Referendum
Francis Campbell, former British ambassador to the Holy See, vice-rector of St. Mary’s Catholic university in London, explains the reasons for the distance separating the Island and the “common home.” Cameron’s anticipated letter to Community institutions
“Britain is Stronger In Europe”, “Vote Leave” and “Leave.Eu”: three pressure groups – the former in favour and the latter against Great Britain’s permanence in the European Union – gave the kick off to the campaign for and against a Brexit. The status quo is endorsed by many intellectuals and by a large part of the business world, while the most euro-sceptic faction of the Conservative party and of UKIP, headed by Nigel Farange, demand that Great Britain breaks away from the EU-27 group. There is great anticipation over the letter that Prime Minister David Cameron will write to the President of the European Parliament Donald Tusk, due to contain detailed requests from Brussels before fixing a date for the referendum asking British citizens whether they intend to remain in the EU. In the meantime, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, on November 3rd, during a meeting with German entrepreneurs in Germany, said that London wants a “two-speed” Europe, which actually already exists, considering the different degrees of integration of euro-zone countries and of the EU as a whole. Francis Campbell, former British ambassador to the Holy See from northern Ireland, currently vice-rector of St. Mary’s Catholic University in London, one of the most highly esteemed Catholic thinkers in the United Kingdom, commented on the different scenarios that could ensue.
Professor Campbell, what could be the outcome of the referendum?
“A forecast is obviously impossible. However, unless a convincing majority votes in favour of the presence of Great Britain in the European Union, or if over 50% of voters wanted to leave, the future of this country and its position in the world would be at risk.
China, the United States and our most important allies have said they are not interested in a Great Britain outside the European Union.
Moreover, if a majority of voters decided to leave Europe, Scotland, which conversely intends to stay, would in turn call a referendum of its own. At that point Scottish voters could opt out of the United Kingdom, thereby paving the way to an independent Scotland within the European Union.”
Does Prime Minister David Cameron have a clear idea of the agreements he intends to obtain from the EU?
“I think his letter to Donald Tusk will contain a proposal to avoid that new migrants obtain benefits from the welfare state. He’ll also want to ensure that free movement of people within European countries is granted provided they have a job prospect; in short, stricter regulations than those currently in force. There is also the problem of closer political union:
Great Britain, which is not in the euro area, does not want to be discriminated against if other countries decide to take further steps towards greater integration.
But this won’t be easy. We don’t want to participate but we can’t expect to stop others from moving on in order not to leave us behind!”
Do citizens have a clear picture of the matter at stake in the referendum?
“As things stand, the risk is that citizens could fail to understand the complexities and the advantages of EU membership.
People have not been fully explained what Europe is all about and why Great Britain decided to be part of it.
It is widely believed that Europeans are mainly business partners. Only elite groups are aware of the political reasons underlying this project. Moreover, the man on the street does not identify with the leaders of the pro-Europe campaign, who patronize voters expecting to tell them what to vote without explaining the reasons for staying in Europe. As a result, common people identify with UKIP and with other anti-European movements. And even if the campaign for United Kingdom’s presence in the European Union should win, citizens should be informed about Europe’s advantages.”
At the end of the day, do British people feel European?
“The Royal family has German origins. British people decide to live in Spain or in Greece, they follow European Football championships, and they send their children to study abroad. The British are European in terms of culture and civilization, and yet they feel that the EU threatens their national identity. The reason is that the European project has never been properly explained to ordinary people because it remained under the authority of elite groups. The advantages of Europe have never been mentioned. In fact, Europe has always been presented as the problem rather than the solution.”
