In his opinion piece published last weekend ‘Brexit and the end of colonialism’, (The Sunday Times of Malta, October 28), John Vassallo makes some interesting points, however I feel duty bound to question a few of his assertions.
Mr Vassallo is clearly licking his lips at the thought of creating a United States of Europe.
For a United States of Europe to happen it will be necessary to move towards a transfer union and central financial authority. The transfer union will be necessary in order to deal with continental debt spread across Member States and put bluntly it means that better off countries like Germany will have to subsidise worse off countries like Greece, in a similar way to that in which California and New York currently prop up New Mexico and Mississippi.
The real concern of a transfer union is whether or not wealthy European countries will wish to be forever bailing out other Member States ad infinitum, most of which due to deep rooted cultural differences will be unwilling to make the necessary changes to make their countries more competitive.
Mr Vassallo is also concerned by colonialism and cites as one example Britain’s “occupation” of Northern Ireland. The UK government undertook a refendum on this issue back in 1973 and 99 per cent voted to remain in the UK.
The Belfast Telegraph ran a poll in 2013 and 96 per cent indicated a wish to stay in the UK. This to me does not suggest an overwhelming desire for change. We are not holding them at gunpoint, no pun intended.
Today’s new colonialists are Amazon, Google, Netflix, Alibaba, Starbucks, McDonald’s, to name but a few, and they pose new challenges.
Mr Vassallo’s sweeping statements are almost amusing: my dear friend Nigel Farage is wrongly labelled as a fascist; the DUP will withdraw their support; Theresa May’s government will fall; and in the ensuing confusion Scotland will move ahead with their independence.
If Scotland were to hold another referendum on leaving the UK and gaining their independence, Nicola Sturgeon has already made it clear that she wishes Scotland to apply for EU membership. This presents a contradiction: achieving independence from the UK only to find her country run by bureaucrats in Brussels. Independence, what independence?
Britain followed a fully transparent democratic process which resulted in a referendum in which a majority voted to leave the EU. Mr Vassallo’s disrespect for the views of elderly people was the most disparaging remark in his entire diatribe. The principle of democracy is One Man, One Vote. An 80-year-old has as much right to a say in our country’s future as an 18- year-old.