An answer to png683

UNDER A PIECE in today's Sunday Telegraph about Europe written by Christopher Booker, the following reply was authored by png683 in the public comment section, and it is worth reproducing, as it expresses an aspect of our relationship with Europe that is one of inevitability; a fatalism that the Europhiles hope will find a ready home among the British people. The full png683 reply is as follows:

'Leaving the EU won’t solve any of Britain’s problems, which are primarily lack of competitiveness, ruinously high household debt levels and a servile relationship with the US.

The EU is the world’s biggest free trade area – that means it discriminates against imports from non-members. If Britain pulled out, multinationals and home-grown exporters would be seriously hurt, not to mention the all-important City of London.

Major industries operate globally today. The UK has sold off most of its industry and is now mainly a branch-plant location. It must compete with developing countries for foreign investment on the basis of its low-wage, non-union labour force – and EU membership. Foreign capital would simply leave if Britain pulled out, increasing unemployment and debt levels.

The most reactionary forces in Britain want the UK to leave the EU because their control of the country is threatened by Brussels (and Europe’s leading nation, Germany). They are supported by an army of little Englanders, energized by crude propaganda and understandable anti-immigrant rage. Their cause is greatly helped by the EU’s undemocratic structures and practices, mismanagement and corruption.

But UKIP isn’t the answer to anything. If successful, it would actually increase British dependence on the US, which has proved so dangerous and damaging in recent years. Rather, Britain is ideally placed – by history, tradition, culture and entitlement -- to lead the push for reform of the EU and help to build a better continent'.

First of all, Britain's problems will not be solved by being a member of the EU - simply because, if we remain chained to this body, Britain will no longer exist as a nation state under political and monetary union. As for this country's competiveness, it is surely more healthy to continue away from such a social democratic entity as the EU, that seeks to restrict through over regulation, its natural ambivalence to capitalism.

            Being the world's greatest free trade area would be fine, if it were such. Its area may be great, but the freedom of its trade will be brought into question if the UK left the EU and they refused to trade with us. But even if the UK remained within a United States of Europe as a mere canton, with its history and culture now abandoned - is this truly what the  English people want?

            As for the City of London being, along with  'multinationals and home-grown exporters', seriously hurt. Well, the 'all-important City of London' , like any financial free market, can never be any friend to a stifling over regulated entity such as the social democratic European Union would seek to impose. A social democratic United States of Europe, would, by its very political nature, show a certain encumbrance toward the financial markets. Whereas a United Kingdom (if both Scotland and Wales wish to keep it as such) would, because of its empirical nature, welcome minimal but effective regulation.

            As for the flight of foreign capital if we left; I doubt that any multinational or financial company would forgo the lowest taxes in Europe; which, by being separate from the EU, we would be able to offer them… on top of having the right to negotiate our own trading relationship with the rest of the world. Despite what we are told, and what png683 seems to believe, we would still be able to trade with the rest of Europe.

            Free trade is free trade, and if the EU believes in it and practices it, they cannot deny it to any other nation. Meanwhile the Germans will continue selling us their BMWs by the thousands; the French their wine, the Spanish their tourism… and not even a social democratic Europe as a whole would forgo making a profit out of 63 million British citizens.

            As a referendum gets ever nearer, the scare stories will abound.  The more shocking and alarming they become, it will only serve to prove  the true measure of how desperate the Europhiles will have become, if they see no movement in the polls in their direction leading up to a referendum.

PNG683 says, 'The most reactionary forces in Britain want the UK to leave the EU because their control of the country is threatened by Brussels (and Europe’s leading nation, Germany'). By 'reactionary forces', he obviously includes the likes of myself.

            For a start we 'reactionary forces' no longer control this country, and have not done so since the beginning of the post war years. Over that period the so-called 'progressive' agenda has taken hold of our whole culture. Today this nation is under the control of a liberal hegemony that does not recognise political parties. We 'reactionaries' are indeed worried that the control of our nation is being freely handed over to Brussels without any kind of input from the British people in the form of an in/out  referendum. If such a referendum were to be given and resulted in a victory for the 'in' lobby; then we 'reactionaries' would bow to any overwhelming verdict, just as I hope png683 would if it went in the other direction. Us 'reactionaries' are supported, according to  png683, by Little Englanders… but are they not both the same thing?

ALTHOUGH WE know nothing of png683's true identity; he does give us a clue to his politics through some of the phrases he deploys; phrases such as us Little Englanders being, ' energized by crude propaganda and understandable anti-immigrant rage;' while our cause is, '… greatly helped by the EU’s undemocratic structures and practices, mismanagement and corruption'. Yet despite this png683 still has faith in a United States of Europe.

            Png683 is pro-European Union, but a reformer. He could be a member of any Europhile wing of any of the three major parties, and would support David Cameron's so-called,  re-negotiation of our relationship with Europe. Png683, like Cameron, believe it to be purely a matter of democratic reform…at least he has grasped the fact that the EU's current undemocratic set-up can be cynically likened to the reign of Louie IV (the Sun King) - where also, in modern Europe, unelected commissioners parade like the king's eunuchs, under the unelected President José Manuel Barroso latterly of Portugal - and a onetime Maoist, no less.

            What makes me believe that png683 is either a Liberal Democrat or a Labour Party supporter or member, is his following contribution, 'But UKIP isn’t the answer to anything. If successful, it would actually increase British dependence on the US, which has proved so dangerous and damaging in recent years. As a onetime Lefty myself before becoming a 'reactionary Little Englander', I was anti all things American. At the time I would have entered into a Mephistophelean pact to see the  USA brought to its knees - even if it had meant sacrificing my nation.

            The Left have, since the end of the Second World War, hated the USA, so when such a phrase as anything is better than an, ' …increase British dependence on the US'  is used, it must originate from the Left.

            As for Ukip; on the two most important issues of this time in our nation's history - immigration and a Federal Europe; they are in tune with the indigenous British people who are not racists or xenophobes, but merely people who wish to remain homorganic, as many of the nations from which our migrants arrive still remain.

            The European liberals would like to pronounce the nation state dead and buried, and it would be if it were not for nationalist parties like Ukip mushrooming throughout the continent. Ukip is not racist - and not to believe in multiculturalism is not racist. Ukip has reached out to many voters that none of the other pro-European  parties wish to embrace - this does not make Ukip, or their supporters racist.

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK png683 for allowing me to disabuse him of his opinions regarding those of us who stand full square against a United States of Europe. The nation state is not dead on the say-so of the likes of Barroso, or, in this country, the likes of Peter Mandelson, Nick Clegg , Ken Clarke, and the whole cacophony of establishment voices determined upon seeing this nation state reduced to a mere canton within a Greater Europe comprising just nine regions.

            As a 'reactionary Little Englander' I have said above that if it is the wish of the British people to abandon their indigenous culture through a referendum, then so be it. At the age of 63, I would not stand in the way of a future that had the overwhelming support of the British people. I would die contented, if not happy, had a referendum been allowed and overwhelmingly endorsed in favour of being a canton within the continent of Europe. At least the British people would have had their say. But as things stand now, there is an almighty stink emanating from Whitehall that seeks to always undermine the electorate whenever they seek a referendum.