Europhiles play the race card on Europe
The future of European democracy is not a subject that attracts much discussion these days. Like most of the other big issues of the day confronting Europe — the rise of Islam, the looming demographic catastrophe, the return of anti-Semitism, the general descent into political, cultural and moral relativism — it has been rendered all but undiscussable by a political-cultural class mired in denial about the continent’s real problems.
What is also interesting is the manner in which the denial expresses itself. Certain techniques are regularly employed to smother discussion and prevent clear thought. It is important to be able to recognise them.
Peter Preston — former editor of the Guardian — on the Guardian’s Comment is Free website unwittingly offers up a one stop shop illustrating the mindset we are dealing with. With the obligatory passing reference to the EU as “an affront to direct democracy in too many ways” he then launches into the familiar cliches and insults to stop serious discussion in its tracks. Eurosceptics in Britian are portrayed as “foaming on about federal plots”. The United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), which beat the Labour Party into third place at the European elections, is “a panto out of season”.
Thus it is that the issue of European democracy is turned into a non-issue: something for the crazy poeple to rant about while right thinking members of society get on with the business of… well not thinking about anything at all. But that is not the worst of it. Preston then gets nasty:
“Why on earth do we splutter on about foreign menaces in editorial lines dictated from New York by an Australian OAP?”
The reference here is to Rupert Murdoch — the 78 year old boss of News Corp who owns several British newspapers including the Times and the mass circulation Sun. Murdoch is well known as a eurosceptic and a man of the political right. But note how it is his national identity — Australian born and American based — above all else that is thrown back at him. Simultaneously a signal is sent out to Preston’s readers: the eurosceptic line is being pushed by a man who does not belong. His origins are wrong. His passport does not look right. His accent is suspicious. Go home!
In other words, Preston is playing the race card. Sadly, this is not exceptional. The British Left has long used Murdoch’s origins against him as anyone who follows the debate in Britain can attest. But what a contemptible level of debate to engage in and how revealing of the real face of Europe’s bien pensant elites.
For the full article click here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/21/tories-europe-ireland