21st October 2012

So the Scots are to have an in/out referendum on being part of the UK.  I fear this is the stepping stone towards one for the UK being part of the EU.  We all know what the answer to that one would be. I remember a certain phrase from the past:  Maggie, Maggie, Maggie - out, out, out!   In times of uncertainty, people cling to their own little tribe - a warm, cosy unit where we all feel safe.  But, politically, it's an illusion.  Things have changed.
As an ageing expat I realise that the England I miss isn't really the one I left behind. The England of my youth seemed so much better than the England of today. Fond memories of respect for our elders and authority, coupled with the absence of global TV, meant that our ignorance was bliss.  But now no-one wears rose-tinted glasses any more:  the harsh reality of life is laid before us every minute of every day. Today's British youth have never experienced the appalling casualties of war - and the ones who did are now almost gone.  We must never forget - ever. The recent Noble Peace Prize awarded to the EU is very timely. Current EU inequalities, with some democratic tweaking, can in time all be ironed out. For centuries life in the old tiny, nationalistic countries proved disastrous.  So, if we get an in/out referendum on the EU - vote IN, loud and clear.....much better than the alternative.