Europe: A British Victory?

Alex Massie

Thursday, 5th November 2009

Timothy Garton Ash's piece recalling his adventures in central and eastern europe for this magazine is just as enjoyable as you would expect. Which is to say that it's very enjoyable. But, mischievously, he ends with a provocative question:

Now, 20 years on, the enlargement of the European Union to include most of the post-communist democracies of central and Eastern Europe, a logical (though not inevitable) conclusion of revolutions that were conducted under the motto of ‘the return to Europe’, has made the dreaded federal superstate of Eurosceptic nightmare a sheer impossibility. It is simply not going to happen, in any foreseeable future, and even Germany, once the motor of federalism, no longer wants it. Indeed, French and Belgian federalists complain sourly that enlargement has given us, increasingly, a Europe à l’Anglaise, a ‘British Europe’. Why is it only the British who can’t see this?

I suspect many readers will not agree with this interpretation. But, nevertheless, there are plenty of people on the continent who would agree with TGA here. Are they all wrong? Further englargement - first Zagreb then, eventually, Belgrade and, yes, Ankara too - will only make it more difficult for there to be a proper federal super-state. This is a perspective that's often missing from our "debate" on europe.

Eventually, I suspect, europe will do great damage to David Cameron. Yesterday's manoeuvres were, I thought, an attempt, as James put it, to kick the can down the road and make sure that reckoning comes in a putative second term, not his first.

Filed under: Cameron (51 more articles) , Europe (95 more articles) , Tories (84 more articles)

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matthew

November 5th, 2009 4:24pm Report this comment

I thought for the first time today that the Tories might actually try to pull us out altogether.

DavidDP

November 5th, 2009 4:25pm Report this comment

The introduction of the European Fast Stream by the Tories provided a steady stream of British Eurocrats, which the French and Germans bitterly complained about. This accounted for the disproportionately high number of British officials at senior level. This scheme was abandoned by Labour, with the result that the British reprepsentation in the Commission has dropped drastically.

Beer Moth

November 5th, 2009 5:34pm Report this comment

He ends with a statement surely?

Augustus

November 5th, 2009 8:18pm Report this comment

Not a victory for EU citizens, only for politicians and bureaucrats: Well-paid jobs for which you don't need to be elected. You can bypass national governments and push through policies discreetly via Brussels, where the divisions of power; law-making and
the administration of laws, nicely and conveniently merge together. However workable the political side of the Union plays out, the centralizers have got their way and the last defense against a totalitarian EU dictatorship has now gone.

daniel maris

November 5th, 2009 9:55pm Report this comment

Er - where has TGA been these last few years? The sheer number of members states has been the argument put forward for extinguishing veto powers. Removal of veto powers turns the EU from a bloc of nation states into something quite different. The EU now has its own foreign secretary and foreign office.

People like TGA are deliberately applying a soporific to the nation's intellect. Of course the federalist project remains on track. And it is now unstoppable. You have to remember that everyone with a finger in the Brussels pie has an interest in advancing the cause of federalism. (Of course federalism is a misnomer - it's really super-statism, more like the old Soviet Union which also was federal in name only for most of its existence.)

Now that politicians (like Blair) can really see there is this advanced career ladder based in Brussels, they will be even keener to expand the role of the EU.

workie ticket

November 6th, 2009 9:59am Report this comment

The answer to the question 'Are they all wrong?' is yes, those that believe we have a British Europe are wrong.

The pro-Euro lobby are relying on 2 successful historical tactics for promoting a Euro superstate which Brussels, in a perhaps unique fit of honesty, admit, that 'ever closer union' mantra is a clue. (by the way - what is it about that statement that TGA and the rest dont understand or want to acknowledge?)

The 1st tactic is obviously the Big Lie, which in the UK is deployed by all 3 major parties and the BBC. The 'no big deal, no real change, tidying up exercise, old news, nothing to see here - now move on', whther you are talking about the 1975 referendum, Nice, Maastricht, Lisbon &c.

The 2nd tactic is claims of 'inevitability' of the project and the 'fact' that we cant do anything about it. Just like the victory of Communism was 'inevitable' and we couldnt do anything about it.

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