Britain and the European Union
What's the graphic?
It's the flag created for the Council of Europe in 1955 and adopted as the official emblem of the European Union in 1985.
Why is it here?
It's here because Brexit - the most grotesque act of national self-harm in my lifetime - is a disaster for our young people:
- economically - it is reckoned that the UK is already (February 2024) £140bn poorer than it would have been had it stayed in the EU: Britain's young people will be paying for Brexit all their lives;
- socially - it's about what sort of people we are and how we relate to others;
- culturally - the loss of freedom to travel, work and play music across Europe;
- environmentally - Britain continues to use bee-killing neonicotinoids and other chemicals banned in the EU, dumps sewage in rivers, and flies meat from the other side of the world instead of shipping it across the Channel;
- healthwise - poorer food safety standards;
- ethically - lower animal welfare standards;
- educationally - the loss of Erasmus and of many European students from British universities; and
- politically - it has given succour to far-right forces across Europe and beyond.
Brexit was voted for overwhelmingly by the old. The young voted to stay in the EU. For their sakes, Brexit must be reversed.
Suggestions
Subscribe to The New European. First published after the 2016 referendum, the weekly paper was originally intended to last only for four issues. But it proved very successful and has gone from strength to strength. Regular contributors include Alastair Cambell, Matthew d'Ancona, Jonty Bloom and Patience Wheatcroft.
Join the European Movement, founded by Winston Churchill in 1949 to promote European unity in the wake of World War 2. With 21,000 members and 200,000 campaign supporters, its aim is to see Britain back in its rightful place at the heart of Europe.
And in the forthcoming general election, vote for candidates who support closer relations between Britain and the EU. Again, you might want to look at the Tactical Vote website.
It's going to be a long haul back to sanity but, for the sake of our young people, we must make a start, and the sooner the better.
If you have any comments about these issues I'd be pleased to hear from you. Contact details are here.
Derek Gillard
March 2024
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