Re: Culture

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Sykes" <tardis@byterocky.net>

> The proposal is that cultural differences can occur as a result of
> climate effects ...

Climate is only one among a lot of other reasons that produce cultural
differences: economic development, religion/denomination, level of
schooling, population density, earlier or present immigration patterns,
historical accidents ...

> ...as well as the perception that there is a
> centrally-navel-gazing government clique looking after themselves who
> "see not the others".

More a political than cultural issue, I would say, and probably more of
a
"class" matter than a geographical one. Politicians, business executives
and
journalist dealing government often deal mainly in their own circles
than
with common people and can lose touch even with the people in the
capital.
The mechanisms by which members of a parliament and other politicians
are
chosen also play a role, as well as what powers intermediate government
levels do have.

In parallel with the strengthening of the European union and the
associated
weakening of the centralized nation states regions (e.g.in France,
Spain,
Britain, Italy) have been gaining influence and power (whether Picardy,
Andalusia, Scotland or Lombardy ). For example, the recent French
regional
elections were quite an important event. This political pattern also has
tended to enhance cultural diferences, as there now is money to support
local culture.

If you are thinking about major break-ups in Europe, the fault lines
could
as easily be within a nation state as between present-day states.
Imagine,
for example, a Celtic state comprising Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the
Bretagne. Or Germany could split roughly along the middle, with the
Southern
parts joining Switzerland and Austria.

Historically, diversity has tended to increase over time. The longer an
area
has been settled, the more diverse it tends to become. Whether this
remains
true in this era of easy travel and globalized media remains to be seen.

Greetings
Karl Heinz