This Thursday, the British are heading to the polls to decide whether or not the United Kingdom will remain within the European Union. Nice-Premium is publishing the last of a series of articles on the subject, which have informed our readers about the stakes and, we hope, provided elements of analysis and understanding.
For Brexit supporters, the European Union is a pernicious occupying power whose goal is to create an all-powerful European super-state, and they portray themselves as the true heroes of resistance and defenders of democracy.
Their campaign appeals to collective memory, as it evokes the various wars that have torn Europe apart for power. To increase the pressure, the “Brexiteers” raise the specter of a possible entry of Turkey into the Union. Brexit supporters thus oppose the Napoleonic and Ottoman empires.
In reality, they oppose the achievement of the EU’s objectives and aim to appeal by claiming they love Europe, but not the EU. However, whether in distant or recent history, a love professed for European fellow citizens has never prevented a war from breaking out in Europe. Proclaiming one’s love is easy; what is less so is maintaining it over time. And this is precisely what the EU is for.
The fact is that Brexit supporters love Europe as much as Henry VIII of England could have loved it when he broke with the papacy. Breaking with the EU in the 21st century is certainly not the same as breaking with the papacy in the 16th century, but the mindset is the same: the “Brexiteers” are stuck 500 years in the past.
Their policies are those of discord: heroic Britannia stands alone against the enemy, and ultranationalism and chauvinism are on the rise—exactly what the EU seeks to avoid by sharing sovereignty.
The supporters of “out” also create division within the United Kingdom. Scotland has shared its sovereignty with England since 1707; transferring some of its powers to the EU is therefore not an issue. However, Scotland might be less agreeable to leaving the EU under the pressure of an ultranationalist group based in London serving only its own interests. Scotland might prefer to stay in the EU. If that were the case, the Anglo-Scottish border would then become an external border of the Union. This border has, in fact, never been closed since the construction of Hadrian’s Wall 2,000 years ago.
The same goes for Ireland: in the event of a Brexit victory, the internal border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which is currently open, would likely become an external EU border and be closed.
Hence, Brexit would create a division between the United Kingdom and the European Union, as well as a division between the two Irelands, not to mention a possible split within the United Kingdom itself.
Above all, the UK’s exit from the EU would contribute to building walls in people’s minds.
Brexit would not solve any problems in the UK; on the contrary, it would strip many of a core element of their identity and deprive all Britons of their rights stemming from European citizenship.
In addition to being a pernicious threat, Brexit is also a great scourge. Its supporters are mistaken and mislead an entire populace with them. They are incapable of governing and are steering the UK straight towards disaster.
We can only pray for a miracle to occur.
