Pragmatism rules over principle

WE live in a materialistic Western culture, particularly the USA and UK, recently made even worse by media populism, driving once more towards selfcentred, aggressive neo-fascism, which is incapable of discussing moral values of any kind.

British citizens who still recognize ethical principles such as safeguarding the air, land and seas of our planet, will always recognise the principle of international cooperation, with like-minded foreigners, as the only possible way to achieve those goals.

Such principles are the basis of EU cooperation between peoples, while hatred of the same principles motivates Tory voters and Brexiteers, desperate to leave, in order to be isolated, hostile to the uniting efforts of 27 countries.

These Brexit citizens do not believe that ethical principles are a realty of this universe. They intend to live without the handicap of principles, and are proud to be “pragmatic”, persuading each other they will make lots of money out of imaginary trade with nations on the other side of the world.

So their hopes depend upon a very tenuous cooperation with foreign nations, whom they, the Brexiteers who do not believe in cooperation, assume are keen to cooperate with the new UK, this sovereign, isolated, insulated, low-tax haven.

70 years ago, the Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, tried to teach Britain, and so the world, that the sacrifice of 40 million lives in war had laid moral obligations upon all those generations for whom that sacrifice had been made. Attlee claimed this was an ethical principle, but most British citizens today are totally opposed to honour that higher vision of human life. This present generation is mentally unequipped, even to comprehend what he meant. Neville Westerman Brynna