Law

     All most of us know about European integration is what comes from reports on the various conferences: Rome, Maastricht, Amsterdam, etc. The complexity of the subject is illustrated by attempts to coordinate legal systems. This is especially true of British Common Law and European codes. Basil Markesinis is Professor of European and Comparative Law at Oxford University, where he is the founder-director of the Centre for the Advanced Study of European and Comparative Law. It is an awesomely complex subject. I imagine the Pinochet case has been a major concern of his. Incidentally, Chilean and Spanish television have interviewed in England a number of members of parliament and other public figures about it. I have been amazed how many speak good or adequate Spanish. That is one result of integration. The whole linguistic problem in European is a mare's nest, complicated by the fact that odd dialects like fabla in Spain are demanding official recognition. As I have said many times, languages are the curse of humanity. As for the law, it is a ass, and comparative law consists of many asses braying at the same time.

Ronald Hilton - 11/26/98