|
|
|
|
"British friends, do not leave us!"
This week, French newspaper Le Monde offers a passionate tribune written by MEP Bernard Guetta, where he calls on his British friends to not stand down to the pressures of Brexit. Pointing out the thousands of years of shared history between the British and the French (and pointedly ignoring the rivalries that have existed so far), Guetta pays homage to the memorable events that have occurred in Britain that have helped shaped today’s world, such as the English revolution, the Industrial revolution, Shakespeare’s literature, and Churchill’s decisions on the outcome of WWII. Interestingly, Guetta reminds the British people that they are not American, nor Chinese, but European – his piece is one that calls for unity, loyalty, and solidarity, in a time where we can “live without killing ourselves”. He ends his tribune by beseeching the British to not betray themselves if they continue to believe in liberty and democracy.
The article in French: « Amis Britanniques, ne nous quittez pas ! »
|
Lessons for Democracy
The radio station Deutschlandfunk discusses the possibility of Brexit and the political crisis in the UK being symptons of a weak democracy. Referring to an interview with the German sociologist Helmut Wilke, the article identifies the fundamental weaknesses of democracies and attempts to link them to Brexit. For example, Wilke argues that democracies today are not capable of being strategic as they are strongly dependent on the next election. Moreover, our current democracies tend to only learn from crises, leaving us unprepared and at the mercy of complex situations that we cannot manage, such as climate change, migration, the regulation of financial markets or Brexit. Generally speaking, he believes that representative democracies need to be reformed and modernised. As a first step, Wilke suggests to introduce expert committees to help parliaments make decisions.
|
|
Brexit and diversity
Writing for The Irish Times, opinion piece author Siobhán McKenna shares her story of her being a mixed-raced Irishwoman who has lived in London for the past two decades. The focus of her story is the change in attitude and perception of Irish people since the beginning of the Brexit crisis, where she had initially found a welcoming, tolerant, and diverse environment, has since become increasingly hostile and discriminatory. McKenna points out the structural inequalities found in the United Kingdom, especially surrounding minorities such as herself. She also believes that Boris Johnson is not the solution to the country nor to the current political crisis, and does not seem to have much hope for the future of a ‘once mighty empire’.
|
Liberty of Movement?
Following this week’s numerous events in the UK Parliament, Romanian news network DIGI 24 writes about the British government’s judgement on the liberty of movement for EU citizens. The initial decision announced by Priti Patel last month, where she said that new border restrictions would be implemented as soon as Brexit would occur, has just been overturned. DIGI 24 writes that the organization that represents EU immigrants established in Great Britain, The3Million, claimed that the initial measure was discriminatory. As a result, the government was forced to renounce their decision within the context of the warnings so as to not have legal repercussions from EU citizens.
|
|
Copyright © 2018 European Movement International, All rights reserved.
You are on this list because you have indicated that you would like to receive updates on the work of the European Movement International.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list
Remarks, suggestions or questions are welcome at [email protected]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
