LONDON, 20 June 2005 — Only one and half a month ago, British Prime Minister Tony Blair was hanging onto his political life by a thread. It was no longer about what was happening on world state; the focus was on the domestic side — getting the electorate to trust him again. If there was ever going to be a Newer New Labour, this was going to be it. Indeed, it is turning out to be.
The man behind the Iraq war and the numerous controversies associated with it is fighting a new battle — this time much closer to home. For a change, this fight is a defensive one. Perhaps that is why a lot of people in Britain are homing in support and finding a common ground with the prime minister — one that was nearly lost and only narrowly regained.
Europe has long been a vulnerable issue with Britain, and vice versa. It was things like Britain’s failure to join the European Community (as it was originally known) despite several attempts, its detachment from the common currency and its ever-closer ties with America that paved way for the term “awkward partner”. Now, as President Chirac of France desperately seeks to cover up his country’s “no” vote on the EU Constitution, the spotlight is once again on Britain for allegedly blocking the EU from economic stability by holding on to Margaret Thatcher’s rebate debate.
Let’s be honest with ourselves here. This has very little to do with poor EU member states and more to do with President Chirac’s domestic difficulties. The president has already appointed his chief rival as prime minister in a desperate bid to save his reputation, he is facing a huge crisis over the EU Constitution, France’s domestic situation is in a mess and this may be the last chance for him to regain any support in his homeland. The whole “crisis” over Britain’s rebate has more to do with French farmers than helping poorer European states.
However desperately Europe tries to blame Britain for this setback it must be understood that the issue is not about the rebate, but the unfair — and absurd — subsidies received by French farmers. Just because Britain is fighting to hold on to the rebate does not make it anti-European.
Calls for Britain to withdraw from the EU are even more absurd than the whole rebate issue. If Britain’s contributions to Europe have so much significance that a £3 billion rebate plunges the union into a crisis, where would it leave the EU if Britain went solo? You cannot have a European Union with a group of poor countries and 10 new member states and with countries like Spain and Ireland — once considered poor but now very much financially stable — still claiming net contributions from the EU budget, and with only Germany contributing a credible amount.
President Chirac has recognized the need to hold on to the EU’s Common Agricultural Program (CAP) in order to sustain his political career. With the G-8 summit around the corner all focus will be on Africa and ending poverty in a region that is in the state it is now only because of Eurocratic policies like the CAP. The EU budget crisis is a triumph for President Chirac’s plans for a secure future for the CAP. Without an end to the British rebate, the CAP will remain very much in place. Africa will stay in second position.
So what now for Britain? Toward Europe or away from it? Inevitably Britain will merge deeper and deeper into the EU because the correlation so far has produced significant victories for Britain in terms of economics and trade. Yet, there exist lines, which the British are more reluctant to cross — a divide over secularism, common currencies and a huge number of social issues.
Just last week a Greek-Cypriot was jailed in Britain for a series of rapes in North London. Petros Athina had a string of previous offenses that were unknown to the British authorities when he entered Britain on a no-visa-required basis in 1998. For many British Euroskeptics the case highlighted the need to maintain more formal boarders with European countries that do not share the same criminal justice system as Britain’s.
Whether Britain will ever fully integrate with the EU is hard to tell, but Tony Blair’s European ambitions have now been clearly defined. Britain is in the EU for much the same reason as any of its other member states — self-interest. The EU is not a federation; it is not about sticking together through thick and thin. There are no unifying slogans of “united we stand and divided we fall”. Each member state has its self-interest at heart. That was the impetus behind the creation of the EU and that remains very much part of the rationale today.
Next month Britain will assume the rotating presidency of the EU. With it comes a clear reminder to Europe that Britain has clear goals for Europe and that it is indeed still very much part of the EU.
