Beyond the Roundels

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With you in that dreadful sense of shock and loss, darling. I’ll keep my fingers crossed so that you guys don’t suffer too heavily from the parting… and obviously, for the future of the whole of the EU itself.

If you want an outsider’s perspective though—I don’t fully agree with the way you’re perceiving the implications of this vote about the British people. What I mean is, I don’t believe it means the British are a xenophobic country at the core, and I don’t believe this is a British problem, either. Maybe people in your comments brought up Donald Trump as the most glaring example, but I’m having chills at how close the National Front will probably come to office in my country next year, and populism and nationalism are on the rise all throughout Europe. (Even Germany, deeply traumatized as it was by its history—although I’m not saying at all that the AfD are anything like the nazis, obviously! But only a few years back I was noticing that Germany seemed to be one of a few exceptions when it came to the rise of the extreme right. That doesn’t appear to be so clearly the case.)

We all have two major challenges on our hands—the economic crisis and the migrant crisis—and the EU is an easy target to blame for the two. Easy targets have always been hit hard, in all of human history. The EU also has its own shortcomings and difficulties, which makes it all the more difficult to argue its case. The UK went first, because your country is somewhat specific in its history and identity. It is an island, and without meaning to be too simplistic, the island feeling is something we clearly perceive from a mainland-Europe POV. You already had some distance with the EU (not being in the Eurozone and a few other things). You were one step back, and that was one step closer to getting out. Unfortunately, your politicians took that step. But again you are not alone; this very morning we hear the National Front coining the word “Frexit” and the very idea makes me want to scream. The anti-Europe feeling is everywhere and it’s up to every of its 28 (damn it, still counting you) people to fight it, because Europe is a wonderful idea that deserves so much better than what it’s getting.

And xenophobia… Xenophobia is an easy, ugly human reflex. Again, I’m not sure it means a whole country is rotten at the core. But it is a matter of atmosphere, an atmosphere that’s nourished that the wrong politicians and the wrong media narratives and disruptive, misleading voices. It all plays not on hatred, not for the majority, but on fear—fear that, in turn, breeds hostility. One doesn’t hate foreigners, or care nothing at all for the Syrian children—simply, they’re frightened about their job, their security, their everyday life, their concerns and uncertainties. It’s not something to be proud of. But it’s an inherent part of human nature, a part we can overcome only by getting together instead of letting ourselves become more and more divided… and for that we also need solid, ethical, inspiring politicians with a vision. Those are all too scarce, unfortunately :(

That comment is rather bittersweet, I’m aware—I’m pretty much arguing “You know, the UK isn’t alone! We’re all on the same boat and it appears to be taking water!”. I don’t want to think it means doom… or else we may as well give up already, right? I want to hope this will be a wake-up call for the EU to reform itself, to become something stronger, more united, more inspiring. As long as it keeps feeling so remote and every people is only concerned with keeping its own tight control, it can’t work right. And I hope that if this better version of the EU is born someday, you guys can find your place back within it. The journey will be hard… but maybe we can get there eventually!

(I’m not looking to launch into an in-depth debate here, so please don’t feel the slightest obligation to respond if you’re feeling too tired! I just thought you might be interested to hear a continental-Europe perspective, and I really wanted to raise those points when I read your post. The British are a brilliant, flawed, human people. Like all of us. And politics and society seem to get scarier every day… but let’s not let that kill all of our hopes.)

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