On museums – The Economist:

‘It took 120 ships laden with bearded Vikings to besiege Paris in the spring of 845ad. They moved on only after being paid a tribute of 7,000 pounds of silver. In 1870 Prussians required two armies and batteries of cannons to blockade the city, which surrendered after locals grew tired of eating rats, cats, horses and whatever animals could safely be plucked from the zoo.
For “the siege of Paris”, 2024 version, the equipment of choice to throttle supply lines is branded John Deere, New Holland or Claas. Hundreds of tractors driven from across the hinterland have blocked eight motorways into the French capital since the start of the week, with few plans to move on. Farmers camped about 30km from the Champs-Elysées are keen to remind the bourgeoisie where the grub on their supermarket shelves comes from. The kangaroos and zebras in the city’s zoos are thought to be safe for now. Politicians looking to avoid becoming electoral roadkill may yet need to dodge a few tractors.
Across Europe, a revolt of the peasants is brewing. From Belgium to Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Spain, farmers are up in arms. A sector used to exorbitant privileges—roughly one-third of the eu’s budget goes on subsidies to the common agricultural policy, after all—has felt them slip from its grasp. It is in many ways a familiar story, of a privileged caste sensing its status declining. For what is Europe if not an attempt to hold on to things as they once were in a changing world?’

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‘Urbanite politicians whose main interaction with animals is eating them in fancy restaurants either fail to notice, or talk down to farmers while visiting the countryside just long enough to snatch a photo-op with a cow. Journalists, apparently, are no better.’

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‘Politicians worry because agrarian populism has shown its potential at the ballot box. Last March an upstart farmers’ party in the Netherlands scooped first place in regional elections with 19% of the vote—in a country where just 2.5% of the workforce toils in agriculture. Hard-right politicians see an opportunity to harvest support ahead of European elections in June, spinning a tale of sneering elites and hard-working (white) rural folk. Even centrist pols talk about the need to moderate the demands of the Green Deal, through which Europe hopes to slash carbon emissions.’

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‘The EU’s share of global GDP has fallen by over a third since 1995; farming’s heft in the EU economy is down by a similar amount. Growing food now accounts for just 1.4% of GDP, less than the warehousing services needed to zip Amazon packages around. Like Europe more broadly, a continent conspicuously devoid of tech giants, European farming has failed to adjust to modernity: the sector is still dominated by family operations that lack scale. Almost two-thirds of its farms are smaller than five hectares, which can be walked around in ten minutes or so. The profession is ageing: one-third of farm managers are over 65. In a world of TikTok and Chatgpt, no amount of subsidies can attract a 20-something to a career that involves getting up at dawn six days a week and literally shovelling bullshit.’

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‘Detractors think of Europe as an open-air museum, fit for tourists and pensioners; fans of the model like its 35-hour workweeks and August off. The pain felt by farmers is real. The feeling of being left behind by forces beyond your control is an uncomfortable one. Those protesting atop their tractors are merely the tip of the pitchfork.’

Read the article here.

Europe, one big Florida, albeit with less sun?

The decline of Europe has been announced as often as the American decline, but with better arguments.

The pain of the farmers is real. But since we live in times where the first commandment is, ‘never underestimate your neighbor’s pain’, so all pain is real. The angry citizen doesn’t need to explain his anger, after all life is disappointing.

For many immigrants Europe is, as the US, a place where you go to when life in your own country is unbearable, or it's the place where you can find (better) work.

The popularity of the open-air museum should not be underestimated.