RE: The GZGverse UN

>>  It would then be a fairly small step for a charismatic leader to
turn an 
>> economic union into a political one.

><chuckle>. That's exactly what's happening in the EU as we speak, isn't
it? 
>I must say that the charisma is really overflowing in the current top
EU 
>leadership...

And that is why the EU will fail in the same way that many other things
about the EU failed in the past. Beurocratic inertia (i.e. finding it
hard to start any process and equally hard to stop the process once it
has begun) is no substitute for leadership :-). When I was talking about
economic to political union being a small step for a Charismatic leader
I can assure you the EU was furthest from my mind. I was actually
thinking of the USA and even that did not happen overnight or without
bloodshed.

On the Scanfed countries I must admit to ignorance about the politics
but I find it very interesting. As an outsider I did not (but should
have) realised you had the same animosities as the constituents of the
not so United Kingdom. 

I don't know about you but I find most of the rationales pretty shaky
for the alliances. Perhaps the least unlikely is the IF?

To illustrate my point, let's take the NAC. Are Ireland, Wales and
Scotland in the NAC? I cannot see any of those countries wishing to
resolidify relations with England after finally achieving some degree of
quasi-independence. In fact historically these three nations have looked
to the French or Spanish to save them from the English. Maybe they
should be in the FSE!! After 1000 years of attempted and actual conquest
(and even stooping to breeding with the natives!!) the English have
still failed to make the Celtic nations truly loyal to the crown.

How about the USA? Can you see either the USA or Canada wanting to
rejoin the crown, whatever the justification? The 4th of July
celebrations come to mind. 

Anyway the UK is a second rate world power now however El Presidente
Blair wants to try and talk it up. Economically we still have some clout
(largely thanks to London's importance in the Imperial days still
meaning it is an important center for Trade and Commerce) but militarily
we are suffering from under-investment in technology and manpower. How
could we even hope to save the USA? 

Someone said the NAC was the most believeable because the participating
nations did not hate one another. The governments may work closely but
democracies need the support of the population, which is why the EU has
such difficulty funtioning because no-one likes anyone else enough :-). 

Hence we have to accept that massive political and social changes are
needed for any of the nations to exist in the way they are described
between now and the late 22nd century. I for one can accept that, after
all I find a balkanised colonisation effort easier to believe than a
pan-Human empire as used in some genres. I find all of Earth ever
uniting even less believable.