Us Germans see ‘Out’ as a betrayal as theatrics rue the day
UK CORRESPONDENT OF DIE ZEIT NEWSPAPER HOW to explain Britain to a German? In two decades living in London I have come to realise that nothing sums up the British more succinctly than the love for the theatrical.
If you look at it that way, you realise that much of the referendum rhetoric was used more for dramatic effect than to advance a serious political argument. Indeed, Nigel Farage has already said that leaving the EU will not, after all, add an extra £350million a week to the budget of the public health service, the NHS, as Brexiteers promised.
The British instinct to suspend disbelief and immerse themselves in emotive narratives played an important part in the referendum result, which has kicked off something much bigger than voters realise.
The Leave vote will come to define the 21st Century, marking the end of the post-war status quo where European politics was dominated by the doctrine of ‘ever closer union’. Instead, we are entering a period where member states, especially those outside the Eurozone, will be able to define their relationship with Brussels under their own terms. It is an argument that will no doubt please Brexiteers.
However Britain’s role in Europe as dreamed up by the Leave camp is the stuff of fiction.
There is a curious disconnect between campaigners’ emotive rhetoric against Brussels and their insistence on a wholly rational response from European nations during negotiations over Britain’s post-Brexit status. Berlin would never be stupid enough to deny German car manufacturers access to the UK market by setting trade barriers – but that ignores the emotional impact of the British decision in Germany. It ranges from incredulity to anger, from disappointment to despair.
Many Germans see the outcome of the referendum as nothing short of a betrayal. Not least because they are baffled by the ignorance about the changes already happening in the EU, with Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the Commission, talking about the need for the EU to stop meddling and start listening to people’s concerns. The British debate has already had an impact.
Messrs Gove, Johnson and Farage talk about cooperation with Europe, but they have ignored the fact their campaign has severely damaged Britain’s credibility on the continent. For all its flaws – the lack of democratic accountability, the handling of the euro crisis, the response to mass migration – the EU will not collapse. It will redefine itself. But to assume that the new age will see the end of close EU co-operation would be as fanciful as the notion that Britain can simply dictate its role on the European stage.