The EU made a terrible mistake in the early '90s by choosing to massively enlarge its membership rather than strengthening its core
All of this was avoidable. British Prime Minister David Cameron may have lit the fuse that may lead to the disintegration of the European Union, but it was the EU’s own actions in the early 1990s that proved to be the powder keg. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Europe faced a critical decision:…
The referendum has aggravated growing concern about the instability of the global economic landscape
The Brexit referendum result has the makings of a global financial disaster. Fifty-two per cent of United Kingdom citizens who recently went to the polls voted in favour of leaving the European Union. It's a decision that will be felt around the world for years. In fact, the Brexit vote will have gigantic economic repercussions…
The EU’s resolve to continue sanctions against Russia may well weaken, with the nations of Eastern Europe caught in the crosshairs
Britons’ June 23 vote to leave the European Union set the stage for a multi-year period of negotiations that will allow Great Britain to revise the terms of its participation in the EU and possibly lead to a complete withdrawal from the organization. The results, which triggered the resignation of British Prime Minister David Cameron,…
Brexit proponents fail to recognize how important Europe is to Britain's economy, and how critical Britain is to Europe's stability
Voters in Britain will determine the fate of the European Union on June 23. A decision to ‘Brexit' – leave the 28-nation EU – could have far-reaching implications for Britain and the world. Arguments for Britain leaving the EU tend to focus on seemingly irrational fears: fear of being swamped by foreign immigration, fear of British…
The UK’s relationship to what is now called the European Union has always been ambivalent
With Scotland’s independence referendum in the rear-view mirror, the UK is on course for another mass public consultation, perhaps even as early as this coming June. The question will be direct: Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union? This is known in media parlance as Brexit,…
Glastonbury Abbey perpetuated the King Arthur legend to find the money to rebuild their abbey which burnt-down in 1184
A recent news story about archaeological findings at the site of England’s Glastonbury Abbey made me think of the long-dead Hollywood actor Robert Taylor. Let me explain. I was a month short of my ninth birthday when Taylor came to Ireland for location shooting on MGM’s production of Knights of the Round Table, and the…
Betraying the electorate triggers powerful negative emotions
Sorting through the post-mortems on the recent U.K. election, I came across an interesting Sunday Times piece from the English novelist/journalist Robert Harris. In it, he made reference to the pariah status of two former British prime ministers – Ramsay MacDonald and Tony Blair. Unless you’re something of a history buff, MacDonald’s name probably rings…
What columnist Pat Murphy learned from the PC defeat in Alberta and the Conservative victory in Britain
Political aficionados certainly had a double helping of drama last week. In Alberta, the NDP’s upending of the long-running Progressive Conservative dynasty wasn’t on anyone’s radar. And in the U.K., everybody anticipated a hung parliament rather than the Tory majority that emerged. Here are my takeaways: Alienating large chunks of your base is a risky…
History may have played out differently if Kennedy had shown Thatcher’s political courage
In politics, as in life, sometimes it’s necessary to throw caution to the wind, damn the torpedoes and just go for it. Indeed, as Margaret Thatcher demonstrated 40 years ago, fortune can be induced to smile on the brave. Thatcher’s catalyst came from Conservative disappointment with the results of the October 1974 UK general election.…