No problem finding the Old Building of the LSE - Streetview showed the entrance a short distance from my stop, down Houghton Street. And inside, why, the theatre is dead ahead - somebody official-looking said they'd be open at 6 (I was early), and I could go and come back, or join the queue around the corner - which is what I did, passed by other group members some time later. A bit after 6, we were let in, and strictly directed to specific seats, filling from the far side, and from the front - except for the front row, which was left vacant. In the event, I got in the second row, with Henning, the organiser, just behind me. It didn't fill - there were plenty of seats left in the gallery.
Three speakers came on stage on 6:30 - the Europe editor at the Financial times, and a couple of professors, including one who'd written the book that has the title of the talk. (Discount available on www.oup.com with code ASFLYQ6.) They and the chair spent about 45 minutes introducing us to the subject, and their thoughts on it - a variety of well-thought out ideas, and as Henning remarked afterwards, too much information! During the last talk - by the Financial Times Europe editor - I'm afraid I really struggled to stay awake; he just has such a soothing voice!
So. We've noticed a trend, Europe-wide, towards Euroscepticism - what's behind it, and indeed, behind Brexit? The author, first to speak, showed a very interesting graph of Eurosceptic countries - turned out that this was a graph of support for anti-European parties in various countries. And what was interesting about it wasn't that the UK was one of the highest-rated Eurosceptics - no, it was that Sweden was right up there with it! Indeed, I seem to remember, when I was in Stockholm last year, someone living there mentioned that there was a lot of anti-European sentiment.
One argument was that, of course, countries that were doing well, and had alternative options, would tend to explore those options. Or countries that had more faith in their own governments than in Brussels - that might certainly explain, at least partly, the great faith that Ireland has in Brussels, considering the various incompetents that have run that country! And, of course, there's the thorny issue of immigration.. one of the professors made a good point about economic deprivation, and how it makes people disinclined to welcome immigrants with open arms, when they fear they'll be the ones to take the limited resources.
Afterwards, the Q+A - also for 45 minutes - threw up some interesting ideas: such as, what would the EU be like if Russia had joined?! Questions came thick and fast, taken in bunches and answered broadly. The author, again, pointed out a discussion that she, who's Dutch, had had with her Spanish husband. She was complaining about Dutch dissatisfaction with the EU, given their high employment - he exclaimed that it was so much higher in Spain! So why aren't they protesting against the EU? He pointed out that it had been much worse under Franco..
So, the general consensus was that you couldn't generalise. And the continent rumbles on.. someone asked whether they thought that the EU and the Euro would still be here in 20 years' time, and whether the UK would be a part of them? Another consensus: "yes, yes, no".
Afterwards, some stayed for the free drinks in the lobby, but we went in search of a pub. And how we searched.. they were either packed or noisy. We ended up in the Shakespeare's Head, on Kingsway, very glad to get in from another biting wind. Grabbed a table in the end - I see they have an app now, where you can order from your table! Sadly, it wouldn't load the menu, so off we went to the bar, as usual - by the time I got back, they'd found a nice, big round table instead, with room for us all. Occupied just by one fat young man, who looked as though he was playing videogames. He eventually looked up, seemed startled to see us, and left soon after.
For our part, four of us ate - it was curry night, and Henning had that. And oh, what a luxury to have a proper dinner! I don't usually have time. Stuffed myself, I did, as the conversation about Europe continued around me. On the way home, wouldn't you know it, I ran into someone from Up in the Cheap Seats.. they were at something in the Phoenix Theatre tonight, but you know, I was more interested in this.
Tomorrow, I'm back to the highly non-Eurosceptic Ireland again, for the weekend, and a much-needed rest - I got quite breathless just walking from the stop, this evening. Really need a break.
On Monday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats, for A Gym Thing - got a fright when I saw that, but no, it's a play - in the Pleasaunce. Just the two of us going! Second time that's happened with this organiser..
On Tuesday, I'm back with North London Friends - to the Theatre Royal, Stratford East for Our Country's Good.
On Wednesday, Up in the Cheap Seats is off to The Writer, at the Almeida.
Next Thursday, London Literary Walks is doing - ahem - Stalin's Doss House.
Then we're into the Early May Bank Holiday - and I saw an interesting trip, advertised by Carpe Diem, for a long weekend in Bulgaria. So I applied for a place - only to be told that there'd only been six, which were now gone. When I pointed out that the Meetup page advertised 12 places, and that some were shown as still available, they removed the event entirely. Instead, on the 4th I'm headed - with the £3.60 club - to Music Hall Monster: The Insatiable Mr. Fred Barnes, at Wilton's. Could be good.
And on the 5th, as of now, I'm signed up to an overnight trip to Newquay in Cornwall with Eddie's Excursions. This time, I got in the first six - ironically, they're not guaranteeing it'll go ahead unless they can fill a minibus! Watch this space..
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