In the first century AD the
current territory of Great Britain was inhabited by 27 tribes, from the
Caledones in the Scottish highlands to the Dumnonii in the extreme south of England. Some of these tribes were, in turn, an
aggregate of smaller tribes
After the withdrawal of the
Romans from the region, waves of invasion by Nordic people generated permanent
Anglo-Saxon settlements which slowly coalesced into kingdoms. One of them,
Wessex, prevailed in time over the others and managed to structure a united
England. This kingdom lost power to Danish invaders for several decades, until the
Wessex dynasty recovered control. The Normans imposed policies and customs
which served to reinforce a national identity.
The English experience was not
unique and nations slowly emerged in other regions of Europe as the result of
the progressive unification of tribes. Much later in history, a similar process
is taking place in Africa, where nations are becoming slowly consolidated after
long periods of tribal struggle.
This illustrates how long has
been the journey of global populations to become nations and federations of
nations, such as in the case of the European Union. It has been a progressive ascent into higher
ranks of human organization and civilization, not without dramatic oscillations
and setbacks, but always keeping an overall integrationist trend. It is,
therefore, not surprising that many thinkers have entertained the idea of a
world government as the end result of this long historical process of political
integration. In Science Fiction, which has long predicted interstellar travel,
the concept of, and pride in being an earthman has long represented the
aspiration of humans to become citizens of the world, progressing beyond artificial
political boundaries into the higher level of a united planet where we all are passengers
of space ship Earth. Rather artificial
political boundaries, cultural jealousies and religious fanaticism still keep
many national communities behaving as large tribal movements, much in the same
way that fear forced primitive man to
become member of a tribe. The concept of national interest and exclusiveness is
still very strong and has often led to violence, not only among nations but
also among citizens of the same nation, as illustrated by the murder of a
member of the English Parliament at the hands of a fanatic said to belong to a
movement called Britain First.
The decision taken by the English
people to withdraw from the European Union represents a step in the wrong
direction in the path towards world government. It will cause great
disturbances both to their domestic well-being and to the global economy. It is
not surprising that this step originated in England, an island nation for which
cultural integration has always seemed to come a little more difficult than for
the rest of European nations. Yesterday
it was mainly England that decided to break away from Europe. In doing so, it
might have also triggered a political divorce with Scotland and northern Ireland, which
clearly voted to remain within the European Union.
We think (and hope) the England’s decision
only represents a point in the curve, just a negative oscillation when seen in
a wide historical context. Even during the long and complex process of
separating from Europe England might realize her mistake and come around to the
idea of a single Europe, realizing that their withdrawal will be economically,
politically and spiritually harmful to the nation. This will be so because the majority of the
young English population voted to remain within the European Union and they
will be the ones in charge of the future.
4 comentarios:
“The trouble with committing political suicide is that you live to regret it.”
Winston Churchill in 1940, acerca se su visi'on sobre Europa.
Y believe that it is LONDON or BRUSSELS in question...!
So you want to be BRUSSELS or LONDON, louvees...!
COmmercial ties is a hole other story...!
GOOD MOVE UK...! SCOTLAND, you will sink deeper without ENGLAND...!
Yo creo que es LONDRES o BRUSELAS en question...!
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Gustavo,
Like you I am also disappointed, and I would say very disappointed, that the British voted to leave the European Union. I have long thought that they were a powerful voice of reason within the community of nations who came together to form the EU. I especially remember that, along with the Germans, the British had been warning the EU of the dangers of expanding public sector spending at the expense of the private sector for at least twenty years. With that in mind the eventual problems that surfaced with Greece, Spain, and to a lesser degree but still important Italy, were the predictable results of the EU's failure to heed British common sense. So it is no wonder that the economic crises that have arisen over the past couple of years have left many in Great Britain feeling as though they were among the few nations who would have to pick up the tab for what amounted to nothing less than vote buying at the expense of the public purse in the nations on the southern tier.
However; all of the economic problems just discussed only form the background for the real issue that clearly stands out in the Brexit vote. There is widespread recognition that the central problem pushing British voters to choose to opt out of the EU is the immigration crisis. And this is where those who have called for human decency in the treatment of immigrants, like me for instance, must stop and take a look at the unavoidable consequence of uncontrolled immigration. It is a politically destabilizing phenomenon.
Like it or not, all the good intentions in the world cannot overcome the alienation from their government common people feel when their homeland appears in their eyes--and it is public perception which matters here regardless of reality--to be overrun by immigrants who in many cases avoid accountability before the laws enacted to manage their status. I believe that alienation is not only behind the Brexit vote, but also explains much of the core sentiment that has propelled Donald Trump's campaign here in the U.S., given that I do not think Trump has ever offered much of a program beyond "let's get the Mexicans out of here."
In light of the recognizably destabilizing effects of uncontrolled immigration, it is now time for everyone, including those like myself who have reached out to their countrymen asking for tolerance and understanding of the plight of immigrants, to begin debating actions which must be taken to bring immigration under control. The destabilization of the more developed nations that is now in evidence after the Brexit vote should make everyone understand that the mass migration across borders of millions who are fleeing their homelands for a variety of reasons represents a true threat to the national security to those countries receiving and providing for the immigrants.
And I wish I could explain just how depressing a conclusion this has become for me.
Most of the people who want to remain just haven't been attacked by a muslim yet or had their child molested. Islam is in Europe to conquer. This is a new stage in a very old war.
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