Letters from Planet issue 228

Dear Editor,

Was Ned Thomas right to argue (Planet, Autumn 2017) that our departure from the European Union will be a ‘moment of existential danger’? The EU has certainly done some good work in safeguarding and promoting minority cultures and languages, but that is not its main purpose. Above all it is a political and economic construct, born out of a desire to provide a western European counter-balance to US hegemony in economic and political affairs. The irony is that it has largely become a willing cheer-leader for the US in those fields and also in military matters via NATO.

The EU is a strong advocate for a globalised economy. This is a far greater priority than supporting minority cultures. The insistence on the free movement of people and goods is not for the benefit of the people and communities of Europe but for the mega-rich who run the show. It means economic activity can be moved to whatever location provides the greatest returns whatever the impact on local communities. It means the ability to attract workers from other countries at whatever cost to their economy and to the work opportunities and social structures of their new countries.

Letters From Planet 228