Europe: where next for the United Kingdom?

We have a two tier European Union: countries which are part of the eurozone and them that are not.  Despite warnings at the time the eurozone was formed that it would end in disaster unless there was fiscal as well as monetary union, as well as adherence to the criteria for joining the euro, countries rushed lemming like to join.

Last Thursday eurozone leaders, together with the European Central Bank and the EU Commission, cobbled together a short-term palliative which might hold off the looming disaster until the autumn. But a heavy price has been paid.  Greece has defaulted despite all the fine words to the contrary, moves towards a transfer union and eventually a eurozone treasury have begun.  EU constitutional rules have been ignored.


The stakes are particularly high for Germany.  The risk for that nation is that it will finish up paying more to support failing countries for decades, which will make the reparations paid after the Great War look like loose change.  Will the German people stand for it? Shall we see a resurgence of German nationalism, something which the Common Market was meant to deflate?

We should be grateful that John Major and Gordon Brown kept us out of the euro.  Does the United Kingdom really want to be at the heart of Europe as a member of eurozone mark 2?   I think not, although Mr Clegg and the Liberal Democrats seem to want us in.

A dreadful economic and social cost has beset Ireland, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy.  The ability of the governments of sovereign nations to set economic, monetary and fiscal policy is at the heart of the democratic process.  All the aforementioned countries have lost sovereignty to the EU fist.  Would we wish to go down that road, to be controlled by an organisation beyond our ability to have any meaningful democratic control over it?  I doubt it.

Since I wrote this I have noted the pertinent article in the Daily Telegraph. See link below:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8658331/Angela-Merkel-faces-revolt-in-Germany-over-rescue-deal.html

Also this article:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,776411,00.html