Self Flagellation
By Steven J. Grisafi, PhD.
We the people of the world watch with concern the anguish of the British people as they struggle to define the terms upon which they believe they may safely leave the European Union. I had thought it best, for both the United Kingdom and the remainder of the European Union, that the United Kingdom ought leave the European Union before today, the last day before the new elections of the European Parliament. Despite criticism that her fourth proposal to be put before the House of Commons to achieve agreement upon the terms for Britain’s exit from the European Union contains nothing new, perhaps a slight modification to Prime Minister May’s proposal can secure satisfaction from all parties concerned. The Prime Minister has proposed, as part of her Brexit package, that Parliament vote upon holding a second referendum to decide if Brexit is truly the desire of the British people. While I tend to agree with Prime Minister May that no second referendum ought be required, it may be useful to hold a second referendum if it properly addresses the obligations of the British people, should they decide to remain within the European Union.
A majority of the people living within the European Union believe it will cease to exist before the year 2040. If such is the case, one may expect that it will cease to exist in its current form, but will persist as a new incarnation. Undeniably, the European Union is in flux and will likely be modified significantly. We who wish to see Europe become a strong and reliable voice in all world affairs seek to control how that modification occurs. The United Kingdom is a most prominent and significant actor within all affairs of the world. So it would be advantageous to retain the United Kingdom within the structure into which the European Union may transform itself. To accomplish such a task one ought register the will of the British people so as to guide our decisions for reconstruction of the European Union. As such, if there is to be a second referendum, it must address the most pertinent issue confronting all Europeans: Do you want political unity within all of Europe? This means that a second referendum ought contain two parts. However one may choose to phrase the second part, the people of the United Kingdom must decide now if they wish to abandon the use of the Pound Sterling and adopt the use of the Euro Dollar.
Should they decide they cannot part with the tradition of the pound then all Europeans ought recognize that it is best for Britain to leave and leave now. The costs of uncertainty regarding the terms of Brexit hanging over all of Europe can be no less than the costs of leaving without an agreement. If it be required to hold a second referendum regarding Brexit then that referendum ought address the issue of the United Kingdom’s willingness to adopt the Euro Dollar. This issue is central to how any modification to the current state of the European Union will develop. Whether or not political unity is to be achieved amongst all Europeans depends fundamentally upon whether or not they decide to continue a monetary union. If the the United Kingdom wishes to be part of the monetary union then it is welcome within whatever political union that all Europeans can achieve consistent with their desire for subsidiarity.