«Merkozy» is a spiteful nickname of the Merkel-Sarkozy duet, ruling the European Union that London-based euro-skeptics from the Conservative Party (who name themselves Tory just like four centuries ago) invented. Great Britain with its Sterling looks quite safe (especially on the background of a collapsing euro-zone), but the urgent measures for saving the European currency will ricochet to the UK finances one way or another.
As The Guardian reported, at the recent EU summit in Brussels that took place last Sunday the relations between British and French leader heated up to a point that Nicolas Sarkozy, irritated with a mentor’s tone of his British counterpart David Cameron, shouted at him: “You’ve lost a good opportunity to shut up!” The rest of the conversation was equally diplomatic: “We’re sick of your criticising and telling us what to do. You say you hate the euro and now you want to interfere in our meetings”. The eurozone resembles a private club within the EU all the more, and the countries not allowed into it have to beat down the outskirts of the ruling tandem economic interests. It seems that Cameron should’ve better minded his own business, silently praising the English foresightedness that allowed London to save its national currency.
It’s not as simple as that, though. Saving the financial systems that ruined Greece, Spain, Portugal and even once prospering Italy by any means will hit all the EU members in the wallet. Banking systems of the European Union are tightly intertwined. Banks that lend money to the countries dancing on the edge of default operate outside the eurozone too. Thus, in case the said countries are bankrupted, even those, who don’t belong to the eurozone and even have no financial troubles whatsoever, would feel the blow. Pan-European globalization has literally bound all the EU members with a frankpledge.
Great Britain involuntarily becomes the hope of the EU members that are not parts of the eurozone. They feel as if they’ve been driven to the European backyard and deprived of as much as a right for deliberative vote while defining the economic (and political) future of the Old Continent. All of them subconsciously fell that what was once called the two-speed European Union is now gradually degrading into the two different European Unions. Only London has something to counter Merkozy — the might of English economy, the ultimate financial center, major donor infusions into the European budget, liberal approach towards the expansion of trade and economical ties with the non-EU states and finally the fierce adherent of the European Union expansion.
A quite expected revolt in his native party has turned out an all the more unpleasant surprise for the British Prime Minister. Few days ago a dramatic semi-final of a long-ripening conflict within the bowels of the Conservative Party took place in the House of Commons. A group of its deputies led by a little-known Prime Minister’s namesake David Nutall has defied the will of party leader and attempted to railroad the matter of holding a referendum on the United Kingdom withdrawal from the EU or, at least, retreating to the negotiations on conditions of its membership in the united Europe. Parliament has made its decision as of yet, but the “rebels” haven’t expected a quick victory either. They’ve undoubtedly attempted to draw the public attention to the matter and quite succeeded in that.
Well-known BBC political commentator Nick Robinson reminded Cameron of William Hague’s (current Foreign Secretary) warning: “Europe is a clockwork bomb that will blow the Conservative Party some day and the clock ticking grows all the louder”. Deputies from different parties have signed the referendum petition (including 50 Tory MPs). They’ve called the government to hold referendum by 2013. Its adherents believe that the common public supports the idea. In August a petition signed by 100.000 Brits, demanding a referendum, came to the Prime Minister’s residence.
There are some influential MPs among the signers: Graham Brady — the chief of a conservative Committee 1922 that unites the “rear-bench deputies”, whom any conservative Prime Minister has to take into consideration, millionaire Zac Goldsmith and even such euro-optimists as Keith Vaz, Labourite ex-Secretary of Home Affairs in Tony Blair’s government. He believes that in case the referendum is held, the victory of the EU opponents is as good as granted. Labourites, albeit not objecting to the English participation in the EU, do their best to fan up the smoldering charcoals of discontent in the Conservative Party, welcoming any sign of weakening of a competitor.
Brits have always been the greatest euro-skeptic community in the EU as well as the British political elites. As of yet, London is neither part of the eurozone, nor the member of a Schengen Agreement. Keep in mind that Margaret Thatcher, who has always considered the EU “a utopian project and a monument to the pride of left-wing intellectuals”, is the spiritual mother of today’s British conservatives. An average Brit, fostered on the venomous pulp anti-European Sun and Daily Mail believes the EU to be a gang of corrupted “eurocrats” and parasites, who the nonsense laws on to Europeans and open the EU borders to the undesirable immigrants.
While running for the premiership, David Cameron has taken advantage of rhetoric that fits such estimates fine, therefore, he cannot ignore the sentiments in his native party and the society but heading the government he can’t fail to understand that today British withdrawal from the EU is impossible. That’s why, despite the panic at 10 Downing St, Cameron tries to calm the society and his comrades-in-arms down, promising to raise the issue of conditions of the UK membership during the negotiations on the amendments to the Lisbon Treaty that seems to be inevitable to the euro-crisis.
Euro-bureaucracy along with the European leader must be breaking into cold sweat by the mere thought of a new European Constitution. Everyone remembers very well the thorny path Europe has made to finally sign the Lisbon Treaty on 19 Oct 2007 and what had the countries gone through to ratify the document in the national parliaments. None has forgotten the Irish referendum that said a clear “no” to Lisbon and the troubles with Czech Republic, France, Holland and other EU members.
Cameron, however, has something to cover himself with in this matter — it’s not him, but the Merkozy, his opponents, demand changing the document. It’s easy to understand them too — in order to save the eurozone a sort of a quasi-European economic government, a united center dealing with the state-members’ finances and economies, is to be created. The European Constitution is to be changed for that sake. Thus, all the responsibility for opening the Pandora box falls upon Merkel and Sarkozy. 60 years ago it were Germany and France, who founded the European Coal and Steel Community, the prototype of today’s European Union. This must be a dark grin of fate that nowadays they are destined to bury it.
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