Au Revoir Britannia by Sylvie Bermann sampler

More documents

Recommendations

Info

au revoir britannia concerns of the British public. I remember a journey taken in 2005 by the Political and Security Committee of the European Union (chaired at the time by the United Kingdom and where I represented France) on an RAF plane from Brussels which landed at the Northwood military base. After a moment of panic on seeing the European flag fluttering next to the Union Jack at the airport, the UK Ambassador breathed a sigh of relief, remarking that luckily it couldn’t be seen from the street. This was perhaps the tacit consensus, that membership of the EU should not be seen from the street. Otherwise, everything was going well. The Government had, over two years, drawn up a detailed and rigorous report – since forgotten, of course – on the various competencies in all areas of the European project, a report which concluded that the system served the interests of the United Kingdom perfectly. However, by linking the European Union to immigration (a subject of primary concern to the British) and blaming the principle of the free movement of workers imposed by membership for the arrival of nearly one million Polish nationals after the enlargement of the union, which was encouraged, it may be said, by Tony Blair, Nigel Farage was able to use the EU as a scapegoat. This played an important role in the referendum even though the main target, as expressed by many partisans of Brexit, seemed to be non-white immigrants, whether from Africa or elsewhere. Such immigration was often from Commonwealth countries and therefore had nothing to do with the EU principle of the free movement of workers. The greatest possible confusion prevailed, opening the door to all sorts of lies, for example the supposed tens of millions of Turks – most of the Turkish population in fact – who were suddenly going to invade the United Kingdom following an accession, which wasn’t even on the agenda, and over which London had a right of veto. In addition to this, by an unfortunate coincidence, the year 2015 saw the peak of the refugee crisis in Europe. The United Kingdom was then the champion, and even embodiment, of successful globalisation; the wind fully in its sails, the most dynamic economy of the G7, its capital a new world 22
introduction city after the success of the Olympic Games, self-confident and in many ways more creative than New York. It was the financial capital of Europe and the world; capital of international arbitration and law; epicentre of the world’s leading media, like the Financial Times, The Economist and the BBC; and the European headquarters of American, Middle Eastern and Asian companies. How did this country, one whose influence in Brussels had been decisive, that had the temerity to roll out the red carpet for French entrepreneurs and that, in October 2015, Xi Jinping had chosen as the gateway to Europe at the dawn of a golden era – how did it come to scupper itself in this way? David Cameron attempted to convince people that the United Kingdom did indeed have the best of both worlds – access to the single market, which it had helped to create without the constraints of the Schengen rules on travel or the single currency – but he failed in his attempt. What’s more, the UK had just succeeded in obtaining additional and not insignificant concessions from its European partners. One day, in a conference organised by the French Chamber of Great Britain, an Englishman asked what picture Brexit conjured up for me. The one that came to my mind was the recurring scene in Astérix and Obélix in which pirates, noticing the two heroes approaching in the distance, begin furiously to destroy their ship that they had only just finished repairing and making good as new. The cartoon following is that of the same pirates clinging onto a plank in the middle of the ocean saying bitterly, ‘Now we don’t even need the Gaulois to make us look ridiculous.’ David Cameron, who should have chaired the EU in triumph in the second quarter of 2017, will go down in history as the prime minister who took his country out of the EU ‘by accident’, as the Speaker of the House of Commons said one day to a delegation of French parliamentarians. Was it then an inevitable accident waiting to happen, as claimed by some? Or a campaign that failed to connect with the real issues given that the Prime Minister’s main objective was to get on with the next phase of bringing his party 23
Page 3: SYLVIE BERMANN is a career diplomat
Page 6 and 7: First published in French by Editio
Page 9 and 10: Preface to the UK Edition I am deli
Page 11 and 12: preface to the uk edition I finishe
Page 13 and 14: preface to the uk edition agenda; t
Page 15 and 16: preface to the uk edition been an i
Page 17 and 18: introduction Meanwhile, the world c
Page 19 and 20: introduction since, unlike the case
Page 21 and 22: introduction celebrate his victory,
Page 23: introduction expressing the same an
Page 27 and 28: introduction It was, in reality, a
Page 29 and 30: introduction Agreement, Joe Biden h
Page 31 and 32: introduction the departure of the U
Page 33 and 34: introduction Weary of the never-end
Page 35 and 36: introduction This illusory and harm
Page 37 and 38: introduction groups - the compositi
Page 39 and 40: introduction the WHO, accused of be
Page 41 and 42: introduction their positions at the
Page 43 and 44: introduction same Asian values as o
Page 45 and 46: introduction The main Western power
Page 47: introduction of allies and the desi

Au Revoir Britannia by Sylvie Bermann sampler

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?