Euro parable

In 1999 a group of families abandoned their perfectly good cars and boarded a bus to go on a trip together.

Grandparents, mothers, fathers and children – everyone was pushed onto the bus whether they liked it or not, all on the promise that they were going on a wonderful journey which would get them to a fabulous location where everyone would be happier, healthier and get on even better. 

The rules of the trip were clear – everyone had to pay for their own ticket, the richer people would never have to pay for the poorer ones. The bus looked solid enough from the outside and it was all so exciting! But many others knew better, they had seen the bus being constructed and had warned for years that it was an accident waiting to happen especially as it didn’t even have a driver.

But those in charge didn’t care – they wanted the bus and they wanted the trip – so all the old cars were taken away and crushed even though they had worked perfectly well and off they went!

So, the bus drove off and for a while it worked OK. They all careened along a very straight and safe road and no one worried about the bus or the lack of a driver.

But soon it was obvious the bus was making some of them ill. One family was clearly not right as they didn’t seem to have any energy and were struggling to stay awake. Others became hyperactive and simply wouldn’t sit down. At least one of the families made a lot of money from selling sweets and drinks to the ones who were ill even though secretly they knew they were making them worse.

Then in 2010 the bus hit a bend and with no driver came straight off the road and into a wall. At this point the shoddy construction of the bus became obvious. It didn’t have any of the safety features that buses normally come with – the people in charge hadn’t cared to fit them.

The ill family who was tired was badly hurt but because of their lack of energy was at least sat down. The hyperactive families sadly were very badly injured and were thrown violently around breaking bones and tearing muscle.

One of these was especially badly hurt, they went straight through the front window and into the wall leading to a crisis. The other families got together and went to help them. After bickering for what seemed like forever the others decided the best solution was to amputate the hurt family’s legs and then they gave them just enough anaesthetic, so they didn’t scream as much. Secretly plenty said they deserved to be hurt after their behaviour on the bus.

Then the people in charge because they really liked the bus and because they really wanted to go on the journey got everyone to push the bus back onto the road. They then did just enough to repair the broken engine and crumpled body work and then filled it up with a special kind of petrol which made it run better for a short time. The bus started moving again but now none of the families were getting on together.

Over the next few years, the bus puffed, popped, banged and blew smoke everywhere. It was clearly not right, and everyone knew it, but they pretended everything was OK and that the ill families were getting better, but they really weren’t. The wounds from the crash just didn’t seem to heal – the bus was bad for them. The tired family got even weaker and there were concerns that they wouldn’t be able to keep paying for their ticket. The bus slowed and slowed and slowed but no one wanted to admit it was in trouble.

By now the families were attacking each other – mum on dad and grandparent on child – some wanted to get off the bus – they felt ill and could see the bus was in a bad shape but others wanted to stay because they dreamed of where it might take them. Each time there was a family meeting you could hear the arguments and slowly the ones who wanted to get off the bus got louder. The atmosphere on the bus got worse and worse.

Just recently the bus has been hit by a wild animal which has caused another crash. This is even bigger and more awful than the previous one in 2010. It has been a shock, but most people knew that the bus was going to crash soon anyway because they still hadn't fitted any of those safety features or appointed a driver. The damage is horrific and many of the families are badly wounded and hurt.

Now remember the rules of the bus are that you must pay for yourself. But now many think that the richer families should pay for the poorer ones out of solidarity. But many remember the rules and are asking - why should they? Their voices if ignored are going to get louder and louder. So perhaps it would be best to listen to them now.

But sadly, the people in charge don’t care because for them the bus is the most important thing. They happily ignore the bus was, is and will always be broken, that it is doing nothing but making people ill and crashing regularly. They don’t want to accept that really many need to get off so they can recover and heal. No, they still dream of their bus and their journey at whatever the cost.

But they have a plan which they have talked about for years. They want strap the families more tightly into the bus. They don’t seem to care that many families have members who want to leave. Nor do they care that in an emergency it will make safe evacuation near impossible. It will just ensure that when the bus crashes again and it will shortly - everyone will be hurt very badly.

No, they want to try and push the bus out onto the road again and keep driving ahead even though it has crashed many times. They don't seem to care that the bus isn't making anyone happier, healthier and definitely none of the families are getting on even better. Sadly, they just want their bus and they don’t care who has to suffer as long as they get to keep it.

It’s amazing what people will do for a crappy bus and a dream that has long since become a nightmare.