MEGA: The Danger of Nostalgia

History tells us that “Make Europe Great Again” is the wrong slogan for the continent’s future. And MAGA is no good example either.

Passionate supporters of the European project are of a strange kind. Whenever they call for more integration, they borrow concepts from the US. Most federal visions on this continent come under the heading “United States of Europe”. When European nations team up to jointly borrow money, this is referred to as a “Hamiltonian moment.” Now, politicians advocating a stronger EU have even taken over Donald Trump’s slogan MAGA – “Make America Great Again.” Right before the European Parliament elections in June, they say: “MEGA – Make Europe Great Again!”

This is wrong in so many ways. To start with, it is not very Euro-patriotic to want to be like the United States. Where is our self-esteem? It is also the wrong recipe. If you want to become stronger, the best way is to assess your strengths and weaknesses and to improve upon them, not to imitate others. Most importantly, the message is dangerous. The subtext of Trump’s MAGA combat cry is: Once upon a time, America was a great country. Now, the current political elite has messed things up, and we are losing badly. We therefore must ASAP replace the current political elite with a strong leader, and then, we will have the good old times back.