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1/10/13, "Of all the bad arguments for being in the EU, the worst is to humour Barack Obama," UK Telegraph, Daniel Hannan
"Diplomats the world over tend to be the EU's biggest fans: the
system, after all, was designed by and for people like them. The US
State Department has been consistently Euro-integrationist since the
1950s, pouring resources into various European pressure groups that
shared its aim. Back in those early days, its concern was to build up
the Western alliance. The EEC was seen as a way of strengthening Nato
and keeping countries out of the Soviet camp. We can argue about whether
that rationale was valid even in the 1950s; it certainly hasn't been
since 1989.
After the end of the Cold War, the Brussels élites started picking fights with what they called the world's hyperpuissance.
They channelled funds to Hamas, declined to get tough with the
ayatollahs in Teheran, declared their willingness in principle to sell
weapons to China, refused to deal with the anti-Castro dissidents in
Cuba, started building a satellite system with the Chinese to challenge
American 'technological imperialism' (J Chirac), hectored the US about
its failure to join various global technocracies and complained about
domestic American policies, from cheap energy to the use of the death
penalty. Most Americans, even some in the State Department, have started
to grasp, Frankenstein-like, that the EU is turning against them.
So
now they want the most pro-American member state, namely the United
Kingdom, to get stuck in and moderate these anti-yanqui tendencies. Would we mind abandoning our democracy so as to help them out?
Well, sorry chaps, but yes, we rather would mind. Of all the bad
arguments for remaining in the EU, the single worst is that we should do
so in order to humour Barack Obama,
the most anti-British president
for nearly 200 years.
It's not even as if he reflects American opinion
toward the EU.
To treat Philip Gordon, or any other Foggy Bottom
stripey-pants, as the authentic voice of the US on this issue would be
like treating UKREP as the true voice of the UK.
Still, since he's decided to wade in, I have a question for Mr
Gordon, and for other American Euro-enthusiasts. When are you planning
to
pool your sovereignty with Ecuador, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba?" via Free Republic
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"Daniel Hannan is a writer and journalist, and has been Conservative
MEP for South East England since 1999. He speaks French and Spanish and
loves Europe, but believes that the European Union is making its
constituent nations poorer, less democratic and less free."
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