Throughout history, every once in a while, a revolutionary new form of government has been introduced. From the medieval feudal society to modern democracy various historic circumstances have all contributed to the establishment of a new state system. Maybe it’s time to
revise the European Union. Or at least England’s membership thereof. Peter Oborne contemplates this deliberation in his article A royal salute to the Commonwealth, published in 2011. In the article it is considered whether the more loosely controlled Commonwealth of Nations
is better suited for a political collaboration between independent, interrelated countries than the European Union. In the introduction of his article Peter Oborne starts by outlining the vast extent of the influence and recognition that the British Royal Family is met with and receives across the Commonwealth nations. The Commonwealth of Nations is a non-committal political collaboration between former British colonies that was established when Britain’s colonies gained their independence after the Second World War.

Afterwards Mr. Oborne describes how the Commonwealth was neglected, as a political association to be taken seriously, by various Prime Ministers, e.g. Toni Blair and Gordon Brown. In Mr. Oborne’s opinion the European Union and the “uncritical connection with the United States” (Line 78, page 3) were prioritized over the Commonwealth under the Labour Party’s rule. Mr. Oborne argues that the Commonwealth (if it’s taken seriously by the British politicians) could become a serious contender to be an “important counterbalance (…) to [a] totalitarian China” (Line 72, page 3). He lists various reasons for these assertions, e.g. the sheer global outreach (the member states population count “just under two billion people, approximately one third of the world’s population” (Line 31-32, page 2) and it’s “devo[tion] to the promotion of humane and democratic values” (Line 45, page 2). Furthermore the diplomatic style of the Commonwealth is praised. Whereas the United Nations’ and the European Union’s diplomatic style could be pictured as a ruling with an iron fist by the economic heavyweights of the organization (namely the US in the UN and Germany in the EU) the Commonwealth’s diplomatic style is described as “quiet diplomacy and gentle pressure” (Line 47, page 2). This is seen by Peter Oborne to be an important, and potentially superior diplomatic tool, in a changing world, which isn’t dominated by “one, or at most two, great powers” (Line 41, page 2). His concern is that in a new world without one or two “heavyweight administrative machine[s]” (Line 37, page 2) a ruthless and stone cold diplomatic style isn’t the best suited for international collaboration. [Læs mere…]

The short story Number 40, written by Sarah Butler and released in 2012, deals with various issues such as mental confusion and being out of place.

From the outside Melissa looks like the typical, normal girl next door. She lives with her boyfriend, they go on vacations and invite other couples to dinner and so forth. But something is deeply troubling Melissa and she can’t quite put her finger on what it is. Until it all collapses. Something mystical and extremely bizarre happens to Melissa and she has to make sense of it all by herself. [Læs mere…]