The UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage declared Friday Britain’s “independence day.” That is quite a statement given British history. A little over two and a quarter centuries ago, America had its own first Independence Day from the British Empire.

History has come full circle in a sense. Today we are seeing the American Revolution in reverse. In many ways, the European Union is a lever of US global hegemony. By seceding from the EU in spite of threats from Washington, Britain has as if, declared partial independence from America.

It must be noted that independence is not isolation. This is the key distinction that is intentionally blurred by the “Better Together” rhetoric of the ‘Remain’ camp. The West, as in the US-led alliance of the past, is not the same thing as Western civilisation. The European Union is not the same thing as Europe. Exiting a mega-state in defiance of an imperium is not withdrawing from civilisation. In fact, such an exit is propitious for civilisation.

In reality, super-states encourage both protectionism and warfare. The bigger the trade bloc, the more it can cope with the economic isolation that comes with trade warfare. The bigger the military bloc, the easier it is for truculent countries to externalise the costs of their belligerence by dragging the rest of the bloc into its fights.

A small political unit cannot afford economic isolationism; it simply doesn’t have the necessary domestic resources. Despite all of UKIP’s isolationist rhetoric, the practical result of British independence from the European economic policy bloc would likely be freer trade and cross-border labour mobility (immigration). Political independence fosters economic interdependence, and economic interdependence increases the cost of war and benefits of peace.

Super-states also facilitate international policy “harmonisation.” Within the super-state, the citizen has no escape from onerous laws, like the regulations that unceasingly pour out of the EU bureaucracy. But with political decentralisation, subjects can vote with their feet for less burdensome regimes.

Today we have a victory for Brexit and for the power of exit. That’s good news for European liberty.

M. Yasir Kayani

Kasur

(2)

IT takes a lot to walk away even before the umpire has raised his finger and that puts you on a high moral ground of which a good example is again set in the land where democracy is flourshing.

David Cameron was very clear in his mind when he announced that it would be best for his successor to negotiate the terms of exit from the EU and parted his ways gracefully. If we could learn something from it.

Quoting Shakespeare, “that earth has music for those who listen.”

Saleem Raza

Quetta

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2016