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outubro 28, 2004
How one man fell foul of bigger forces
[Fonte: The Times]
IT WAS, on the face of it, totally out of proportion. The entire incoming European Commission has been vetoed, and the EU plunged into one of its deepest crises, because one member, a Roman Catholic, said that he believed his Church’s teaching that homosexuality is “a sin”. The Conservative Party, and Rocco Buttiglione himself, called it a witch-hunt. Others declared it a triumph of political correctness. Even Gary Titley, the leader of Labour’s MEPs, admitted: “This was a bit of a storm in a teacup in the beginning, but it escalated.” Since all practising Catholics are expected to believe, and probably the majority of the European population do believe, that homosexuality is a sin, Signor Buttiglione’s rejection is likely to appear an extraordinary over-reaction to most Europeans. But Signor Buttiglione was actually caught in a range of complex ideological and political struggles that turned a drama into a full-blown crisis. He was caught in a struggle between Left and Right, between secularism and religious values and in a three-way institutional struggle between the European Parliament, the European Commission and national governments. His views offended many people, not just gay-rights campaigners. He also suggested that women should spend more time making babies and less time working, and has taken a hard line on immigration. His remarks helped unite a range of powerful left-wing lobby groups against him. One of the fastest growing policy areas of the EU is in civil liberties, justice and immigration, traditionally passionate left-wing causes. To have a staunch conservative, whose views they abhor, in charge of this portfolio made many on the Left determined to oust him. Signor Buttiglione complained bitterly of anti-Catholic persecution. Many of the left-wing political groups in Europe were founded on anti-clerical movements, resisting the power of conservative priests. The fact that Signor Buttiglioni was a personal friend of the Pope has been whispered in EU corridors in almost horrified tones. Many right-wing MEPs, particularly Christian Democrats who acknowledge the importance of religion in their politics, complained that if Signor Buttiglione had been Muslim his opponents would only have whispered a complaint, rather than setting up a full-blown campaign. In Italy, his complaints of anti-Catholic bias in the EU struck a chord and helped him to drum up domestic support. Certainly, many Italian politicians have little sympathy for the determined secularism of many of their European colleagues. But in such a diverse continent — and with the prospect of Muslim Turkey joining — many EU politicians are adamant that it can only be held together by secular liberal values, and that bringing religious values to the job will be divisive. The fact that he was sponsored by Silvio Berlusconi also counted against him. Mr Berlusconi is seen by many MEPs as the unacceptable face of European politics. The fact that the Italian Prime Minister once publicly compared Martin Schulz, the leader of the parliament’s Socialist group, to a Nazi commandant, is unlikely to have made Herr Schulz sympathetic to Signor Berlusconi’s nominee. The Iraq war, which has also deeply divided Europe, made frequent appearances in the debate. The Parliament was overwhelmingly opposed to the war in which José Manuel Barroso, the new commission president, was an ally of Signor Berlusconi, Tony Blair and George Bush. Having failed to prevent the war, many in the parliament were keen to seek revenge on those who perpetrated it. Parliamentarians were also angered that Senhor Barroso refused to make any significant compromises. The MEPs felt that their authority was brought into question. If they did not win this battle they “might as well pack up and go home. What’s the point? ” said one. It became a symbolic battle that, whatever its genesis, many felt they simply had to win for the future of the parliament. In the last few days, the talk in Strasbourg was not the offensiveness of thinking that homosexuality is a “sin”, but the effect of backing down. MEPs took Senhor Barroso’s refusal to compromise as a sign that he was far more worried about upsetting national governments than he was about upsetting the parliament, and that concerned them.Many who thought that it was not worth vetoing the entire commission because of Signor Buttiglione’s views on homosexuality joined the campaign against him when they felt that their prestige was at stake.
Publicado por esta às outubro 28, 2004 04:32 PM