EU economics failing
Madam Editor,
It appears Britain is in a very similar position to that which prevailed three quarters of a century ago; threatened by a belligerent Europe with the variation of its neighbour to the west which 75 years ago remained coldly neutral. Following recent pronouncements by Mr Barnier, Principle EU Brexit negotiator, it is not an overstatement to describe the EU as belligerent or an enemy of its largest island neighbour. Determination to destroy Britain by economic warfare appears every bit as strong as determination to destroy it by force of arms in 1942.
It is becoming apparent that as far as the Brussels Bureaucracy is concerned the EU is no longer a partnership of willing participants but an empire of captive vassal states to be utterly destroyed rather than allowed leave to follow national democratic principles.
The great fear is that other states who feel the heavy hand of Brussels in their every move would also dare think of exit should Britain escape unscathed. This is a very dangerous position to take. Britain wants out because the EU economic ideal after half a century of phenomenal success is failing.
The EU is stagnating because it refuses to accept new economics. Many historic economic certainties have changed utterly such as 21st century supply grossly exceeding demand with inevitable reduction and elimination of growth coupled with an inescapable threat of enormous job loss as automation and robotics assume ever increasing volumes of work which were until recently, entirely dependent on human input.
The EU utterly refuses to accept this reality and its economic policy remains firmly rooted in the past which greatly favours the already rich and powerful while abandoning countless millions to the insecurity of failing business and indefinite unemployment. Britain senses rather than understands the problem and although it reacts no better than the EU, it strives for freedom to do its own thing for its own people when the real crunch comes. Sadly without concerted European or Global realization of how greatly economics have changed in the last two decades, their “own thing” for most failing economies will be protectionism, tariffs, trade barriers and hostility combined with major social unrest.
It is not possible to administer the new with thinking from the old; it is like trying to navigate a nuclear aircraft carrier using a sailing manual from the Spanish Main. Enormous global and local economic problems are arising of which Brexit is an example. New economic ability requires new economic administration.
The EU and Britain together should be devising administrative principles to take full advantage of most successful economic and social time ever experienced by the human race with a view to making it flourish and further enhance the lives of all peoples rather than squaring up to each other over problems that are irrelevant and solutions that are impossible.
Padraic Neary, Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo.