Here's an interesting perspective (with a few sections
snipped for space)
Why Liberals Must Support Brexit
“As for the United Kingdom, it will be wise to stick to the referendum and leave the unaccountable, undemocratic and over-regulated EU that is flirting with imperial goals. Shaken but not stirred after Brexit, Great Britain will be just fine.”
Corporate media has successfully portrayed Brexit as an issue primarily about immigration and, taking it one step further, xenophobia or racism. This narrative has influenced many liberals in America – except for a few such as Green Party’s Jill Stein – to instinctively oppose Brexit. The truth is far more nuanced, with Brexit being a democratic uprising against an authoritarian and unaccountable European Union, excessive globalization, loss of jobs, reduction of wages and benefits, and destruction of British Middle Class.
Looking at the big picture, it’s not surprising that Brexit happened. EU is quite unpopular, as shown below.
There are now calls for at least
34 referendums across the EU, the topics ranging from refugee policy (that EU is forcing upon the nations) to entirely leaving the EU.
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Inherently Anti-Democratic
Many people have called the EU “The United States of Europe,” but this is wrong in many ways. To start with, the differences between European countries – language, culture, identity etc. – are incomparable to the differences between the individual states of the US. This is why when Greece is suffering horribly, most cannot simply move to Germany and find a new job. Also, the financial situation of each country is isolated enough that when it suffers, there is not much help from other European nations.
More importantly, the EU is inherently anti-democratic. Of all the EU institutions, the people get to vote for only
one: the European Parliament. How ridiculous is that? Imagine if you could only vote for the US House of Representatives – this is the
European Parliament; and the US Senators are political insiders sent by each state – this is the
Council of EU; and the US President is actually a group of political hacks, one sent from each state – this is the
EU Commission. There are also about 50,000 highly-paid, faceless bureaucrats – Eurocrats – who spend their days devising rules and regulations to control every aspect of an average person’s life (more on this later).
The unelected bodies are actually the most powerful ones in EU. The EU Commission is where legislation begins. The Parliament simply approves them or proposes amendments. And what is a day in EU Parliament like? Imagine a meeting with 751 people who speak 23 different languages. It’s the perfect place to take naps all day long.
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EU Really Hates the Peasants
EU is far from the concept of “of the people and by the people.” Over time, EU’s elites have clearly shown their disdain for referendums and Democracy. Here are some quick examples:
- Denmark rejected the notion of European Union in 1992. So it was forced to vote again after some superficial tweaks and renewed propaganda. And the referendum passed.
- When a new EU Constitution was proposed in 2004, the Belgian Prime Minister famously said, “If the answer is No, the vote will have to be done again, because it absolutely has to be Yes.”
- The Lisbon Treaty was a scam that was created after the EU Constitution was rejected by countries such as France and Netherlands in referendums in 2005. The elites decided to circumvent the people of Europe by getting the Constitution approved by a “treaty” that was approved and signed by politicians. Democracy be damned!
- Ireland was the only country that insisted on having a referendum on the new Lisbon Treaty. And it actually rejected the treaty in 2008. But lo and behold, it was made to vote again. Of course, it passed the next year.
- Afterward, the President of the EU Commission made it clear: “There can be no democratic choice against the European treaties.”
Thus the EU elites’ message is clear: Resistance is Futile.
ECB and EU Army
Central Banking is one area that very few people understand. The concept of a private organization – owned by a few banks – controlling the currency of entire nation(s) is accepted widely and questioned rarely. If you replace the European Central Bank (ECB) with a single individual and ask people, “Would you like this unelected person to have unfettered power and freedom to print money, set interest rates and distribute the money?” and the answer will be a unanimous
NO! The ECB has printed trillions of dollars, created artificial bubbles and bursts, bailed out its favorite banks, sent interest rates into negative territory, forced privatization of vast assets in Greece and elsewhere, showered the Top 0.1% with unimaginable amount of wealth, and created huge inequality all over Europe.
Most people consider Greece as an isolated extreme incident, but Greece is just an experiment that will soon be repeated across Europe. The ECB is pushing Europe into ever increasing debt. As the chart shows below, every country has a higher debt-to-GDP ratio today than in 2007, before the Crash.
On a related note, many Europeans support EU since they are often told about generous EU funds that sponsor research, museums etc. There are also special logos placed in hospitals, buildings etc. that say “Funded by EU.” This is a pitiful propaganda, since it’s like your boss using your credit card to buy you a Christmas gift and expecting you to be grateful.
Wars and Banking are like “fish and chips.” Once the EU Army is funded by mandatory spending from each nation, it will join forces with the US to continue the perpetual wars all over the world – possibly with Russia and even China. It’s not unthinkable given
NATO’s saber-rattling with war games and deployment of
missile defense shields in Romania and Poland. In a newly released document that came out
after the Brexit referendum clearly states their plan to
“exert influence” in Central Asia and Africa.
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Moving forward
Brexit is a sign of crisis in capitalism and a clear indication of the failure of Neoliberalism. Brexit is the harbinger of the enormous resistance to the ambitious globalization projects of the New World Order elites.
The progressive left must take the lead on this resistance movement, or else it will be hijacked by the extreme right, as it is happening all over Europe. Trump can very well win this election with the support of blue-collar Democrats.
Progressives must fight for the working class and the lower middle class struggling to make ends meet. Immigration is not an ideology – it’s math and economics. Rather than castigating the working class as racists or bigots, progressives must seek out rational and pragmatic solutions on controlled immigration and trade deals. The Left must also vigorously speak out against Obama’s wars in Syria and Libya which have created millions of refugees. Bombing someone and then sheltering them is not an act of compassion.
As for the United Kingdom, it will be wise to stick to the referendum and leave the unaccountable, undemocratic and over-regulated EU that is flirting with imperial goals. Shaken but not stirred after Brexit, Great Britain will be just fine.
un-snipped version:
http://www.nationofchange.org/news/2016/07/03/liberals-must-support-brexit/