Britain out of Brussels’ clutches by 2020? It can happen, says David Owen, in a
piece for the magazine this week. It’s based on a speech to Peterhouse College, Cambridge. Here’s the full version:
In all the controversy about the eurozone and Greece it is easy to ignore one simple fact: maintaining a core eurozone is creating an unstoppable momentum towards a United States of Europe.
On 7 February 2012 the German Chancellor Angela Merkel indicated very clearly her direction of travel. The eurozone crisis for her is to be the springboard to another Treaty to replace the Lisbon Treaty. She said ‘Step-by-step, European politics is merging with domestic politics.’ She called for ‘comprehensive structural reform’ of the EU with closer integration to overcome what she called ‘major shortcomings’.
She had some months earlier, barely recognised in the UK, signed up to campaigning with fellow Christian Democrats across Europe for direct elections for the posts of President of the Commission and much more surprisingly and far-reachingly for the President of the European Council.
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