The American Spectator : In Praise of Euroskeptics

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In Praise of Euroskeptics

By Robert Taylor on 12.7.11 @ 6:07AM

They paid a price for opposing a single currency for Europe, but they were right all along.

LONDON -- Europe's problems may yet spin us towards a depression, but at least they offer a sweet catharsis for "euroskeptics" -- those of us who have always thought the euro a misguided project.

Euroskeptics have been through it, both in Britain and elsewhere. The haughty laughter, the insults, the patronizing comments, like "little Englander," suggesting both stupidity and insularity. Despite the fact, or perhaps because, Margaret Thatcher was the biggest and most famous euroskeptic of the lot, "euroenthusiasts," among them Tony Blair, took every opportunity to suggest that our argument was based on emotion rather than reason.

In fact the reverse was true. Euroskeptics realized that it was crazy to have a single exchange rate and interest rate applied to somewhere as massive and diverse as the European Union. For unlike Americans we Europeans share no common loyalty to our Union. There is no sense of European nation, and therefore no intrinsic acceptance that our own countries within the Union should be prepared to accept economic hardship for the wider good. Quite the reverse; each country is in it precisely for what it can get out.

To ignore this self-evident reality was Europe's big mistake, even if it took more than a decade to show just how big. Simply, economic union requires political union. And you can't sustain that without the will of the people.

Ah yes, how inconvenient for the technocrats in Brussels and Strasbourg that we dastardly voters get in the way of their grand plans. Not that it's stopped them. If we give a non, nein, or nee to one of the many referenda on closer union, they merely tell us that we've chosen "the wrong answer," and shamelessly ask us to vote again. (Democracy has never been the EU's strong suit.)

Many American visitors to Europe quickly recognize this disconnect -- though often they're too polite to say so. They see a continent that is a joyous medley of languages, cultures, attitudes and beliefs. Spain is no more like Finland than India is like Iceland. Greece is as different from Germany as the US is from Mexico. Yet would the U.S. ever consider monetary union with its neighbor across the Rio Grande?

If the travails of the euro have taught us one thing (which euroskeptics instinctively knew anyway), it is that you cannot straightjacket hundreds of millions of people. You cannot change the speed or course of the giant, ponderous waves of humanity. They go at their own sweet pace.

Those in favor of the euro ignored this inconvenient reality. They ploughed on, elbowing past human sensibilities, denouncing those who objected. The result? Europe's biggest crisis since the Second World War.

Now that the euroskeptics have been proved right all along, one or two honorable opponents are eating humble pie. Even Jacques Delors, former European Commission President, one of the chief architects of the euro, and bête noire of British Conservatives, now admits that the euro was flawed from the start. We thank him for this belated candor.

And the editor of the Financial Times between 2001 and 2005, Andrew Gowers, has issued what amounts to a grovelling apology for getting the biggest economic issue of recent decades spectacularly wrong. He declared last month: "All of us paid too little attention to the arguments of those who opposed the project and worried about its viability." He's quite right about that, at least. Rather than arguing for the euro on its merits he and his colleagues all too often chose the lazy, insidious route of implying that euroskeptics were irrational and sentimental. Interpreting the motives of those opposed to the euro a decade ago, Philip Stephens, who is still the newspaper's chief political columnist, oozed condescendingly, "Immaturity is the kind explanation."

The best known early proposal for a "United States of Europe" was made in 1847 by the pacifist Victor Hugo, and when the European ideal took shape a century later it had at its heart a keen desire that the nations of this continent would never again go to war against each other. But more recently a less lofty ideal took hold: that Europe should unite in ever-closer union to compete on a global stage. Any instinctive reluctance by the peoples of Europe to accept this unity and live happily under one roof, rather than as neighbors, was trumped by theory-wielding economists in Brussels.

Now European leaders are poised to decide whether to forge fiscal as well as monetary union. If they do so, thereby saving the euro, the world will no doubt sigh with relief as short-term catastrophe is avoided.

Yet celebration might be premature. The drive towards ever-closer union has already caused one crisis. The next could be even worse.

About the Author

Robert Taylor is a writer and business columnist in London.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (20) | Leave a comment

Appleby| 12.7.11 @ 6:38AM

The Euro is the monetary version of Esperanto. The last time I was in France, I noticed that the French were still pricing their goods in Francs, and I said to myself, Thomas Jefferson was right: a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.

D. Singh| 12.7.11 @ 8:23AM

Sir

‘Now European leaders are poised to decide whether to forge fiscal as well as monetary union. If they do so, thereby saving the euro, the world will no doubt sigh with relief as short-term catastrophe is avoided.’

Fiscal and monetary union requires complete political union: an ambition that Napoleon and Hitler would applaud. If that happens what we will see is an ‘imperial’ power rising. History shows that empires mean war: that is reality.

Further, fiscal, monetary and political union will not prove to be the solution: the Mediterranean states are unable to discharge their debts; such a union merely collectivises the debt – and will not prevent the degradation of credit ratings.

When the Federal Reserve Bank secretes American tax dollars – all that our American cousins are doing is delaying our fight for freedom, security and liberty from the fascist EU.

And finally: three hurrahs for Mr Taylor for presenting our plight to American eyes.

jd| 12.7.11 @ 8:25AM

How much more proof do we need to show that inherently the problem with liberalism and socialism is that both ignore not only economic realities but the realities of the human spirit and human behavior?

John Navratil| 12.7.11 @ 8:50AM

jd,

There will never be enough proof. It's like making a joke about Obama. His supporters don't think it's funny. No one else thinks it's a joke.

oldfart| 12.7.11 @ 9:23AM

Good Point - if you make a joke about BO - you are racist. If you make a joke about the Euro - you have no vision of utopia. Both are smoke and mirrors - IGNORE THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTIN!

Johnny H| 12.7.11 @ 9:26AM

There can never be enough proof for a movement motivated by something other than historical, provable fact.

They were referred to as "useful idiots", those people without a historical frame of reference and grasp of economic reality. We have them here in the states in abundance, see OWS...

Stan Redmond| 12.7.11 @ 3:25PM

As with all socialist utopias you simply have to eliminate the malcontents who do not fall in to the socialist plans like good little robots. I think Bill Ayres, Obama's [pbuh] political mentor, even came up with a number for the glorious USA conversion.

PolishKnight| 12.7.11 @ 9:29AM

"For unlike Americans we Europeans share no common loyalty to our Union."

I only wish that were true. About a third of the populace are loyal Democrat/Marxist voters who view the USA as a threat to European socialism and seek to weaken the nation via economic, ethnic, and cultural chaos. Next, there's a third who are "minorities" and growing as they demand race based entitlements and refer to themselves by their ethnicity first and nationality second. Their view of the nation is that it's a resource to be exploited for their own personal or ethnic gain.

Finally, there's the guys who volunteer for low paid military service and worship the Constitution (as it was written and intended) but they are now the minority. Their political party (the Republicans) doesn't put any serious priority in protecting these men's, and the women who marry them, rights.

We can dance on the grave of the Euro but let's not forget just how dire our situation is.

SGT Baker (native Coloradoan)| 12.8.11 @ 5:18AM

"Finally, there's the guys who volunteer for low paid military service and worship the Constitution (as it was written and intended)"
This we'll defend
US Army

cicero| 12.7.11 @ 12:03PM

As Mrs. Thatcher once said, "Socialism is a wonderful form of government, until you run out of other peoples' money." They have done just that. Unless some idiotic benefactor pumps money into the Euro system, to prolong the agony, reality will have to be faced. This will not be pretty. But it sure beats asking me to donate blood to put into a corpse.
The only thing propping up the Euro will accomplish is to bail out the bankers once again to save them from their folly. They will be safe in their castles, while the peasants, once more, will have to eat their children.

Ken (Old Texican)| 12.7.11 @ 12:03PM

I have a great idea..... Let's borrow money from China to give to Europe...so they can piss it away too.

cicero| 12.7.11 @ 2:29PM

Ken, We tried that, and the Chinese said no. They arfe not nearly as willing to bail out our bankers as our politocoes are. They don't need the campaign contributions. Besides, they already know that socialism doesn't work. They are into oligarcy.

Tony Kibelbek| 12.7.11 @ 2:36PM

G.K. Chesterton wrote early in the 20th century that Western civilization was living off of its accumulated capital. Sometime after World War Two, the capital ran out and credit became the source of money. Now the credit has run out.

David T| 12.7.11 @ 3:50PM

Clearest, best written article I've ever read about the problems with the Euro. So true, yet so sad for the millions who will once again have to suffer because of the socialists' grand schemes.

The track from saq| 12.7.11 @ 6:15PM

The global elites don't go down easy (unless of course cheap sex is involved).Look for more strange robbery as they give gifts to one another,or should I say give your money to each other.
Judgement day can't come soon enough.The most worthless bunch of people masquerading as leaders elevated to positions of powers thru an ignorant and bought electorate.

POST American| 12.7.11 @ 9:25PM

--------------------BOTTOM LINE----------------------

Remembering it was Thatcher who pushed,
and GOT the open door immigration policies
of the decades ago.

Remembering it was Thatcher who blithely
said

---"There is a generation now that's growing
up and will NEVER see work. Get used to it."

Remembering it was Thatcher who uttererd
not a single cautionary word during the
very heyday of the Globalist RED China
TREASON OP.

Remembering, FINALLY, it was Thatcher
who disclosed, AFTER leaving office

--------"I belong to a PARALLEL, a 'shadow',
government' that can get things done."

Those 'things' include the FINAL destruction
of sovereignty in Britain and worldwide,
a full-spectrum police state ---and long term,
highly engineered, lavishly funded plans for
'aggressive EUGENICS' ---and de facto
GENOCIDE.

----We give you the 'CON-servative' Thatcher. . .

Leveut| 12.7.11 @ 9:59PM

"United States of Europe" and the euro.

The EUnuchs wanted a single currency so Europe could be economically united and competitive with THE United States and the U$Dollar.

The simple thing the oh so intelligent and sophisticated EUnuchs couldn't possibly understand and comprehend, is that

1st United States, then, 2d US Dollar

not the reverse, which is what they tried

Leveut| 12.7.11 @ 9:59PM

"United States of Europe" and the euro.

The EUnuchs wanted a single currency so Europe could be economically united and competitive with THE United States and the U$Dollar.

The simple thing the oh so intelligent and sophisticated EUnuchs couldn't possibly understand and comprehend, is that

1st United States, then, 2d US Dollar

not the reverse, which is what they tried

POST American| 12.7.11 @ 10:38PM

--------JUST IN

--'GOV'T ACTIVATING FEMA
CAMPS NATIONWIDE'--------
(InfoWars hours ago)

"Understand, -----THIS is going to be OUR
NEW economy."

UNDERSTAND ---the 'RED China model'
-------------------IS HERE!------------------------

-----------------------------UNDERSTAND FAST!

CHECK IT OUT

--------SPREAD THE WORD TO EVERYONE------

sirbourbon| 12.9.11 @ 1:22AM

Germany before the German centralists was a multi-state loose federation. The centralists urged and prodded to unite all the city states under one central power.

With"unification" came the taxes to fund the bigger central government and the ambitious politicians led Germany into costly wars that would put millions of young men into early graves. Unification has its price paid for by the treasure of the middle classes and the blood of their sons.

Unification gifted Germany debt, high taxes, devaluation of the currency, wars and crushing defeat led by a maniac that played God. Under the old decentralized Germany the weak central powers were incapable of starting wars that the sovereign states were less prone to pay for .

Germany has not fully learned its lesson. After the end of WWII the German people again took the bait for another union. Before the emergence of the " Common Market," there was the innocuous- sounding six nation European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) followed by the European Economic Community (EEC) formed in 1958. In the intervening years the EU has grown in size by the accession of new member states, and in power by the addition of policy areas to its remit. The Maastricht Treaty established the European Union under its current name in 1993. The latest amendment to the constitutional basis of the EU, the Treaty of Lisbon, came into force in 2009.

The carrot was economic prosperity followed predictably the whip of political union.

Gorbachev knew what he spoke of when he said that the EU represented the sovietization of western Europe under on central power. Is it any wonder that the Berlin Wall had to fall to make way for the new EU?

Napoleon tried to unify all of Europe under one government. Hitler came close but he too was stopped by three major nations' armies. The politicians have nearly succeeded where Napoleon failed. But the EU insiders did not copy Napoleon or Hitler in unifying western Europe into one government, they sold the idea first as a simple "free trade" zone. Step by step they have corraled one nation after another under the illusion of economic prosperity. The next step is a political union putting all "European Community" nations under one currency and the dissolving of the pretense of sovereignty once the politicians acquire the political power to force everyone under something that Napoleon and Hitler dreamed of doing. The next step is more political dominance by Brussels of the 27 member nations and eventually dissolving them into one superstate. The step after that is anyone guess.

Unification is an illusion that peace will come once all nations are under one regional government but history has proved twice that unification leads to bigger and more horrible wars.

The Marshall Plan gave the "unification movement" in Europe another try at regional government. The term European Integration is another way of saying something Hitler was working for. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_plan

"The Marshall Plan was one of the first elements of European integration, as it erased trade barriers and set up institutions to coordinate the economy on a continental level—that is, it stimulated the total political reconstruction of western Europe."