Farage's littlest Englander approach is not only irritating, it also presents a grave danger to all of our futures here in the UK. The European project will continue, too many have too much invested to let it fail completely; and for us to shut our eyes, stick our fingers in our ears and chant, "lalalala, can't hear you, won't hear you", will not only not prevent it continuing but it will put us permanently on the sidelines of an increasingly united financial power block.
In pure economic terms this country cannot compete with the US, nor the emerging BRIC states - we don't have the population nor the resources - as Europe we can.
Which is why if the Euro does fail, then it will do so by some nations leaving it - with a core of nations left. We have a choice, be part of that core - and play a significant role within it, or be reduced to some sort of faded gentility - Bognor Regis on a national scale, perhaps.
Farage has three main planks which he relies on:
1 - The "we are special" plank. This is the notion that the UK deserves a special place in the world because we are, well, the UK. We have history. We have a proud history of fighting the French and the Germans to maintain and increase our spheres of influence around the world -creating and protecting the Empire. This touches on the patriotism of people and lets him manipulate those feelings to set up a dichotomy of 'us against them'.
2 - This is related, but basically comes down to "two world wars and one world cup". We have suffered terribly to avoid a German dominated Europe and now, so he says, we are going to get one via the back door. Again it plays the patriot card - if you are against German domination (and if not then shame on you!) then you must, by extension, be against the European Union. (Though in many ways the war was against the Nazis, not Germany - but that's a complex issue that is only marginally relevant)
3 - Europe is not sufficiently democratic. The main force for legislation in Europe is the unelected Commission, which comprises appointees from individual Governments. This Commission interferes with our freedoms (eg the right to be told to work all hours for low pay, etc.)
What he conveniently ignores is that:
1 - The days of Empire are dead. Fighting other democracies to extend our unique UK sphere of influence is simply silly
2 - If you want to avoid a Europe dominated by Germany (and France) then we need to have equal status with them in the EU. This means taking an equal part, and pooling sovereignty, not diminishing it. Taking an equal part would mean joining a reformed Euro. The rules for membership of the Currency Zone have been flouted in the past - we see the result of that in Greece, Italy, and Eire. So stricter fiscal rules are required, and must be strictly adhered to and enforced. This will require tighter political integration in order to ensure that proper action can be taken as required. The core nations will do that - and at the moment they simpy see an opportunity to leave us out, and leave us behind.
3 - The tighter political integration in the core states will require a reduction of the current democratic defecit, it is not only the UK tht struggles with this, and reforms are already under discussion. Again, if we are not part of the project the rest won't care what we think. There is a once in a lifetime opportunity to make radical changes to the democratic structures within Europe - to increase the powers of the European Parliament at the expense of the Commission, and to rework the relationships between the member states (or at least those in the core).
All of which means that Farage and the Tory sceptics are the ones who would damage this country's economic future, and provide a poorer future for my grandson - and I for one will not be fooled by rabble rousing, though otherwise empty, rhetoric such as that given in the link at #1
- "sounds about right", my arse!