In the UK, it seems that the new word “Brexit” is on everyone’s lips. From the man in the street to the British Prime Prime minister, that word is filling the air. PM David Cameron delivered a riveting speech opposing Brexit, and frightening the weak. He suggested that if Britain did exit the European Union, war may follow.
Todd Huizinga, author of “New Totalitarian Temptation“ reflects what many feel in Europe and the European Union (EU).
While that little spat is going on across the Atlantic, the United States is going through the torturous motions of what Americans think is picking a new leader of the free world. That baton has been dropped and it is rolling around on the ground hoping that someone will pick it up.
Brexit = War?
Now we hear that one of our oldest allies, Britain, says they, not the U.S., are the peacekeepers in Europe. Apparently Britain is one of the most important reasons the continent doesn’t wage war on itself. Needless to say, Brexit campaigners who favor cutting Britain’s binding ties to the EU think Mr. Cameron is stretching the truth more than a little.
To give his point more weight, Mr. Cameron doubled down, invoking the memory of former PM Winston Churchill. Cameron said the hero statesman of WWII would disapprove of the concept of Brexit.
Unfortunately for David Cameron, some of his opponents have very long memories. To parry Mr. Cameron’s rhetoric, Brexit spokesmen pointed out that in May, 1953, Sir Winston told the House of Commons: “We are not members of the European defense community, nor do we intend to be merged in a federal European system.”
Cameron had a response to that line. He said, “Isolationism has never served this country well. Whenever we turn our back on Europe, sooner or later we come to regret it. We have always had to go back in, and always at much higher cost.”
He was referring to the appeasement of Adolph Hitler prior to world war II. He also spoke about British triumphs in European history including “Blenheim, Trafalgar, Waterloo, our country’s heroism in the Great War and, most of all, our lone stand in 1940.”
The Brexit movement was undaunted by his oratory.
Cameron received support from The London Times newspaper, seen as pro EU. The paper published this headline, “Stubborn support for Leave vote rattles No 10.” Some observers suspect that Cameron may now begin rolling out pro EU announcements ahead of schedule to gain political favor.
According to Breitbart London, pollsters say the core narratives for the ‘In’ scare campaign are economics/jobs, national security, and Russia/Putin. These are expected to be the arguments used as the strongest reasons to stay the course with the EU.
The Brexit movement is not convinced.
Britons are not the only ones thinking about Brexit. An online Ipsos-MORI poll of around 6,000 Europeans in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, Poland and Hungary provides an interesting perspective. Around 50% of respondents think Brexit will come to pass. Also around 50% think Brexit could lead to a “domino effect” causing their own country to exit as well.
The European Union may yet turn out to be a failed experiment.
