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New Statesman
14-05-2025
- Politics
- New Statesman
Starmer can rewrite the history of Brexit
Photo by Benjamin Cremel/AFP It is time, at long last, to cancel that sly political elision 'Europe' instead of 'European Union'. It's time to forget the shorthand, so lazy, which takes the name of a varied land mass of our neighbours and applies it unthinkingly to the political project run from Brussels. Why? Because the confusion has driven us dotty. We have never left real Europe and can't, any more than we can arrange a political exit from the planet. On Monday 19 May, Keir Starmer can begin to bring this nonsense to an end. We are making a historic turn, a proper handshake, with Europe; yet not with the EU, its grey and ponderous political blender. I'm a child of the postwar period, for whom Europe was a vision of a better future, tantalising long before I ever first made it to the continent as a tousled 18-year-old. America was big cars, burgers, westerns, rock. But Europe was smouldering cinema, sexy songs and mouthwatering food. Europe was people like we Scots but eating better, living in better-looking towns and with better weather. Yes, America was Marvel. But Europe was Asterix. There were always other Europes available, of course – football Europe, warmongering Europe, impoverished Europe. My idea of it, I fully admit, was limited – uproariously bourgeois; trivial; sensual. Yet I think it was not uncommon. It helps anatomise the pain of many so-called 'Remoaners', the defeated Cavaliers, after the Brexit referendum. There had been always those who went the whole hog and lived the life of snobby expatriates in the Dordogne, Andalusia or Tuscany – the clay-coloured, linen-wrapped Peter Mayle people. But far beyond those, for many normal middle-class British people , Europe was just a thoroughly nice place to be next to. We shared their values. So we memorised their verbs. From this perspective, 'leaving' was simply insane. Giving up the free and easy travel? Giving up the friendly German, Dutch or Belgian students and au pairs? The trade? Why? Because some dreary Brussels officials were making rules we barely notice? Because we're supposed to love Westminster so much? You're having us on, you… you… working-class people – aren't you? And personally, I have always suspected one of the reasons so many unheard working-class people voted for Brexit was precisely that they intuited how much their heedless oppressors loved all things European – they voted to steal the treat-shop from those who barely acknowledged their existence. Now, one day, surely, history will judge the EU, the project of trying to obliterate national differences and create a centralised American-style superpower by twisting the screws of regulatory adjustments and commercial decrees, as noble – but politically insane. For us, there is no going back to that. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Meanwhile, this warm spring, three things mean we must think afresh about the living continent of Europe: Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and our stuttering economy. In my youth, we were pulled towards Europe by shared values and appetites. Today, it's by shared fear. The job of the coming week is to ensure solidarity without merger – to get us back into a strong security and social relationship with our neighbours, without becoming entangled in the disruptive and disheartening mechanisms of the union itself. A year or two ago, informed people thought that impossible. But the invasion of Ukraine and the behaviour of President Trump in office has changed everything. So the summit in Whitehall ought, unless something goes wrong, to give British industry access to a €150bn defence procurement fund; to strike an agreement on food and animal products that will allow much easier trade in both directions; to introduce a capped youth mobility scheme; and to roll forward the previous deal on fishing rights that would, in any case, have had to be renegotiated next year. It opens the way to a deal on energy that would integrate British and European power systems – so that, for instance, a floating offshore windfarm could be used by continental grids and British ones depending on the fluctuations of demand. The deal is not quite done yet. Things could go wrong. The French defence industry would like to keep British manufacturers at arm's length if possible. And when the wind is in a certain direction, France can be just as mulishly protectionist as Trump's America, if not more so. There is plenty, too, to annoy the ideological right. Fresh from opposing an Indian trade deal that will bring some growth and a US one that should save the British car and steel industries, Conservative and Reform-backing politicians and papers will home in on the youth mobility scheme and the (very limited) role of the European Court in overseeing agricultural standards to cry 'betrayal'. We will have to wait to judge the political impact. The British public understands the Putin threat and the unreliability of the US as a long-term partner. They are aware of our profound growth problem: which is why agreements over oil within a market worth £800bn a year, as compared to trade with the US worth £300bn – first rule of trade, proximity matters – should be easy to sell by a self-confident government. But here lies the most important part of the politics. Month after dispiriting month, this Labour government has seemed essentially reactive, whacked by the markets, the Trump revolution, angry voters and growing internal dissent. Too often, it can come across as dazed. Here, at long last, it can own a big move, act rather than react. 'This is the moment for the front foot, to really push what the national interest is,' says an insider. Or, in other words, to pick a fight. The Prime Minister needs to be up for that. If he is prepared to aggressively sell this turn towards Europe – the preferred phrase is 'New Partnership' – as something essential for our security, an act of statecraft both strategic and timely, voters will listen. If he comes out swinging, he can change the weather. This could be the most important moment of his premiership yet. If details have been worked on by the relevant cabinet minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds, for many months. Government insiders are clear that, as the cross-channel relationship broadens and deepens, there is much more to achieve in helping trade in goods and mutual recognition of professional qualifications. In terms of domestic politics, this may help Labour defend its other flank against the Liberal Democrats. From now on there will be annual summits. A more effective European-wide defence industry, a more integrated energy supply system and a friendlier approach to trade with the UK gives the real Europe, extending outside the EU, more resilience and more security. It doesn't put everybody under one roof. But it helps turn geographical neighbours into good neighbours. And that, faced with the military menace from the east, and the unpredictable trade belligerence from across the Atlantic, is a new deal not just worthwhile, but essential. Europe is us. Labour can't avoid a fight, but if it's going to fight, it might as well be something worth fighting for. Whether you voted for or against Brexit, it's obvious that this period has to end with a more supportive and friendlier mood than during the previous frantic, hysterical, pointlessly brittle nine years. Enough of the exhaustion. Enough of the doublespeak. The Brexiteers always told us we'd have a good, grown-up relationship with the EU after it was all over. Well, in part thanks to the White House and in part thanks to the Kremlin, those two ugly stepsisters of today's European folk tale, that moment has finally arrived. [See also: The dangerous relationship] Related
The Guardian
21-03-2025
- General
- The Guardian
A bumpy ride and twin panda cubs: photos of the day
Firefighters douse the flames of a fire that broke out at a substation supplying power to Heathrow airport in west London. Heathrow airport, Europe's busiest, was shut down early on 21 March for 24 hours after a major fire at an electricity substation cut power to the sprawling facility, officials said Photograph: Benjamin Cremel/AFP/Getty Images Passengers are silhouetted on a wall as they wait to board a plane at Peinador airport Photograph: Nacho Doce/Reuters Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, spends time with soldiers during his visit to an army base Photograph: Ian Vogler/Reuters Images featuring famous artworks such as The Monarch of the Glen by Sir Edwin Landseer, The Skating Minister by Henry Raeburn and Olive Trees by Vincent van Gogh are projected on to the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh to encourage more people to come and see the nation's art collection Photograph: Jane Barlow/PA Sudanese soldiers celebrate after taking over the Republican Palace Photograph: AP Workers harvesting Longjing tea leaves at a tea garden in Zhejiang Province Photograph: VCG/Getty Images Palestinians use a donkey-pulled cart to transport their belongings as they flee bombing in the Northern Gaza Strip. Gaza's civil defence agency said on 20 March that 504 people had been killed since the bombardment resumed, more than 190 of them minors Photograph: Bashar Taleb/AFP/Getty Images People take part in a protest against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, demanding the release of all hostages in Gaza, near his residence Photograph: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT's British driver Elfyn Evans steers his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 with British co-driver Scott Martin over a jump at Miti-Mbili in Naivasha Photograph: Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty Images Vermont senator Bernie Sanders rallies alongside New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Photograph: Calvin Stewart/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock (From left) Courtney Hoffos of Canada, Talina Gantenbein of Switzerland, Luisa Klapprott of Germany and Anouck Errard of France in action during the Skicross competition in the FIS Snowboard & Freestyle World Championships Photograph: Gian Ehrenzeller/EPA Mohammed Al-Dahshan drums as he wanders the streets of the Dekernes region during Ramadan to wake people up for sahur, the early morning meal eaten before fasting Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Actors perform during a general rehearsal for the press night of the opera Sun & Sea at the Colon theatre Photograph: AFP/Getty Images Turkish anti-riot police use water canon as they clash with Middle East Technical University (ODTU) students protesting against the arrest of Istanbul's mayor. Turkish police detained Istanbul's powerful Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on 19 March, in connection with two investigations into graft and 'supporting terror', a move that the main opposition party slammed as a politically-motivated 'coup' Photograph: Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images Members of the media take pictures of twin panda cubs Elder Sister and Younger Brother and their mother, Ying Ying, at their enclosure during a media preview at the Ocean Park Photograph: Joyce Zhou/Reuters Kyrgyz artists in national costumes perform during Nowruz celebrations. Nowruz, also known as Nooruz, is an ancient festival celebrated annually on 21 March, recognised by the UN as International Nowruz Day, marking the spring equinox and the new year in many countries along the Silk Roads, including Kyrgyzstan Photograph: Igor Kovalenko/EPA An aerial view of the low water level in the Salt Lake basin, which is among the wetlands that are important for the protection of biodiversity. World Water Day, declared by the United Nations, highlights clean water as a universal human right and raises awareness about the global water crisis Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images A firefighter works at the site of a Russian drone strike Photograph: State Emergency Service Of Ukraine/Reuters
The Guardian
29-01-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Lunar new year and medieval torture: photos of the day
People leave the Kumbh Mela festival near where dozens are feared dead after multiple crowd crushes Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian An activist from Ocean Rebellion wears a scold's bridle, a medieval torture device to prevent people speaking, during a protest outside the Royal Courts of Justice Photograph: Benjamin Cremel/AFP/Getty Images A World Bank staff member carries a suitcase, as he evacuates amid fighting between M23 rebels and DRC armed forces Photograph: Thomas Mukoya/Reuters Road maintenance workers clear snow from the National Highway 307 Photograph: Costfoto/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock Damaged vehicles piled up in Benaguasil, almost three months after flash floods hit the east of the country Photograph: Kai Forsterling/EPA Economy minister José Arista is reflected in a table during an interview Photograph: Alessandro Cinque/Reuters People burn incense as they pray at a Chinese temple in Chinatown, on the first day of the lunar new year of the snake Photograph: Sai Aung Main/AFP/Getty Images Supporters of the military junta take part in a commemoration to celebrate the withdrawal of Niger from the Economic Community of West African States and show their support for the Alliance of Sahel States Photograph: Issifou Djibo/EPA A protected brown bear feeds in an outdoor area after being unable to hibernate this winter season due to the abnormally high seasonal temperatures Photograph: Serhat Cetinkaya/Anadolu/Getty Images Palestinians displaced by Israel continue to return to their lands in the north after the ceasefire agreement Photograph: Moiz Salhi/Anadolu/Getty Images Members of the Unidos de Padre Miguel samba school attend a carnival rehearsal in the Vila Vintém favela Photograph: Bruna Prado/AP A dancer performing the traditional lion dance during lunar new year celebrations Photograph: Andrés Martínez Casares/EPA People try to enter the US through a hole in a section of the US-Mexico border wall, in Sunland Park Photograph: José Luis González/Reuters An aerial view of a cyclist passing through flood waters in Wiltshire after heavy rain Photograph: Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images A performer breathes fire during lunar new year celebrations in Binondo district, considered the world's oldest Chinatown Photograph:
