Brexit doesn’t matter in a post-democratic world

Brexit?

We naturally dislike being wrong, but as I saw my youthful dreams of a united strong and friendly Europe becoming defiled, demeaned and dashed on the rocks, my sadness grew way beyond my own vanity.

Back in 1992, I believed in the concept of European Union. When my fellow Englishmen muttered about loss of culture, I’d suggest that the Spanish, Italians and French were probably quite keen to hang on to theirs too.

I could happily live with the idea of a massive Brussels bureaucracy, because employees all over Europe were being awarded long-overdue rights. Alongside those came Human Rights, recognition of the needs of children and women, and a Court of Human Rights.

I was seduced by the humanitarian wrapping paper, which promised so much compassion.

Now, I’m beyond disappointed to discover that inside the box was a raging behemoth, blinded by greed and avarice, burdened by cowardice and its own amorality.

This EU now trades filthy promises of visa-free travel with Turkey’s corrupt regime, so that refugees who have risked their children’s lives to reach free soil can be sent back on boats to Turkey, whence they fled.

I want nothing to do with any organisation that officially traffics the most vulnerable, visiting yet more terror upon them.

If that is the best solution the mighty European Union can come up with, they and we should be ashamed of ourselves.

Imagine how we might perceive the US today if those two million Irish had been sent back to starve in the Famine?

Supposedly a proud defender of democratic values, one might hope that at least this conglomerate of nations is eager and able to offer peace and human rights to their own member states.

Yet the EU has utterly failed to protect sovereign Ukraine from invasion by Russia. It poured scorn on the democratic wishes of Greek people, just as it ignored Irish voters’ rejection of both the Nice Treaty and the Treaty of Lisbon.

It does nothing at all to defend basic human rights being trashed daily by the right-wing regimes of Beata Szydło’s Poland and Werner Faymann’s Austria.

Imposing war-level austerity on Europe’s weakest and poorest, the EU sanctioned debt relief for billionaire speculators, while forcing poor uncle Colm in Carrick-on-Shannon to cough up for a 500% increase in the price of each prescription item.

A year ago, all my instincts would sing of the UK voting to remain. Brexit will rock asunder both the currencies in which I deal.

It will damage Irish trade and industry and yet now I know that really, it makes no difference.

To read more of Charlie’s views on Brexit see the digitial edition of this week’s Galway City Tribune here or download our app