Goodness knows what will happen to the EU in the years ahead. Will it slowly disintegrate if and when Greece and the UK leave, for whatever reason? Will it somehow weather the storm and go on to better things?
We can at least say that the EU has played a part in securing peace in Europe in my lifetime, even though the decisive factor in this peace was the security provided by the Pax Americana. It's an achievement of sorts but difficult to celebrate as of course we will never know "what would have happened if" Britain had not joined the Common Market, as it then was. Personally, I feel we would have found our own road to perdition perfectly well on our own. I also think that it is one thing to leave the EU on the assumption that the other members will have the good taste to stay put, and quite another to find ourselves back where we all were in the early 1950s.
So let's give the EU with all its corruption, incompetence and inability to act decisively a little bit of a break. Corruption, incompetence and an inability to act decisively are after all also hallmarks of our own governments.
We can at least say that the EU has played a part in securing peace in Europe in my lifetime, even though the decisive factor in this peace was the security provided by the Pax Americana. It's an achievement of sorts but difficult to celebrate as of course we will never know "what would have happened if" Britain had not joined the Common Market, as it then was. Personally, I feel we would have found our own road to perdition perfectly well on our own. I also think that it is one thing to leave the EU on the assumption that the other members will have the good taste to stay put, and quite another to find ourselves back where we all were in the early 1950s.
So let's give the EU with all its corruption, incompetence and inability to act decisively a little bit of a break. Corruption, incompetence and an inability to act decisively are after all also hallmarks of our own governments.
Greetings Barnaby
ReplyDeleteInteresting post - thank you.
I used to be in favour of the Common Market (EEC now or is it EU?) but an old Ampleforth friend who has just retired from the FO has convinced me otherwise over 7 or 8 years of friendly discussion when his wife invited mrs maytrees and I over for lunch (and visa versa).
One of the difficulties is of course the European agricultural policy which of favours some of our continental neighbours and which quite understandably they do not wish to see updated to reflect C21. Then there is the huge cost of running the EU which we have to pay as well as the subsidies on which see more below; the nonsense and wasted money of having two centres rather than the Brussels one. The failure over many years to have the EU accounts properly signed off presumably because of gross inefficiencies or worse.
Add to that restrictions the EU causes on immigration from the Commonwealth and the failures to agree how to accommodate Syrian refugees and the huge sums the UK is required to pay in as a % of the Country's VAT receipts and I despair. If the EU treated Greece like the Amercans treat their bankrupt states I would reflect although on the other hand if a Western country can only pay school teachers etc using money from other countries there is an urgent need for review.
The UK was embroiled in WWI and WWII because of problems caused by countries on the continental shelf. With the benefit of hindsight we should not have become involved in WWI. I agree though that WWII needed input from us and others though would not the situation be similar if some lunatic was elected to run one of the larger EU countries?
The argument against our leaving the EU seems to turn on trade but would say the Germans risk our not importing their BMWs etc by the EU imposing tariffs on say UK made cars - I doubt it?
Much pro EU comment was made by the UK media about say the Ukrainian peace talks and the positive impact of the EU. I am sceptical about that anyway but I don't believe that we should interfere in huge problems between two states so far away. I do not recall Russia for example interfering in Northern Ireland during the dreadful times there and was not a previous issue in the Ukraine the cause of WWI which the UK should have left well alone.
The key though is letting the UK people decide. If they say yes then so be it and I will accept that decision. If they or we say no then that decision should be respected. Some personnel in the EU seem to believe that the UK people are not intelligent enough to decide for themselves - I wonder why?
Rant over!