“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were…”
Many of us are familiar with these words, written by the seventeenth-century poet John Donne, which seem prescient as we debate whether or not we want to be part of a union with Europe. They perfectly describe why I support the campaign to remain in the EU because Europe – and we – are the less if we forget that we all belong to something greater than ourselves alone. We are all part of the main.
Donne’s words imply a responsibility of one man for another. With no man existing alone, there is a community of man that shares in suffering. We call it mankind. And, by empathising with others’ suffering, the individual recognizes the common humanity of all mankind. This concept was exemplified during World War II, for instance, when the Western world had an obligation to fight Nazi Germany and its atrocities against Poland, Belgium, France and ourselves.
Our membership of the European Union embraces these concepts. We share sovereignty, we have not surrendered it. We exerted our sovereign power when we chose to opt in to the European Union and we can choose to opt out. This referendum proves that.
We are separated from Europe by a slip of water, the Channel, some 20 miles forged as a result of a mega flood – a relatively recent geological event – that destroyed the isthmus that connected Britain to continental Europe.
This catastrophic event made us an island but did not sever us from continental Europe and the fascinating and sometimes tumultuous history we share. We, as Europeans, have a profound and powerful shared experience. We are part of a rich and diverse heritage.
We in Europe are part of something far greater than ourselves, something which transcends politics or borders or language. Millions laid down their lives to defeat fascism and nationalism in 20th Century Europe. From the ashes of two devastating world wars, Europe has united around a set of common principles and values which went on to free Spain, Portugal and Greece from fascism, offered a new future to countries once imprisoned in the Soviet Empire and helped preserve peace in the Balkans since the end of the Balkans War. With the UN it now plays a leading role in conflict prevention, peacekeeping and democracy building.
We should feel immensely proud that old enemies that fought each other now live and work together for the greater good. Europe is more than the sum of its parts.
Whilst it is important that we control our borders and control immigration, there are problems in today’s world that don’t conform to geographical borders, namely terrorism and war. We work better together to fight extremist groups like Daesh, Boko Haram and al-Qaeda. These groups would like to kill democracy and all the values we hold dear. We are stronger defending these values in a united Europe.
We need to be in the EU to shape the continent’s responses to terrorism, immigration and climate change.
Being part of a united Europe will never be plain-sailing – no relationship is, but when it works well, we look out for one another, not just serve in the interests of the individual. A Labour Government would do more to help some of the thousands of unaccompanied child refugees stranded in mainline Europe. It was a shameful day in Parliament last month when the Government narrowly defeated a cross-party amendment to the immigration Bill that would have seen the UK accept 3,000 child refugees. We in opposition, together with the Lib Dems, the SNP and some Tory rebels have pressurised the Government to U-turn on this – a great illustration that even those with oft opposing views can come together for the greater good on things that really matter.
Because when we see a child washed up on the shores of Europe trying to escape the most hellish war in Syria, it is everybody’s problem. It is a humanitarian problem and I believe we are humans before we are citizens.
We are a prosperous nation, on course to be the biggest economy in Europe. We have reached this point because of the free trade agreements with 50 countries.
Like it or not, we are part of a world that is more interconnected than ever before. Modern economics dictate we share sovereignty. Isolation would make us weaker. Whilst the system may be imperfect, the UK has undoubtedly prospered as a member of the European Union.
1.4 million British people live abroad in the EU. Around 3.5 million British jobs are directly linked to British membership of the European Union’s single market – that’s 1 in 10 British jobs.
The forthcoming referendum to decide if the United Kingdom remains in the European Union or leaves is the most profound political decision of a generation. If Britain leaves Europe, there is a distinct possibility of Scotland voting to leave Britain. I believe that the problems we face in a modern world mean now, more than ever, we should stand together, not fragment, to become isolated in a world that is inextricably connected. Whether we vote with our heads or our hearts, we are better off in the EU.
This article was first published in the Catholic Universe