Thursday 26 April 2012

Why The EU?

Countries operate and function in different ways, this we hold to be manifestly true. This is not to say that different nationalities cannot form a separate cohesive identity, as the United States proves. There, people from very different backgrounds came together, but all identify as Americans.

Europe does not have this urge; the current occupants of Greece on the whole, did not recently arrive there, nor with Italy, or Spain or Britain. So where did the desire to unite Europe come from? That it came from a belief in central planning is part of the story, but the driver lay elsewhere.

We are of course told that it was a construct to make impossible another European war, the inference being that once all nations are committed together they will not fight a 'civil war'. There was indeed a fear of renewed war and this was a way to deal with it, but the fear was still of Germany.

Should Germany rebuild, it may well become expansionist again, as it had twice already. France suggested that if much of German machinery and output of coal and food was given to them, then Germany would be held down successfully. How very noble of a country that had done so little to combat the Germans, but a deal siding with them, including fighting the allies who eventually won their country back for them.

Unable to thus hold the Germans in check and facing 'allies' who accepted the need for West German reconstruction, including an economy that would grow, the French fell back on Plan B; unification. They felt that they could hold down the Germans by creating a united Europe, led by them naturally, thus co-opting any new German strength by guile rather than main force.

Keeping Britain out was of course, important, but we showed little interest anyway. By the 1970's France had the project well under way and in their sway and so could entertain a new British interest. Their continued coolness was abated in part by the knowledge that Britain was led at that time but a supremely naive and stupid person, Ted Heath.

Willing to pay almost any price, this political infant signed Britain up and gave away much, including our fishing rights, thus condemning the whole fishing industry of the islands to doom and the whole economy eventually.

Today we have the whole continent brought to its knees by the political folly of politicians following a French model, for French aggrandisement that has been overtaken by events and by a powerful Germany, again.

Perhaps the French should have followed their other instinct after WW2, to form an anti Anglo-Saxon alliance with the USSR. Another great idea.

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