The EU should be stronger and more united. Great Britain should belong to the Union.
Die EU sollte stärker und geeinter sein. Großbritannien sollte der Union angehören.
L'UE devrait être plus forte et plus unie. La Grande-Bretagne devrait appartenir à l'Union.
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Europe Is Family
July 23, 2024 | It was 72 years ago today - on 23 July 1952 – that the Treaty of Paris came into effect. It formally established the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). Known as the Schuman Plan, it was originally proposed by French foreign minister Robert Schuman. He called for the creation of a single authority to control the production of coal and steel in France and West Germany (now Germany), to be opened to membership of other European countries. The purpose? To help secure lasting peace between European countries that were previously more used to resolving their differences through violence, war, and subjugation.
France, West Germany, Italy, and the Benelux countries came together to create an interdependence in coal and steel, so that one country could no longer mobilise its armed forces without others knowing. This eased the deep distrust and tensions between European countries following the most devastating war the world had ever known.
Then, in 1957, the Treaty of Rome created a common market between West Germany, France, Italy, Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg, uniting those countries economically and politically.
The UK wasn’t part of this initiative, but just four years later, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan applied for us to join. He said to the British people at the time: “In this new European Community, bringing together the manpower, the material resources, and the inventive skills of some of the most advanced countries in the world, a new organisation is rapidly developing with the ability to stand on an equal footing with the great power groupings of the world. “By joining this vigorous and expanding community and becoming one of its leading members, as I am convinced we would, this country would not only gain a new stature in Europe, but also increase its standing and influence in the councils of the world.” He warned, however: “For Britain to stay out and isolate herself from the mainstream of European strength would, I believe, have very damaging results both for ourselves and for the whole of the Commonwealth. “There might be no immediate disaster, but we could not hope to go on exerting the same political influence.”
Since then, and until 2016, EVERY British Prime Minister, from Harold Macmillan to Edward Heath, Harold Wilson to Margaret Thatcher, John Major to Tony Blair, Gordon Brown to David Cameron, supported our membership as being in Britain’s best interests. But since 2016, EVERY Prime Minister – yes, even the new Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer – has said we must stick with Brexit.
But can anyone point to any Brexit bonus? Ridiculous barriers between us and the rest of our continent benefit no one, neither here nor in Europe. We should re-join our family in Europe and once again FULLY take part in the running and future direction our continent. We may now be the prodigal country, but Europe will welcome us back if we can learn from the enormous mistake of Brexit and help others not to make the same one.
