I’ve been asked by several readers whether I think the Brexit campaign will succeed. My answer is that the people who will vote to leave are more passionate and committed than the people who want to stay. But as far as I can tell, most Britons don’t care. That kind of indifference favours the status quo. In politics, incumbency is a powerful advantage.
That said, no one likes being told what to do by the Colonists. It will be interesting to see whether US President Barack Obama’s visit to the UK leads to a change in public sentiment on Brexit. It could backfire. The president has kicked off his trip by penning an article in The Telegraph titled, “As your friend, let me say that the EU makes Britain even greater.”
Surely that was an error made for the sake of a bad pun. It ought to have been, “As your friend, let me say that Britain makes the EU even greater.” Subtle difference. But meaningful. As to the substance of the president’s argument, there’s this (emphasis added is mine):
As citizens of the United Kingdom take stock of their relationship with the EU, you should be proud that the EU has helped spread British values and practices – democracy, the rule of law, open markets – across the continent and to its periphery. The European Union doesn’t moderate British influence – it magnifies it. A strong Europe is not a threat to Britain’s global leadership; it enhances Britain’s global leadership. The United States sees how your powerful voice in Europe ensures that Europe takes a strong stance in the world, and keeps the EU open, outward looking, and closely linked to its allies on the other side of the Atlantic. So the US and the world need your outsized influence to continue – including within Europe.
Obama’s advice
The president used that phrase twice; democracy, the rule of law, open markets. That’s telling. It’s an effort to make the referendum about principles. But by defining British values as he has, the president shows why he’s European at heart. His principles are embodied in the Treaty of Rome, not Magna Carta.
He’s right about the rule of law. But even there he’s wrong. EU law, enforced by the European Court of Justice, is from an entirely different legal tradition than British law. The rule of law in the European Union is far different than British common law. I’ll have more to say on that next week.
From this American’s perspective, Britain’s contributions to the Western tradition of liberty are more fundamental; a belief in smaller government accountable to the people, low taxes, free trade and sound money.
The European Union is about centralised power, carefully managed trade, massive regulation, high taxes and fiat money. Those aren’t British values. They’re the dreams of central planners. Obama shares those dreams. Do the British people? We’ll find out on 23 June.
Category: Brexit