Please tell me what books that where, I would be interested to read them. But you know that the EU uses huge amounts of money to promote itself, they have their own Göbbels foundations to create propaganda. And this every citizen in EU countries has to pay for, also those that are against the Union.
It is not only in Iceland where Eurosceptisism is on the rise, here it is just mainstream, in all layers of society, instead of only amongs the powerless masses in the member countries. And I say powerless, because the system and the political elite does not have to take their opinion into consern.
Actually I beliewe their ,,commitment" to the less developed countries is counterproductive. It only leads to to much buildup of government (socialistic) institutions in those countries and makes them used to get money from the other countries, just like the welfare state money makes people lazy, it makes the countries more lazy. The EU is one big welfare package for countries.
Also it closes these countries off from their neighbours that are not within the EU for commerce and trade and thus cuts old bussiness ties. And closes off market access for countries outside of it. It is the German (and French) dream of unifying Europe coming through, but this time not under a stealth aproach.
About our ladies, one of the Icelandic girls, was just beeing chosen as Miss World. She isn´t blond though, but with blue eyes...
I have had a long relationship with a family in the Netherlands, as I was an exchange student there in 1960. I visited again in summer of 2003. Life is prosperous, but too much uniformity for me. Even though my contemporary has done graduate work in history, neither she nor anyone else is thinking. she seemed very surprised that I have my own confident thoughts, but I am PhD, and that is my job. These people with their own proud history and culture are trying to keep their identity while being European. American umbrella of protection is getting oppressive, I think. Then there is the bit about hedonism. that has never been the most respected philisophy, but that is what they are pushing. It seemed to me that people lacked meaning in life. It was summer and they all rode bikes.
the things I would change is to privatize the media and withdraw American troops so they have to think about their own defense. Welfare makes people babies, as you say, and NATO has become a kind of welfare.