APRIL 6 ― While one side of Europe is dominated by the fall-out from Ukraine’s efforts to achieve greater political unity with its Western neighbours, the big story on the other geographical extreme of the continent is a growing movement in the United Kingdom towards quitting the European Union (EU) altogether.
On Wednesday night, United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage took part in the second of two “live” television debates on the BBC with Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg, in preparation for the European elections scheduled for May 22.
As expected, the main topic on the agenda was the question of the UK’s relationship with Europe, with Farage using the exposure as another opportunity to argue his party’s belief that the country should quit the EU, while Clegg attempted to maintain his policy’s stance that the current integration with its continental neighbours must be maintained.
After the event, Farage was immediately hailed as the “winner,” with one opinion poll concluding that 69 per cent of viewers felt the UKIP leader had performed more convincingly and reflecting the growing tide towards independence that is sweeping across the country.
Indeed, the fact that Farage was even able to take part in the debate – “live” on national television – was a major triumph for his party in the first place.
Until very recently, UKIP has been nothing more than a minority party, only attracting the votes of right wing extremists and exerting little or no influence on mainstream British politics, with no members of the party currently elected to the House of Commons.
But that has all changed in the last few years, chiefly for two related reasons: the economic crisis of 2008 and onwards, and growing immigration into the UK from newly-admitted nations into the EU.
With less money to spend in the UK and a greater share of it going to the welfare needs of new arrivals into the country, there has been a predictable backlash from conservative traditionalists, whose arguments to “keep Britain British” have led to a huge surge in popularity for UKIP, with a recent opinion poll suggesting 23 per cent of the population are intending to vote for the party in next month’s European elections.
In Wednesday’s debate, Clegg attempted to shove Farage and his party back to their former status as fringe radicals, mocking his opponent as the kind of deranged fantasist who believes that “the moon landing never happened, Barack Obama is not American and Elvis is not dead.”
It plainly didn’t work, with the national verdict showing clearly that Farage, not Clegg, enjoys more mass popular support, opening up the distinct possibility that UKIP is poised to become a significant force in British politics – and with a General Election scheduled for next year, their timing couldn’t be better.
The debate about the UK’s place within Europe is nothing new, of course. A notable proportion of the population find it difficult to loosen their grip on the old perception that the country is still a major global power and could get by perfectly well – thrive, even – without any connection to those funny-speaking continental types across the Channel.
This attitude, of course, is a relic from the days of the British Empire, when Britannia really did rule the waves and could rightly consider itself as one of the most important and influential countries in the world.
Those days are long gone and the only remaining imperial outposts are small, relatively insignificant plots of land such as the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar. So much for the mighty British Empire. And having spent time living in Germany and now Spain, I have experienced first-hand how much of the rest of the world now regards Britain as an isolated, aloof, historically significant and highly developed but increasingly irrelevant little nation.
Farage’s anti-Europe stance is by no means unanimously shared, of course. Within the business world, in particular, there’s a strong realisation that leaving the EU would leave many British businesses at a strong competitive disadvantage. EU membership comes with a price to pay in terms of higher taxation and having some laws set by Brussels rather than London, but the advantages easily outweigh the disadvantages.
The ease of trade, movement and lower tax rates that come with EU membership offer tangible benefits to British companies which would be lost if the country isolated itself from the rest of the continent – a few months ago, the Confederation of British Industry’s director general, John Cridland, stated that ongoing EU membership is “fundamental” to British business interests and annually worth £3,000 to each household.
But there’s no getting away from a simple fact: many British people just like the idea of independence and think the country would be a better place if it was less closely aligned to the rest of Europe.
For them, facts and figures about trade tariffs and projected employment rates simply do not matter. They are proud of their country and believe it doesn’t need to join any external organisation – especially one led by “foreigners.”
And who knows, they might be right. Maybe the renowned British entrepreneurial spirit, commercial creativity and strong work ethic really would allow the UK to defy the odds and succeed on its own.
The way things are going, it might not be too long before we find out.
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
