The shot-gun marriage failed
10 December 2011
The europolitical attempt to force more political integration in the European Union has failed to include the UK in this shot-gun marriage.
However, 26 of the 27 member EU have agreed to forge a tighter fiscal union and signed up to the surrender of more sovereignty to the increasingly discredited EU project.
David Cameron, the UK prime minister, has used his veto and refused to sign a new “fiscal compact”, involving much tighter budget rules and automatic penalties for those who break them.
The Germans insisted on a Europe-wide deal by all 27 European countries, instead of a 17 country Eurozone deal. Behind this lies the European Central Bank (ECB) which has refused to be the lender of last resort - a commitment to the unlimited buying of bonds to help out troubled Italy and Spain. Rather sensibly, it insists on countries balancing their own budgets instead of relying on banks (bailed out by governments using tax-payers’ money) to pick up the bill. This perpetual motion, or passing the parcel between banks and governments, cannot continue forever. Tax-payers, who are left holding the baby when the music stops, are getting restless and a top US military commander, General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is concerned about “the potential for civil unrest and the break-up of the union” as Europe’s financial crisis unfolds.
It is amazing to watch the leaders of failed economic plans trying to force others to support their pipe dream - to bail them out by sacrificing more sovereignty. Boris Johnston, the Mayor of London, has called it saving the cancer instead of the patient. This is not the failure of capitalism but the failure of democracy - the failure to recognise the limitations of democracy. Humanism has replaced the sovereignty of God with the sovereignty of the people. The failure of this humanist dream is working itself out as politicians use their power to over-ride the wishes of the people in the interests of solving the economic mess created by a debtor society. However, this “we know best” attitude of politicians does not sit easily with the false humanist doctrine of the sovereignty of the people.
The UK veto effectively means that the 17 eurozone members and the nine other countries in the EU will adopt a financial accord, backed by a treaty between governments, not an EU treaty. In fact, this gives more freedom and flexibility to Europe to sort out its problems, because an amendment of EU treaties would require referendums in each country, at great cost in time and money, and at the great risk of failing. David Cameron’s veto has actually helped the EU to solve its problems - if it can.
The whole problem is the inability of some countries, mainly southern European, to elect competent governments who will balance their budgets. The forcing of political union with tighter fiscal control is the only way to bring economic reality to bear upon these countries. This is no bad thing, but it should not be at the cost of the northern European countries bailing out the south even more than they have done heretofore - however this simple truth has been forced to surface simply because there is no more money available. The southern Europeans have milked the cow dry before the truth dawned upon them. They have slain the goose laying the golden eggs and the price they will pay is loss of sovereignty. In former ages, this loss of sovereignty was effected by military warfare; nowadays it is effected by economic warfare. This is an improvement in how nations fight their battles, and this is why it is a good thing for the UK to act as ‘bad cop’ while Germany and France act as ‘good cop’ to force fiscal prudence upon southern European countries. Recent and new accessory countries signed up and signing up to this deal know what the rules are, and Europe may begin to understand that he who pays the piper calls the tune. Instead of the demise of capitalism, it is the operation of capitalism which is forcing reality upon incompetent politicians with dreamy schemes. As Margaret Thatcher said: You cannot buck the markets. Socialists complain about this, but it is a reality that they need to face and which Europe is now forced to face. David Cameron’s decision was based upon finance, to prevent the eurozone making new rules which could have damaged the City of London as a global financial centre. People may complain about this, but it is a reality which needs to be faced. The Scottish Christian Party recognises that sound finance is the basis of peaceful co-existence in a nation, and thus government has a responsibility to balance its books, protect its people, encourage employment and promote health and well-being.
David Cameron’s decision has angered many people, both inside and outside the European project. Nigel Farage, leader of UKIP, said the outcome was “the worst of all worlds” for the UK, leaving the country in Europe but without power. Such exaggeration does not help. It is not the worst of all worlds; civil unrest will be much worse. Labour leader Ed Miliband has complained that the UK will be excluded from key decisions, and the bitterness in the voice of the angry Lib Dem Chief Whip is manifest, although Sir Menzies Campbell gave a more sober assessment. In their anger, prominent Europeans want to make Britain the scapegoat. If the EU fails, it will all be Britain’s fault. This demonstrates the complete abrogation of responsibilty by such fault-finding politicians, and woe to the nations which have them. Europe needs to sort itself out, and there is no harm and certainly no fault in the UK being on the sidelines to see what emerges when the dust settles. France’s president Nicolas Sarkozy recently insulted David Cameron and told him to stay out of their affairs, so the EU can hardly complain if the UK does just that.
