Dear readers,
And especially today my many readers throughout Europe,
I have long been an admirer of Timothy Garton-Ash ever since I was introduced to his work by German friends some years ago. I think that his reflection on the relationship between the European Union and Great Britain is both correct and timely.
I think that the European Union has a choice to make, as does Britain. Will it choose to be merely a bureaucratic arrangement in which the members of the club pay their bills, keep the rules regarding free movement of goods and services and of people, but apart from that are free to honour or to dishonour the rule of law or will it choose to be a truly democratic institution? I believe that in its original concept the European Union was a rejection of the politics of the past in which each European nation sought to further only its own interests, a politics that led ultimately to two world wars. It was also a rejection of the dictatorships of Europe both of the Right and of the Left. And if Europe wishes to remain true to that founding vision then it needs Britain to play a strong role. For all its faults Britain remains one of the strongest democracies in Europe if not the world.
And so I agree entirely with Timothy Garton-Ash in his headline when he says… My message to Europe: tell us you want Britain to stay
Wisdom from The Lord of the Rings 