaremongering,” explains Paul.

Left-wing groups, including the Anti-Austerity Alliance are heavily involved, but it has also created a whole new activist layer in a society of thousands of people.

“The political elite are scared of the anti-water charges movement. They thought they had gotten through the crisis without major social movements and political radicalization. Now they face both on this issue.” Paul describes.

“Their response has been an unprecedented level of state repression. People are arrested daily for protesting against water meters,” he notes.

The largest demonstrations have seen up to 200,000 protesters joining in a series of regional initiatives. Over 50% of them according to surveys have never been involved in protests before.

Although there are not active links with other movements across Europe, there is a widespread sentiment of solidarity with other working people across Europe. For example, during the anti-water charges protests, many of the protesters were holding Greek flags.

“In Ireland just as in Greece and Spain, the traditional establishment parties have been significantly undermined. There is a rise in support for left-wing and socialist parties like the Anti-Austerity Alliance,” says Paul.

But why Ireland has escaped the focus of the European media, regarding such protests? “The defeat of the Syriza government, under the pressure of incredible and undemocratic bullying by the EU, is used by the Right in Ireland to undermine the Left” he explains.

“There is a big lie surrounding Ireland; that it is the success story of austerity and that people accepted it. The Irish government and the European authorities are complicit in this, each for their own purpose,” Paul describes.

“For the Irish government, it means a pat on the back by the EU Commission. For the EU authorities, it provides a stick to beat the people of Greece with, showing that supposedly austerity works,” he adds.

“The movement around water charges explodes that lie and doesn’t fit with the narrative that is shared by the establishments across Europe. That is why what is happening in Ireland, is not largely reported,” Paul concludes.

Ireland had a general election within the next eight months after the protests and with widespread non-payment, the water charges were a key issue which heavily influenced the outcome. There was be immense pressure on the next government, to abolish water charges and Irish Water.

Eventually, the government was defeated and IRISH WATER has begun repaying customers on their water charges from Monday 20 November 2017. President Michael D Higgins signed the Water Services Bill 2017 into law, clearing the way for water charges to be repaid. (The Journal)

This article was written originally by me in 2015 and was exclusively published for OneEurope. Now I have decided to include it and republish it on my own blog. 

Why closer relations between Europe and Russia could be beneficial.

Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, recently raised the prospect of action against Russia as a reaction to the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Salisbury, England. The UK government has blamed the poisoning on Russia.

Speaking in Brussels, he said his Government would consider whether to expel Russian diplomats in Dublin over the coming days in solidarity with the UK’s retaliatory response. (Irish Times)

At least 10 other EU nations, expressed the same intentions, in support towards the United Kingdom. Member states understood to be preparing to oust diplomats include France, Germany, Poland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Denmark. (The Guardian)

In response, the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, accused the UK of trying to make “the crisis with Russia as deep as possible”. In London they “are feverishly trying to force allies to take confrontational steps”, he told reporters on a visit to Hanoi. (The Guardian).

It seems that the Cold War mentality together with "Russophobia," hasn't left Europe yet. And although our continent is right to be wary of any foreign intervention and meddling, we must also remember that not just Russia, but even our ally the USA was spying on EU and our governments a few years back.

Understandably, Western societies have more to fear after the Putin's administration treatment of Ukraine and Georgia, which were both a mistake. If he is willing to invade its neighbors in order to protect the Russian communities or interests there, then the Russians must understand how other former Soviet states that now joined the EU and their allies, feel towards their leadership.

The problem here is, that we are in reality in steep competition with an increasingly confident and ambitious Russia and that understandably poses certain challenges for Europe. Although it shouldn't if Europe realizes that its strength should be its unity and coordination against all "foreign meddlers," allied or not. 

However, in the case of Russia, Europe insists on maintaining a very awkward relationship. We are in competition with other powers too, like China, India or even the USA itself, yet we haven't developed such hostility towards them. One will naturally think, that we haven't had such attacks by any of the other blocks, like that from Russia. But do we know for certain that it was them? We only have the UK government claims after all.

An administration who convinced us in the past about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, in order to invade and destabilize the region, while nothing was found after all. It was a lie and an excuse to proceed with the US plans in the Middle East. Not that Russia is not capable of doing something like this, it has done so before. Yet we should keep an open mind, about the real motives from either side. 

European and American attitudes towards Russia were always aiming to keep them out of our continent. And not just that. We always wanted to prevent them from developing again as a power, trying to keep them down, blaming them for everything and portray them as the boogeyman from the East that wants to destroy our societies. 

In reality, we have much more in common with Russia, than many other countries in the world. The Russian Federation is a union of many regions, that span across Eurasia, comprised of a variety of ethnic and religious groups. Overall, about 160 ethnicities reside in its territory.

They have managed to deal with a problem that Europe is facing increasingly too, that of how to integrate such large and diverse populations. They have been doing it for far longer than us, although their methods are very different and often not compatible with our values.

While Europe is choosing a more open and liberal approach, Russia, on the other hand, was always more authoritarian. Historically they did better with a strong leader, an authority figure like a Tsar or a Soviet ruler to unite them, than referendums and a more open democratic process. 

Yet they have succeeded in certain challenges far better than us, so Europe could indeed take a few pages out of their book if it is indeed planning to become more federal. Besides, total freedom and liberalism have their own challenges. How do you stop a region from breaking away, or win a referendum to leave or join the EU? 

If we think about it, Europe has chosen a different yet more difficult route to federalization and it hasn't always been successful. The Catalan referendum and how Spain and the EU have managed it, Brexit and Norway's reluctance to fully commit or join the EU, showcase the challenges that our kind of democracy is facing. 

Russia has opted to create its own unique political reality, that is to a large extend democratic and federal indeed, yet it relies on a strong dominant figure that is its president. They vote for local governments and presidents, in addition to the central one and the country's president.

Yet their participation in the federal or presidential elections, is much higher than the European Parliament elections. In Europe, we are still trying to figure out if we need a president, or which of our many existing ones will take this role; the EU Commission, Council or Parliament president? And although to us seems totally illegitimate the way Vladimir Putin is dominating the country's politics for two decades, the majority of Russians do feel that he is very appropriate to lead the country to a new era of influencing the world.

Russia has solved in its own unique way, its presidential role problem as well as many others. Oil-rich regions like that of the Tatarstan Republic, are financially supporting Russia's less prosperous regions. Just like it happens in EU, yet without all the populism, discontent and quarreling that we witness between the European states. Russian states enjoy fiscal union, something that Europe cannot agree on. 

Financial support and transfers from rich nations to the new poorer ones, is always a thorny issue in EU and a reason why Brexit happened; or why countries like Norway or Switzerland chose to stay outside the block. Europeans always argue about who pays what and how much. In contrast, the Russian republics are more inclined to find a consensus. 

In most regions, like this of Tatarstan's capital Kazan, they have managed to integrate two large religious groups, Orthodox Christians and Muslims, to live side by side peacefully. Something that Europe could also take a closer look at, since it is increasingly becoming more diverse on religious grounds. 

Yet the most astonishing achievement of the Russian Federation that could be applied in Europe, is the motivation, inclusion and mobilization of its youth. The Young Guards of Russia, may be Putin's United Russia's youth political branch, but it has become the backbone of the country's civil society. 

They are well supported and financed by the government, organized and able to collaborate with politicians, both from their own country and abroad, influencing their decisions. They are also able to lobby, organize events, invite and work with foreign NGOs and diplomats, in order to promote their country's interests or develop their skills and promote their careers.

Any young person can become a member of the Young Guards, but it is not compulsory to stay or become a member of the party. This is a platform that young people can explore their political identity, network and become active members of their country's civil society. 

Something that Europe has failed to achieve collectively. Even Erasmus, our continent's most important youth program, was considered for abolishment when the economic crisis hit our member states. We need to realize the importance of youth involvement in the European project. Instead, we still believe that encouraging their active participation in the European institutions through education or civic platforms, is EU propaganda, brainwashing, and indoctrination.

If we want to create a pan-European civil society, we have to target Europe's youth and include them, give them the same opportunities and financial support as Russia is offering its own. Young people are the future after all and as things stand, Europe's youth has become increasingly apathetic towards the continent's politics, national or collective European.

In addition to all the above, Russia is reaching out to all emerging regions of the world, indiscriminately. While Europe and America prefer to impose sanctions against any country that does not fill their political, social or financial criteria and standards, Russia is not bothered by all that.

During my stay in Russia for the country's Presidential Elections in March, I've met diplomats and delegates from all over the world; Africa, Nepal, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Europe. Not just the political leadership of the country, but also its youth organizations, are reaching out and trying to reinforce the importance of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) group as a global player, to counterpart Western dominance in the world. 

And while America chooses to withdraw and scorns nations such as Mexico, Russia is reaching out and is attracting young politicians and diplomats from this country and beyond. If America prefers to build walls and does not want to engage with Mexico, then its youth has found another country to aspire for future cooperation and support. How can this be any good for American politics?

Outside the city of Kazan, I  have visited Innopolis (from the word innovation and the Greek polis, which means city), a brand new settlement and notably the country's smallest municipality, that has big ambitions. It wants to become the Russian Silicon Valley, to compete but also cooperate with those of America and Europe. Its inhabitants work on IT development and many of the country's online platforms are increasingly based there.

It is evident that Russia thinks big and wants to become a major player in the globe, leaving behind its old image of a reclusive, closed society. I have experienced a great amount of hospitality, ambition and keenness to showcase all that this country has to offer, by nobody else but its own youth. 

They want to reach out and rebuild their country's image, not as a backwater has-been super-power, but a nation that is dynamic and able to attract investments inwards. Young Russians do not always understand the bad press their country is receiving abroad, especially in Western counties. They read two totally different reports about the events that happen in their country.

In reality, the truth stands somewhere in the middle. Things are not as bad as we in the West portray them, even though Russia is indeed facing certain challenges. We are just threatened by Russia's increasing assertiveness and want to keep it out of our affairs. 

Yet we should really change our attitude towards our neighbor. If we cooperate with them, we could achieve much more than by being constantly at each other's throats. We could learn a few things from them on youth engagement and empowerment, while we could teach them not to be afraid of a more liberal approach to social issues and politics.

But this won't be achieved with constant sanctions and the expulsion of diplomats. That will be reached by closer ties and collaboration. Although one would wonder if that is what our leadership really wants, or it has a different agenda.

Albeit we eventually clash over the in-between nations like Ukraine, on which block they will join or belong to, the decision will ultimately be their own and all we have to do is offer a better deal than Russia. But that will come once we sort our own backyard first, rather trying to throw stones at our neighbor's. 

In the future, we will live in a more multipolar world, one which Western monopolies will diminish. Even Africa is building its very own single market and free trade agreement, considering a single currency too. If they are successful in their goals, they will create a far larger market in the world, with more than a billion people, mostly young. 

Other big "players" like Russia, India and China, are rushing to increase their influence in Africa, plus across the world. Can Europe still think that others must play by its own rules in order to collaborate, stick strictly to the Euro-Atlantic alliance, or exclude countries like Russia because they pose a threat or competition? 

What do the Russian Presidential Elections in March 2018, mean for Europe.

On Sunday the 18th of March, voters throughout the Russian Federation rallied to elect their president. As it was expected, Vladimir Putin won these elections, with a whopping 76% of the votes.

While the West was caught up in the Sergei Skripal poisoning case a week before the elections, or the alleged rigging of the voting procedure by government officials after, Putin managed to win yet again.

Despite all efforts from outside and within the country, Russian people seem to have found a figure who as they believe, is the best man to promote Russia's interests abroad. Resulting of course, in his reign in the country for nearly two decades.

We need to understand and accept that Russia is not a Western-style democracy, thus we can not expect them to act like one by force. When we apply sanctions, or ridicule and criticise their country, we only reinforce their support for the establishment.

Something that was indeed confirmed by Andrei Kondrashov, Putin's campaign spokesman. “Turnout is higher than we expected, by about 8-10 percent, for which we must say thanks to Great Britain,” he stated. (Financial Times)

One would indeed wonder why would Putin proceed with an attack on foreign soil, just before the presidential elections, since it would obviously result in further sanctions by Britain and its allies, plus a serious diplomatic incident.

If his administration's aim was to mobilize their voters in this way, then Britain mistakenly just helped them achieve this by over-reacting. Or perhaps the attack was instigated by Mr. Putin's enemies, either within Russia or abroad in an effort to stop him from gaining power once more. Then again, they achieved quite the opposite of what they aimed.

I was in Russia during the elections and observed the process in the city of Kazan, in the Tatarstan Republic. Prior to the elections I also visited Moscow, where I spoke with some locals about their view of the events and expectations for the outcome.

The city of Kazan and the Republic of Tatarstan as a whole, were always voting traditionally for the United Russia party. Consequently, Putin is very popular there despite this time running as an independent, in order to avoid legal impediments that could stand in the way of his nomination or election. Therefore it was expected that he would win in this state.

However, the overall Russian public rushed in support of Putin, only partially disappointed about Europe's stance towards their country. "Over 20 million Russians were killed for European freedom from fascism during WW2," some stated, expressing their discontent about their country's image in the rest of the continent.

The issues they were truly voting for, had nothing to do with Britain or any of the Western democracies' actions. They were electing the next president of their country, with the main focus on his government, the choice of the next prime minister, the boosting of the Russian economy and strengthening of the county's role in the world.

A major factor was also the outcome in Crimea, which many saw it as a second secession from Ukraine referendum, that could lead to its full incorporation into Russia. If Putin is elected there, that could signal the Crimean people's wish to be part of Russia for good.

It was the first presidential elections in the region and thus of specific interest to the Russian people. In the end, the participation in the elections there exceeded the 71% mark, with 92.15% voting for Putin. Sealing naturally the Crimea's fate, according to Russia at least.

From my experience, the elections in Kazan were orderly and organized. There are two cameras in every voting station, which record all day during the voting and the counting process. In the stations, there was a very communal sense and atmosphere, with markets or fairs being organized selling local products at lower prices, in order to motivate voters to attend.

In each station, there were observers from every political party in Russia, plus many independent ones that traditionally volunteer for the elections. You could also see some foreign observers, usually from other former Soviet republics. Everybody was calm and friendly, with music often also added in order to create a very positive and joyful atmosphere.

However the next day of the elections and the announcement of Putin's victory, western media were reporting images from a widespread rigging of the process. One, of course, could be baffled how would people attempt to place some extra votes in the ballot box, while knowing that there are cameras recording and that they are live on the government's website broadcasting the process.

It doesn't make sense if you are a Putin supporter to do this deliberately, when you want to give your support for him and his cause. Or perhaps those who were caught wanted to rig the voting process on purpose, in an effort to discredit it? We will never know. However in Kazan things were pretty smooth although understandably, that does not mean that they were so all over Russia.

The people I conversed with in Moscow for instance, did not deny that these occurrences are common, but according to them they only happen to about 1% of the electoral centers. Yet somehow these cases are uploaded on national social media and picked by international news agencies, giving a very distorted image about the elections in Russia.

Perhaps trying to grasp this opportunity and explain how Putin wins every time. Well, what I witnessed is pure admiration and adoration for him by many ordinary Russians, since what they see in him is the restoration of the country's prestige.

Additionally, the country's political mentality differs greatly from the Western one. This is a nation that was a super-power for most of its time, plus it was always inclined to favor a more authoritarian establishment, than a fully democratic.

It is a vast state, comprised of numerous regions, inhabited by many ethnic groups of different religion and race. In order to give this diverse populous nation unity, you need either an authoritarian regime or a very strong central government in order to keep it together.

From its Tsardom to the Communism and Soviet era, Russia opted for authoritarianism so that it could keep all these different populations in order and give them a sense of unity and belonging. It is by no chance that Putin's party is called "United Russia" and it is very popular in the country.

Russia suffered a humiliation with the collapse of the Soviet Union, which saw it losing a large number of its former territories. And one thing that Russians wish to see above all is unity, security plus stability in the remainder of their territories and the relaunching of Russia's influence in the world.

And it is not necessarily by recapturing the old territories, rather by reaching out to new allies and promoting its influence with trade and networking. Russia is a keen supporter of the BRICS group of countries, intensively collaborating with nations that the West views as problematic, of poor economic development or not democratic.

Their need for unity and prevention of another region breaking or slipping away from their sphere of influence, is the main reason why some absurd actions are taken or laws adopted. In order to accommodate all ethnic groups or communities, of which some are ultra-conservative, the Russian establishment does not hesitate to implement legislation that does not comply with western mentality.

Like the Anti-Gay Propaganda Law, or the restriction of the freedom of the press and the Kremlin's critics. Absolute liberalism can pose a challenge, in a diverse nation that is still recovering from major economic, political and social changes that it went through during the past few decades. And I don't think that Russia is totally prepared for such thing just yet.

One example is, of course, that of Alexei Navalny, the Russian lawyer who openly challenges Putin and his government on corruption and the lack of freedom of speech. Some westerners hoped that he could make a difference in these elections, yet he was barred from participating in these elections, after he was detained in Moscow facing a number of charges.

In reality, I doubt that he could have a real impact, although he could have brought down Putin's percentage a bit. According to the Kremlin, he is a populist, no different than the Five Star Movement in Italy, or numerous others across Europe. And like most of these rising political movements, his aim is to gather support and gain power and legitimacy, by criticising the establishment.

However, Russia is not Italy or any other European country. Proof of that is the support for Putin in these elections, despite what happened to Navalny and even if all of his claims were true. Imagine if the Italian government jailed Beppe Grillo or barred him from participating in the elections, I doubt that the Italian public would vote afterwards so overwhelmingly for the establishment parties.

Navalny maybe fighting the good cause, or he may indeed be a populist and opportunist, but the West cannot rely on him to bring down or expose the Russian establishment and Putin, or change Russia overnight. The support for him before the elections was low, only polling at about 2% of the intended votes.

He is simply not too convincing or popular to have any real impact on the Russian electorate just yet, although any effort to expose corruption should be applauded. Additionally, many Russians see their country as a counterpart factor to America's dominance in the globe.

They view Putin as the only person that can help their country achieve this, that is why he is so popular among them and in fact, so unpopular in the West. Because he shows total disregard towards Western agendas or interests, often challenging them.

In addition, Russia is keen to keep western meddling media or governments away from their affairs, practically not caring about what they write or say about the country. And why should it? Europe and America often did the same, by starting wars in the Middle East despite the United Nations' objection, or interfering in elections, referendums, country dissolutions and everything else that we accuse Russia of.

We are indeed entering in a new form of a cold war, but this time it is different. It is not just Russia, but many other regions that are competing with us for dominance and a greater say in the world's economy and politics. That is not something that should scare us, as long as we have our house in order and establish a strong, united European continent. It could lead to a more equal world, rather the imbalanced one we have at the moment.

However, the more we maintain a rift with Russia, the more we give power to Putin or others like him in the country. In reality, this struggle is a power game between America and the Russians for world dominance. Due to our ideological fraternity with the USA, we stand with them yet we forget that we are the ones which have borders with Russia and many of our states, used to be under their sphere of influence.

It is not in our interests to be constantly following America in its foreign policy, while keeping the Russians outside. By closely cooperating with them, it doesn't mean that we are becoming their subordinates, rather realizing the changes that are taking place on the world stage. We are entering a multi-polar world and we should be "playing" with all parties, most importantly those who we share borders with and depend upon for our energy needs.

Vladimir Putin will stay in power for another six years and he will continue to expand his country's influence, like any leader should do. Instead of trying to slander him and his government, it would be wiser to see how can we turn Russia into a friendly state. At some stage, even Putin will have to retire from politics, due to an old age. Yet who succeeds him and what attitude will he have towards Europe, will be also of our doing.

Immigration made us who we are; so why are Europeans still afraid of it?

Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán has claimed “Christianity is Europe’s last hope” in his latest escalation of populist rhetoric ahead of April’s elections.

The Prime Minister warned “dark clouds are gathering” as he accused politicians in Brussels, Berlin and Paris of facilitating “the decline of Christian culture and the advance of Islam”.

Speaking at the 20th annual state of the nation, he also outlined government plans to oppose UN and European efforts to make migration acceptable to the world and continue his fight against what he believes is an “Islamisation” of Europe.

He also claimed with mass immigration, especially from Africa, “our worst nightmares can come true. The West falls as it fails to see Europe being overrun.” (The Independent)

Mr. Orban is not the only person in Europe to have such views, yet he is the most vocal head of state and openly calls for what many people in our continent are thinking. Immigration is a very challenging subject, that has polarized European societies for decades. 

It is a phenomenon that alters the fabric or the continent's population and that for many, together with all the challenges and changes it brings, poses a threat; to our traditions, culture, ethnicity, race, religion and in fact, everything we've known until now.

Understandably, many have become skeptical and in combination with badly adopted economic policies and financial troubles, immigrants have become once again scapegoats. It is true that immigration poses certain challenges and requires proper handling, that should be reflected in each country's relative policies.

Many Western European nations have made some mistakes in such legislations, plus often failed to integrate their migrant population to a certain degree. But countries like Hungary have the advantage of learning from their failures and instead of opposing immigration altogether, they can embrace it correctly.

In addition, it is odd that politicians like Orban are more concerned about the "darkening" of Europe, but not for its "greying" or population decline. Most experts agree that our continent and especially its eastern regions, will experience a substantial population drop.

So perhaps instead of using populism to incite hatred towards migrant communities, exploiting the public's fears on the issue for electoral gains, it would be better to come with solutions to turn immigration into a win-win situation. 

Not just Hungary but Europe as a continent, ought to really start creating functioning immigration policies, together with family planning that will include further gender equality roles. For this, we could get inspiration from a non-EU state, Iceland. 

In the small Nordic nation, equal rights start at home. Men and women are entitled to three months parental leave each per child, plus an additional three months to share between them. (Euronews) That is something that could be adopted by most EU states, to help European couples starting and keeping families with ease.

Another point we could work on, is the East-West divide on economic and social terms. The old EU states are more advanced on these spheres, causing an influx of migrants from the new members towards their western counterparts.

That only increases xenophobia in Western Europe, resulting in negative outcomes such as Brexit, but it also contributes to a brain-drain and population decline in the Eastern part of the continent. 

In 2000, Latvia’s population stood at 2.38 million. At the start of this year, it was 1.95 million. No other country has had a more precipitous drop — 18.2 percent according to U.N. statistics. (Politico.eu) Most other Eastern European nations, face similar challenges and population decline.

The EU needs to close the economic disparities in the block and start investing in the East, in order to keep its population there and thriving. Thus, harmonizing the eurozone's economies is crucial for the future. 

But not only that. People do not flee the new EU states solely for economic reasons, but social too. And by having a very conservative political elite, like that in Hungary or Poland, is actually counterproductive for the region's economic and social catch-up with the rest of the continent.

Thus populist leaders such as Orban, might not be the best choice to deal with Hungary's problems in the long term. Besides, it is funny to hear such rhetoric from a country that is located in a region that has been a crossroad and a melting pot of peoples and civilizations for centuries.

Europe has a rich variety of cultures because of immigration. Hungary, in particular, is a mixture of cultures, as well as peoples. Its language is not even Indo-European rather it belongs to the Finno-Ugric and Uralic linguistic family, meaning it originated further afield in Eurasia, rather in Central Europe. 

Each European nation is comprised of numerous ethnic and cultural elements. What would Ireland and Britain be without their Viking heritage? Or Spain and Portugal without their Germanic or Arabic one? Italy without its Greek heritage in the south of the country, or Greece without its Jewish influence from the populations expelled from Spain? 

Recently a team of researchers in Britain, made a shocking discovery. The bones of the oldest near-complete human skeleton ever found in Britain, named as the "Cheddar Man," had its DNA tested, taken from bone powder by drilling a hole through the skull. It showed there was a 76 percent chance that Cheddar Man was of ‘dark to black’ skin tone and having blue eyes. (Daily Mail)

Although the findings cannot be 100 percent accurate, it throws a light on human immigration in the European continent. For millennia, different groups from different regions, found their way into Europe. Recorded migrations come from the Middle East, Africa and Eurasia, all taking place at different times and in waves.

It is almost certain that not all of them belonged to the same race or ethnic group, or even to the same species. It has been known for a while that all populations outside of Africa, have a small percentage of Neaderthal DNA, that has been acquired by modern humans while interbreeding with our cousins. 

So to be so frightened by immigration while all humans are a product of it, ethnologically or culturally is absurd. It is not like we are going to open the borders and "allow everybody in," as many nationalists fear. That would be disastrous both socially and economically. 

Yet if we manage to implement the appropriate policies that will allow the right number and type of immigrants that we need, plus laws that will help European couples across the continent to have families and equal living standards, then immigration could provide solutions for the future.

We should not give in to fear, racism or xenophobia. Europeans have migrated all over the world over the centuries, altering and shaping it. In the future, we should also help to influence a more integrated and interconnected world, by establishing open societies, inclusive and equal for all its inhabitants. 

Eliminating global inequality, would take the pressure off Europe's societies to accept more migrants in. But for this to be achieved, it will take the reformation of most trade deals that our continent has conducted, especially with its former colonial subjects. 

That could be the legacy that our generation of Europeans will leave to the world. It is definitely better than a chauvinist, xenophobic and nationalistic one, sure we have tried this before with disastrous consequences. Perhaps it is time to change our priorities for the future. 

America’s addiction to weapons is contagious.

Recently the world was shocked by yet another school gun attack in the USA. On the afternoon of February 14, 2018, a mass shooting occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Seventeen people were killed and fourteen more were taken to hospitals, making it one of the world's deadliest school massacres. The suspected perpetrator, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, was identified by witnesses and arrested shortly afterward.

Since then a huge debate has grabbed the American nation, on the need to reform the laws that secure the right to bear arms in their country. One of the proponents for the right to bear arms is the National Rifle Association and its political wing, the NRA Institute for Legislative Action.

The NRA has been described as one of the largest and most powerful political lobby groups in the United States. In America, it is easier to buy a gun than certain kinds of medication, which in Europe and the rest of the world can be sold in any pharmacy.

The lobbies that support the "right" to bear arms are of course trying to protect the interests of a thriving industry. America is investing heavily in arms manufacturing and its substantial military budget. If you invest so much in an industry, your economy depends on it, thus making harder to proceed with necessary changes, when incidents such as these occur. 

Consequently, reforms are very hard to achieve without huge sacrifices: jobs cuts, protests from the newly unemployed and most importantly the "grilling" from the industry elites, that will have their income reduced and their lifelong investment won't be as profitable.

But why should we, in Europe and the rest of the world be bothered about a seemingly internal, political, economic, cultural or social issue of another country? Because America’s addiction to weapons is contagious.

By establishing a very profitable industry and cementing its importance as one of the pillars of US industry, we understand why America is always in a state of war; either with external threats or with internal attack incidents, such as these.

In addition, in order to increase the profits, this industry is always seeking for new customers and markets, both in the US and abroad. So there is absolutely no way that their lobby will accept a change in US policy on the right to bear arms.

It will take a very strong-willed President to clash with this group and do the right thing. And so far, no American leader ever dared to do so. Sadly, the need to sell arms is not just limited to the US internal market.

America is one of the major exporters of weapons to other countries. So war and any hot conflict mean good business for them. And that is why the rest of the world should be bothered about America’s addiction to weapons.

In Greece we have to spend a large proportion of our GDP in importing arms from countries such as the USA, to protect ourselves from Turkey, a NATO ally of ours. Arms industry companies, corrupt Greek and other nations’ politicians, in order to proceed with sales of weapons that often are not needed.

Plus, is it any wonder that America is constantly in a state of war with other regions? If you produce so many weapons and guns and your internal market is not able to absorb all of them, you need to export your "goods." Thus having some regions in a constant state of conflict is crucial, to make sure they are dependent on your exports.

Invading other countries and maintaining a war there is also crucial, in order for one of your biggest industries to make more profits and thus helping your economy to grow. War is a profitable business, for such economic models.

It is poisoning generation after generation, on the necessity of war and weaponry. To achieve this, industries such as film movies, gaming and other entertainment platforms are used to accustom people to violence. 

Just watch any of the Hollywood action films and you will see how many models of guns and other weaponry are being "advertised" subconsciously to the audience. Carrying a gun, is considered so natural in some communities in the US that as a solution to the increasing number of innocent victims shot at schools, is seen to arm the teachers.

If such move is approved, we will have trigger-happy ex-military personnel educating the next generation of America’s youths! The circle of war and violence will never end.

Of course, they could be doing the obvious and ban, or at least limit the number of weapons that are allowed to circulate in the American society. But they just don’t want to accept it. As result, these tragic incidents will continue to happen throughout the US.

Sadly, it is not only the American people that will suffer or be affected, but the rest of us too. Regions such as the Middle East will never see peace and prosperity. Greece will continue to spend millions on weaponry, even if it doesn’t need it. Europe will continue to be at loggerheads with its neighbor Russia, over the establishment of missiles pointing at them. 

America, of course, is not the only country to be blamed. Its European counterparts and NATO allies, have also a fair share of the blame. Countries such as France and the UK are making profits from arms sales in countries that suffer from on-going conflicts.

It is a sad realization, that our civilization accepts the capitalization on human suffering, in order to maintain “economic growth.” Europe needs to step up and change this situation. Firstly it needs to lead by example, then lobby other countries and economic blocks of this world, to limit the production and trade of weapons. And yes, even America.

Our world does not need more weapons, rather people with a vision and the ability to debate and come up with solutions to humanity’s problems. And since most of them derive from violence, injustice, crime and conflict, using weapons to solve them is as absurd as employing a thief to protect your money.

The relevance of EU-NATO in Greece-Turkey relations.

It seems that EU hopefull and NATO member Turkey is on down-spiraling course, regarding its relationship with its neighbors, as well with USA and EU.

On Feb. 11, Cyprus announced that the Turkish military was holding exercises that blocked a ship operated by Italian oil and gas company Eni. Cyprus had hired the company to drill in its waters, which Turkey claims as its own. 

Then on Feb. 12, a Turkish patrol boat ran into a Greek coast guard ship that was anchored off the islands of Imia/Kardak, claimed by both Greece and Turkey. In response to both events, the European Union issued a statement asking Turkey to "refrain from any actions that might damage good neighborly" ties.

Seeming to acknowledge the EU request, both Greece and Turkey on Feb. 14 withdrew their ships from the Imia islets region in an effort to ease tensions. But the dispute between Cyprus and Turkey over the drilling blocks remains in play.(Stratfor Worldview)

Turkey's volatile relations with Greece and Cyprus is not anything new, but there is an oxymoron in this story. Both Greece and Turkey are technically allies in NATO. If two allied countries are hostile to each other, then what can be said about the legitimacy of this alliance? 

And while in the past Turkey has only been showing its hostility towards Greece, recently it has grown its confidence so much, that is even challenging the USA itself, as the recent developments in Syria show. 

Turkey’s current fight, against U.S.-backed Kurdish troops in the northwestern Syria territory of Afrin, is destabilizing enough. But the real risk will come if Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan follows through on his repeated promises to press further east toward the Kurdish-controlled and U.S.-patrolled city of Manbij. (Politico Magazine)

With his megalomania, plus because for years Turkey's actions were tolerated and supported by its US allies, Mr. Erdogan is turning against anyone, even America itself. Inspired by President Putin, who in fact he has become closer in recent years, Erdogan is jeopardizing Turkey's relationship with all its allies and has already shattered the country's hopes for EU membership. 

Until now, it was Greece and Cyprus that had to bear the cost of Turkey's erratic behavior. Greece, in particular, had to spend millions of its budget in defense, to protect itself from Turkey, its ally in NATO! 

Something that, of course, suited other big players of the alliance, like USA, France and the United Kingdom, all which were selling arms to Greece, enhancing their economies, while the Greek one suffered. The Greek-Turkish hostilities were being continued for decades, in order to perpetuate a situation that served the local elites, as well their international allies. 

By keeping the two countries in constant fear and competition with each other, international arms industries profited, while the nationalistic elements in both nations were satisfied, diverging the public opinion towards this constant threat, while other issues were being pushed under the carpet. 

And so we reached a stage that both countries are financially, politically and socially unstable, but while Greece is an EU member and gains some security and stability, Turkey, on the other hand, is going rogue at every direction. 

Here is a proof that Turkey's EU membership would be good, not for any other reason, but to bring the country under the control of Europe. NATO has been proven to be insufficient to keep Turkey in check, mainly because of America's foreign policy and interests in the region, which are not always for the benefit of Greece or Europe.

A strong and stable, united Europe with Turkey as a member, would be the only way to safeguard stability in the region and relief Greece and Cyprus from the burden of constant Turkish threats and insults. 

Yet, as Europe is evolving and hopefully with continue to evolve towards a more federal formation, the prospect of the Euro Army gives hope to Greece and Cyprus. As both countries have signed the PESCO Defence Cooperation, they have now an enhanced protection against Turkey's threats.

Ideally, Cyprus would be better in NATO, to gain some protection from Turkey. But as this is highly unlikely since Turkey does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus as a state, nor the Cypriot public opinion favors such move, then PESCO gives the small island nation access to European and NATO protection in the future. 

Since the European Army will be allied to NATO, it is a Cypriot entry into the alliance through the back door. The two allied armies will strengthen both Greece's and Cyprus' security and defense, something that perhaps annoys Turkey, thus it is acting up now, in order to make a point and remain relevant.

Turkey knows that on its western front things have changed and will continue to change. Bulgaria has also joined the EU and NATO ranks, while the rest of the Balkans are poised to do so in the next decade. 

Thus Turkey's elites are looking elsewhere to throw their weight around and satisfy their internal nationalistic elements. Europe and in fact NATO itself, if it wants to stay relevant in the European continent, must stand by Greece and Cyprus, trying in addition to bring Turkey back in their ranks. 

It is absurd for two allied nations to have such a bad relationship. It looks bad for NATO and diminishes its role and prestige. But in the end, if NATO fails, Europe can always rely on itself and PESCO, as it should have for years now. 

Hopefully, Mr. Erdogan and Turkey will realize where their interests are better served and reconcile their differences with their EU and NATO neighbors soon. It is ridiculous to thrive in old hatred, nationalism and expansionist views, that not only are not realistic in today's interconnected world, but are holding back generations of young Turks due to lack of full access in European institutions and programmes. 

It is in Europe's interests to have a stable and prosperous Turkey, either as a neighbor or a member. Thus it can not rely solely on America and NATO to achieve this, since America's interests are not totally synchronised with Europe's. Thus our continent must assert itself and form its own policies towards its neighbors and implement them.

The EU's future lies with its citizens' choices and engagement.

Europe as a continent is at crossroads. But it is not just an economic or a political dilemma. The continent suffers from an identity crisis and a lack of direction.

Since the eurozone economic crisis and the refugee emergency, the hiatus from the big-bang EU expansion in 2004 seems to have withered away.

Now the EU has to deal with a growing euro-skepticism, Brexit and a change of direction in the Visegrad states.

The question is what do we, the citizens of Europe gain from all this. We have managed to establish a stable, prosperous continent, one of the richest in the world. And most of our problems lately seem to revolve around who gets more, pays more and the ethnic background of the people that do the jobs that we prefer not doing.

Not that Europe does not have some serious problems or challenges. But in their majority were created by corruption and mismanagement predominantly on a national level. Of course, the EU institutions have had their fair share of scandals, but the lack of transparency can solely be laid on our national governments.

The EU's democratic deficit is a direct outcome of the unwillingness of our national politicians, to proceed with what their predecessors started after WW2. The European integration was a vision for peace and stability, born in the ashes of the continent after the two major disastrous conflicts.

But once prosperity set in, despite it being a direct result of policies that were decided on a European level plus naturally due to the stability that peace created, our governments claimed this success as the result of their own work.

The citizens were kept in the dark on how the EU works or the decisions are taken, in order to be kept preoccupied with national issues and nationalistic agendas. To the benefit of course of local elites and politics.

For every bad policy the EU was blamed, while for every success, national governments were claiming the praise. They strived to maintain a nation-centered culture and mentality, while in fact a Europe wide one was being formed since the free movement of people encouraged it.

Yet, in recent years due to major mistakes that state administrations have committed on a European and national level, a surge of euro-skepticism gripped the continent, giving extreme nationalistic political parties, the chance to get a good foothold in European politics.

The process was faster in Eastern Europe, which only a few years after joining the club, some returned to the authoritarian political elites, that they fought so hard to overthrow to join the EU. Many of the region's leaders modeled themselves after other authoritarian leaders like Putin and Erdogan, turning against EU and its values, or shunning further European integration.

Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic, once proud to be joining the club and while they are ripping all the benefits of their membership, have recently flagged themselves as opposition to many of EU's policies, notably on immigration and the refugee crisis, but also the euro.

Britain, on the other hand, decided to leave altogether, in hope of joining states like Norway and Iceland in EEA, or going it alone. While EEA offers some certain economic benefits, it lacks democratic legitimacy, something that the EU is often blamed for by many Eurosceptics.

The decisions are taken by the EU institutions and members of EEA must abide, while only having a lobbying presence in Brussels. It may suit small states like Iceland, but for a big player like Britain, it surely is absurd not to to be at the heart of Europe, leading it.

Under such grim political and economic environment, the European public is understandably confused, angry, divided and naturally skeptical about the future of Europe and the EU itself. Yet they must understand, that going back to what we had before is not the solution. We have been there before, if we want to progress, the way is forward.

As things stand, it is obvious that Europe isn't functioning properly. We can either go backwards to what we know and trusted before, the nation states that collaborate solely on an economic level, or move forward to a fully fledged European democracy.

It will be easy to think that the best solution would be to stop or even reverse the integration progress and maintain a free trade agreement. But what would be the cost of abandoning the euro, closing the borders again and halting the free movement of people, some of the dominant reasons that Europe prospered and progressed for the past few decades?

We must consider if the outcome would be greater than the risk. What would any of us benefit by dismantling what we have built all these years?

If we go the other way and form a European Republic, there is room for improvement and something to build on.  The problem of inequality and lack or transparency or democratic deficit, lies solely within our national governments. They refuse to let go the control of our national resources, thus keeping EU governance on an intergovernmental level.

Something that any citizen should be wary of. What is being discussed, agreed or compromised by our governments behind closed doors, that we never hear of? In such arrangements, it is naturally the bigger, more powerful and robust economically nations that have the upper hand, pushing their interests through.

But if we citizens, take the EU fully in our own hands, by giving the European Parliament (EP) all the powers that it must have to function like any parliament, then we take this power away from our governments and the lobbies that run Brussels. The EU Council and Commission can be joined to the second chamber of government, like the US Senate.

By becoming more engaged, committed EU citizens, it doesn't mean that we become EU cheerleaders, blindly accepting or applauding anything that the EU does. We are simply safeguarding our own interests and what better way to achieve this, but by having a fully fledged European Democracy, supported by its main pillar the EP.

EU citizenship must become something more than the right to travel anywhere in the EU, rather become engaged in a pan-European civil society, criticise the EU institutions and their failures and lobby them, just like citizens are doing in any nation-state across Europe.

It does not mean that we are giving up our national identity, rather enhancing it with an additional one, that of being European. An identity that we already possess, yet we haven't given it a legal and political dimension.

Europe should be governed in three levels; local, national and European, with each authority to be given certain legislative powers and responsibilities. It could well work, as long as we citizens are engaged in all three and have trust in them.

That perhaps could be our task and purpose for the future, a target that we must reach. Our legacy to the future generations of Europe. Rather than leaving behind a fragmented continent, we could be the ones that will finally unite it.

The benefits can be substantial. In the future, we will have a multi-polar world, with numerous emerging economies and states. Europe will have to collectively invest in order to keep being relevant and competitive.

A region that is prosperous needs political stability to maintain its wealth and that is what a fully functioning European Republic is offering. Otherwise, Europe will be just a trading block, a huge market that will benefit multinationals for as long they do not discover new, emerging economies to invest in.

In addition, decisions that are being taken solely on trade rules and purpose, can never have democratic legitimacy as they are agreed on intergovernmental level. That must be something that should always worry us, citizens. If we want more equality, we must demand more transparency and democracy in Europe. But that either we like it or not, this can never be achieved with less Europe.

Greece and FYROM: a march for peace and reconciliation anyone?

On Sunday the 21st of January, hundreds of thousands of Greeks marched in the country's second largest city Thessaloniki, to protest against the use of the name “Macedonia” in a solution to a dispute between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

The event was organized mainly through social media and it came days after U.N. Mediator Matthew Nimetz, presented new proposals to end the 25-year-old dispute between the two countries.

He wouldn’t comment on the ideas he presented but said: “I myself don’t think it’s realistic to expect the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia not to have Macedonia in some form in its name.”(The Washington Post).

As result, his remarks started a wave of objections and protests among many Greeks in the country and among the Greek diaspora, who oppose the use of the term "Macedonia" in the neighboring country's name.

While I do not object to the right of people to organize marches to express their opinions, this protest was obviously something solely for internal consumption. The view of the majority of Greece's public opinion has always been known, but international diplomacy does not work in the same way. 

Both the EU and NATO are keen to expand and include the Western Balkan region in their circles, thus it is only a matter of time before they apply pressure on both nations to solve their dispute. In addition, the leadership of Greece and FYROM also seem to want to find a solution. 

The two countries' Prime Ministers have agreed to intensify UN-sponsored talks on their long-standing ‘name’ dispute, announcing a set of concessions aimed at showing their good faith during their first meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos recently. (Balkan Insight)

FYROM has said it will rename its airport in a step designed to reassure Greece and unlock its NATO and EU bids.

"To demonstrate that we're committed to finding a solution, I'm announcing that we'll change the name of the airport and surrounding avenues," FYROM prime minister Zoran Zaev stated, referring to the Skopje Alexander the Great Airport.

The airport title is part of a bigger dispute with Greece over the country's national name."We don't want to just solve the issue of the name, but to put the relations of our two countries on solid foundations," Zaev said. (EU Observer)

Thus any protests from the Greek public, no matter how well intended, honest and patriotic, do not help the efforts to end the stalemate. They are simply a desperate attempt to satisfy its nationalism and insecurity. The atmosphere during the march was often so charged as if there was a war brewing. How can this help the negotiations?

One could wonder why should the Greek public be bothered about the neighboring country's fate. Afterall, Greece is already in the EU and NATO, plus it has a veto so it can do whatever it wants. It shouldn't have to compromise.

But they got to realize, that as long as the region is divided, unstable and each country at each other's throats, no country in the Balkans will ever be as prosperous as the rest of Europe. Stability means prosperity, plus cross-border and foreign investments to better the region's infrastructure and economies. 

It also means competitiveness and cooperation between all nations, which participate in the European single market. Finally, it makes absolutely no sense to have a hostile country at your doorstep. 

I personally am tired of all this hatred and nationalism in the Balkans. In Greece, we have been kept in constant fear that all countries around us want parts of our land. Turkey wants the islands, Albania the North-Western part of the country, FYROM wants Macedonia. 

Some may do; there are nationalists in every country in the region and even in Greece, there are still people that dream of getting lost lands back. How futile this is in modern Europe. Instead of trying to become a modern European society and economy, people in the Balkans want border redistribution. 

However, the Macedonian issue for the Greeks is not financial, rather emotional and of national pride. Partially they are right. With the collapse of Yugoslavia, we saw a rise of nationalism in all its former republics. FYROM started a barrage of propaganda to appropriate Greek history, in order to establish its own identity.

That didn't go well with the Greeks and especially the more nationalist and conservative elements in the country. Since then, Greece has continuously blocked the entrance of FYROM in both the EU and NATO, in order to pressure the country to back off its claims.

In this instance, the Greeks are rightfully trying to protect their heritage. But they must also accept that when we are talking about Macedonia and its history, we are not only talking about the ancient or the modern one. 

Between these times, Macedonia as a region was in constant change, both in terms of borders and its ethnic groups or society. And while the Greeks are right to try to stop FYROM from appropriating anything to do with the ancient kingdom, they conveniently forget that during the rest of Macedonia's history, its society was multicultural and diverse as many of today's Europe's regions. 

So who has the right to call himself Macedonian? Obviously, everyone who resides or resided in the region for generations. Just as anyone can call himself European, once he and his ancestors have been living on the continent for a considerable amount of time. 

Thus, if FYROM learns to respect Greece's sensitivity on the matter, there is no reason why the two countries can not share the name or even the heritage. As long as FYROM understands that if it wants to link itself to the ancient kingdom, it must realize that it has itself Greek heritage. There is no shame in that.

In Europe, we have a very exclusive view of our heritage, with each country trying to safeguard it against its neighbors. In reality, it is the result of years of cultural exchanges, occupations, invasions, wars, expansions, trade and intermarrying. 

So instead of heritage dividing us, it should be uniting us. In the case of Greece and FYROM, this division has been poisoning both countries for decades. Why can't the ancient kingdom and its history act as a link to bond the countries together, rather turning them hostile to each other? 

It should be an honor for us Greeks if any of our country's neighbors, is claiming that it has links to our ancient heritage. But this is not the same as appropriating, just like FYROM tried to do until recently, especially with its previous right-wing Gruevski government.

We must learn to work together in the Balkans but first, we need to understand and respect each other. So perhaps the next massive protest the Greeks should organize about Macedonia, would be to walk all the way to the borders and meet people of FYROM and hold joined demonstrations for peace and reconciliation. 

The two countries have been close economic partners for decades, with Greeks investing in the country and visiting its casinos or hotels and vise versa. Many tourists from FYROM are visiting Northern Greece each summer, contributing to the country's economy. 

Imagine what can we achieve if we manage to put this behind us. Both countries can gain a valuable ally in the region and a close partner in EU and NATO. Together perhaps with Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania and other Balkan democracies, they could form a formidable economic block within the EU. 

In fact, EU membership is the safest option to end all disputes in the region. Once inside the block, how can one member have territorial or other claims against another? The EU would immediately act against such member and mediate for a solution. 

It is heartening that the current FYROM PM Zoran Zaev is making considerable efforts to reverse Gruevski's damaging populist policies, that offended and infuriated many Greeks. Similarly, it is exciting to see that on the Greek side, people are becoming more open about the possibility of finding a solution, that will include the term "Macedonia" in the neighboring country's name. 

The Republic of Vardar Macedonia, as is one of the five possible names for the small republic that Matthew Nimetz suggested, is what I would personally go for. It sets a clear distinction between the two regions, without the possibility of any territorial dispute that a "North" or "Upper" term, would potentially imply, making many Greeks uncomfortable. 

It still gives the right to FYROM to keep its name and identity, without cutting off Greece from what is rightfully its own; its history and heritage that its people are so proud and protective of. 

Twenty-five years of hate, diplomatic failures, trade embargos, cyberwar and bullying, propaganda and blockage to enter the EU and NATO institutions are enough. It is a toxic situation that we all should be ashamed to pass on to the next generation. 

Why Brexit must happen now.

Nigel Farage has proposed a second referendum on leaving the EU to settle the issue for a generation, as he believes the result would be the same again.

The former UKIP leader suggested another poll would ultimately kill off the campaign for Brexit to be reversed, which is championed by "remainers" such as Tony Blair, Andrew Adonis and Nick Clegg.

Speaking on Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff, he said: “My mind is actually changing on all this. What is for certain is that the Cleggs, the Blairs, the Adonises will never, ever, ever give up. They will go on whining and moaning all the way through this process.

“So maybe, just maybe, I’m reaching the point of thinking that we should have a second referendum on EU membership. I think that if we had a second referendum on EU membership we would kill it off for a generation.(The Guardian)

It is not sure if Mr. Farage's intentions are as he says, "to kill off the debate", or simply like any other good populist, he is sensing the mood of the British public changing. And perhaps he does not want to have his name forever linked with the most disastrous decision in the British history. 

Thus, like Pontius Pilate he is "washing his hands off", now coming out as a supporter of a second referendum on the British EU membership. The same person which blasted the Irish government and the EU itself, for having second referendums on the Lisbon Treaty among others. 

"Respect the Irish vote", he was claiming, together with other UKIP MEPs in the European Parliament, holding signs. He criticised the move as being undemocratic and bullying by the EU, which is disregarding totally the will of the people. 

His claims, among many other populist, Far-Right, Far-Left and other anti-EU groups and political parties, helped increase Euroskepticism across Europe. 

When people were voting for something, they had to vote again as it appeared and thus, it legitimised Farage's claims of an extremely undemocratic EU. 

How can we now, accept a second British referendum, which if we judge from the current public mood in the country, will be for staying in the EU. Wouldn't this give another reason among many Euroskeptics, not only in the U. K. but across Europe, to slam the EU once again for "bullying" and disrespecting people's wishes? 

Won't this move, give a sense that a country cannot leave the EU, even if it wishes to? "What is the point of a referendum to leave," many will think "if we have to vote again on it". And they will be right. 

Understandably, the British public is exhausted by all the debate, hugely divided, confused, angry, feeling cheated and in despair. Most likely they will vote to remain this time, in order to avoid years and years of uncertainty that will have a disastrous impact on their economy. 

But it was them that voted to leave. It was their decision. For too many years the British governments failed to tell the truth to their voters, about the benefits of EU membership, in order to take credit for any successes and to feed petty pride and nationalism. 

Being a blogger for over 10 years, I was always amazed about the passionate hatred that the British pensioners and other Euroskeptics had towards the EU. They were among the most vocal anti-EU protesters, not only always rejecting any possibility for further EU integration, but wanting to dismantle the block altogether. 

When I took a look at the British press though, it all became clear to me. While the anti-EU media and parties, were spreading their corrosive propaganda against an "EU superstate", the British elites did absolutely nothing to counterpart these claims. In fact, they even played along, in order to gain votes and reputation. They turned the EU into a punching bag for their failures. 

Sadly, now the country is deeply divided and on the brink of collapse, as Scotland considers to abandon the U. K. altogether and join the EU alone. Numerous pro-EU rallies take place and the public is angry. But it is too little, too late. Brexit must happen now. 

If there is a second referendum then the Far Right or Far Left and other anti-EU parties will grab this opportunity to slam yet again the EU for being a bully and undemocratic. This will be always used as an example to block any further EU integration, not just by British Euroskeptics, but perhaps in Hungary, Poland plus other countries too. 

This phenomenon has to stop and it is sad that Britain must become an example, but there is no other way. We have to let them face the consequences of their choice, see how it is outside the EU, satisfy their curiosity and nationalism and if they decide to rejoin the EU, there will be no more cherry picking or skepticism. 

The EU will move on to deeper integration and if the British want to rejoin, they will have to agree to it, stay out or in EEA. So everyone will be happy and receive what they want, deserve or suits them. If the British government decides to cancel Brexit, then they must find legal loopholes to do so, depending on their constitution. But a second referendum must be out of the question.

We cannot let the whole European project to fail, just to satisfy the cyclothymia of just one nation. However, one possible positive outcome of all this will be if we agree to give British nationals EU passports and citizenship. Those who wish to remain EU citizens, could together with other EU/EEA nationals apply for an EU passport. 

It has long been debated, that it will offer the benefit of belonging to a European republic, only for those who chose to do so of course. Brexit could make such move a necessity, but it should not be only available for British nationals. 

Others, like the Norwegians, Icelanders or indeed any of EU nationals that feel passionately about their EU citizenship, could also apply and attain such passport. 

Brexit certainly poses many challenges, in all fields; economic, political and social, not just in Britain but the whole Europe. It is scary as it is uncertain. But many lessons could be learned from it and perhaps, people will finally learn to love the EU, see its potential for the future and be proud of our collective achievements, once they experience the effects of Brexit.

We got to tell both sides of the story in sexual misconduct in Hollywood.

In the recent months, the showbiz industry of Hollywood and beyond has been rocked by a number of sexual harassment or misconduct allegations, against many A-listing men.

In early October 2017, The New York Times and The New Yorker reported that dozens of women had accused Harvey Weinstein, a prominent film producer and executive, of engaging in sexual harassment, sexual assault, or rape. More than 80 women in the film industry subsequently accused Weinstein of such acts. He denied, of course, any of these allegations. (Wikipedia)

About a month later, another Hollywood A-lister faced the same fate. Kevin Spacey came under fire for sexual misconduct against a then 14-year-old young actor, Anthony Rapp. 

Since then, more than 30 people have come forward with their own allegations against Spacey, with accounts ranging from harassment to attempted rape. As result, Spacey has been fired by Netflix and the hit TV series "House of Cards". His agent and publicist have also backed away from him.

The list is continuously growing, with Richard Dreyfuss, Dustin Hoffman and Oliver Stone also being accused of similar misconduct among many others. 

While the public is shocked to watch the fall of many of its favorite stars, let's step back one minute to evaluate the situation. Hollywood is not your average workplace or industry. 

It has always been focusing on sexuality, physical attractiveness and the sex appeal of its stars. Most of them are battling alcoholism, drug addictions and numerous mental disorders. Add all the above to the toxic mix of power and fame hungry young men and women and you've got it; a recipe for indecency. 

Not that there is any excuse for any of the above stars' actions, but we've got to realize that these people have an ultra-inflated ego, since thousands of young women and men are striving for their attention all the time. 

It is sadly a human condition that exists everywhere, yet in a place with so many spoiled for choice individuals, the situation was always out of control. It is doubtful that it is anything new, or the industry was not aware of it- if not tolerated it.

Power and control issues exist in all industries and workplaces, but in those professions were beauty and sexuality play a huge part in becoming successful or not, it is almost a curse. 

Yet, while it is easy to point the finger towards these men and be disgusted by their actions, if we have to be totally fair, we need to examine the whole picture. 

In a recent interview, Swedish actress Noomi Rapace stated in Swedish daily news agent SVT Nyheter about the Weinstein case, that "a lot of women have played the game and climbed the ladder." 

"They've stepped in, been part of the game and used it to their advantage", she described. And in reality, that is the case. Some women refused the advancements and lost out or seen their careers downgraded, but others have "played the game" as she says, pushing their career forward. 

We've got to realize that they are also part of this problem as they gave power to these men. If we want to be fair, we should be hearing about their cases too. Which of our favorite female or male stars, are where they are now because they gave these men (or women perhaps) what they wanted; sexually or not.

And by doing so, they assisted the perpetuation or exaggeration of the issue. These men continued doing what they were doing, because firstly they were tolerated by the industry, getting away with it and in addition, they were having what they wanted by a number of young and aspiring stars and starlets who consented. 

If you seek the attention of an older, famous individual to boost your career, make sure you don't give the wrong impressions about you. Keep it professional and if things get out of hand, report the incident. If you don't, then you become part of the problem and you are spoiling it for many others who chose not to give in. 

It is not totally unimaginable that in such industry and many others, sexual favors, nepotism or strong connections are often needed to get you to places. That is how it has always been. Not that it is right or that it has to remain as such and hopefully, this will offer an opportunity to eliminate such attitudes in this and every industry, with the appropriate legislation. 

I have also lost a job once, to a woman which gave in to the advances of a manager of a hotel I used to work as a barman. I am not sure of which one seduced the other first, as the chemistry between them was intense, obvious and reciprocating.  

But the result was me always being sidelined, that resulted in my resignation after 3 months in the job. I imagine something similar exists in Hollywood too, but much more exaggerated. 

If we want to put a stop to such phenomena, we should first of all start being nice to our colleagues or the professionals that we have to work with. Keep it safe and professional. We should not be afraid to speak out, be ashamed or feel guilty. 

Sex and sexuality are in our nature and should be celebrated and enjoyed. But they should never become a currency that out careers and their progression should depend on.