Watched the video. So good was it I downloaded to keep in my personal archive. Yes, the delivery was antiquated and perhaps even slightly jingoistic, but that was reminiscent of the time. Nevertheless, the message was clear, just as it has always been - countries coming together in cooperation have a stronger voice, are more capable of doing the big things and making the big decisions. And it is the sheer variance in the populations which is a strength, not a weakness.
I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this here before, but the equality of wealth [median] in the USA is down to 15% of the population, despite the USA being one of the richest countries in the world per capita [mean]. In contrast, the UK [37%], France [**] Italy [57%], Spain [51%, and Germany for example [26%] populations are generally better off. Remarkably, the median average Italian is around twice as well off as the same American.despite having only half the wealth per capita. Most Spanish people are better off than Americans with only a third of the wealth per capita.
A not inconsiderable reason for this is due to the EU checks and balances, and the stable political pathway that the group of countries pursue. Italy may be forever re-electing new administrations, but it doesn't seem to bother them unduly, because they are part of the stable EU.
Of course, there are other countries outside of the EU, but with strong ties that also have better standards of living, and it would be incomplete and misleading not to include examples. This include Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Japan.
**unable to find a refererence figure, but the median population are slightly less well off than Spain and better than the UK.
