by Stephen W. Houghton II
The decision of the British people two months ago to exit the European Union was a wise one. The plain fact is that Britain needs to look beyond the confines of an economically shrinking Europe to the larger world if it is to continue to grow. To take only one example, the population of the EU is 510 million, while that of the Commonwealth is 2,328 million. That is not to mention the EU’s entrenched anti-democratic bureaucracy, its politically-motivated and economically-irrational monetary policy, and its suicidal immigration policy that makes you wonder if Charles Martel lived in vain. The attacks of the last few weeks in Germany have only made the benefits of Brexit the clearer.
So the British people have made one smart decision, will their leaders make the smart choices to implement it? What the British people voted for can be summarized as follows: democratic control, secure borders, free trade not customs union, free trade not monetary union, and increased national security.
The first and foremost point purpose of Brexit is restoration of democratic control over government. The Brussels system under which no law can be made or repealed without the permission of the civil service was decisively rejected by the Brexit referendum as, even many of those voting Remain wanted that system gone. Thus in the future, it is important that any trade deals have the legitimacy of democratic approval and are implemented via democratic means.
The second point to be taken from the Brexit vote is the importance of secure borders. There can be little doubt that concern over Rotherham, Cologne, and Paris were part of the reason that the public voted for Brexit. The pressure on wages caused by free movement of people during a downturn is undoubtedly another factor. So Britain must retake control over immigration. This begins with ejecting those who are illegally present within the borders of the UK. The best way to do this is a combination of carrot and stick. The government should announce that all illegal immigrants who register within the next six months will be entered into a lottery that will allow one in ten to receive a residence permit and the chance to become UK citizens. At the end of the six months a serious campaign to identify and deport those who have not register must be carried out. Those who are legally present as citizens of EU states should be given a temporary residence permit and given 36 months to decide whether to apply for UK citizenship or return to their country of origin, unless they are parents of UK citizens in which case they should of course be allowed to stay until their children are grown.
Trade is the lifeblood of the British nation and has been for hundreds of years, so securing trade agreements with other nations is a top priority. The easiest way to do this is by offering an open hand to those you wish to trade with. Parliament could pass a law giving all of the members of the EEA, EU, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the US duty free access to the British market for the next 24 months, after which, if they have not reciprocated, that access ends. For the EU this would include a provision that if the EU had not granted reciprocal free trade as body within 12 months, then the offer would be open to the member states. Now of course UK diplomats should during that period be in intensive negotiation with all of these potential partners. But there is little doubt that this would result in free trade agreements with a larger market than the EU, given that the US alone is a larger market than the EU less the UK.
The collapse of the post-Cold War order, has made a stronger focus on national security critically important. But Britain is struggling to maintain the quality of its armed forces in an era of reduced budgets. It is only in union with other powers that share not only its interests, but its values and mindset that Britain can better secure its own interests and act as pillar of global order. Fortunately, there is an option which solves these problems which has been staring Britain in the face for more than a hundred years, Crown Commonwealth Union.
The Crown Commonwealth or Commonwealth Realms are a group of 16 countries the largest six of which are Australia, Canada, Jamaica, Papa New Guinea, New Zealand and the UK, all of whom share the same sovereign, Elizabeth II. But they share much more than that. With two exceptions they are all islands for whom trade and therefore freedom of the seas is essential. The larger of the two exceptions is Canada and it facing the Atlantic, Pacific and Artic oceans and trading across them also has a strong need for naval power and trade. Further, they are all common law, parliamentary democracies. That is to say that the Crown Commonwealth share a strong central interest and have common values.
Since all of these countries already share a head of state, traditions of government, culture, and language, it should not prove difficult to build them into a loose confederation leaving most power to the Realm governments. But giving control of defense to a democratically elected confederation government and parliament. The Parliament could be composed of a house commons elected by the people of the Confederation and a Senate with members appointed by the Realm governments. The Government would be composed of ministers responsible to Parliament advised by a Federal Council composed of the Prime Ministers and other Senior Ministers of the Realm governments.
The resulting confederation would have the largest land area of any nation on earth. Its citizens, numbering more than 140 million would make it the world’s 10th most populous nation. Its economy, with a GDP of $5.5 trillion, would give it the 3rd largest GDP of any nation. With a combined defense budget of $97.6 billion it would be the third military power. If, as is to be expected, the EU, the US, and the rest of the Commonwealth established free trade agreements with the Confederation, then it would be part of the world’s largest free trade area with a combined GDP of $45.1 trillion. It would inherit a role in the NATO, NORAD, and ANZUS defensive treaties. It would in short be a linchpin of world order.
Some will say that this idea is just indulging in the politics of nostalgia, but consider does not Britain have more in common culturally with Australia than with Greece? The facts listed in the preceding paragraph about the proposed confederation should show how serious a proposal it really is. In any event, for the supporters of the European Union, the world’s leading Roman Empire nostalgia project to raise this issue is risible.
Given that the foremost lesson of Brexit is the importance of democratic accountability, to take control of Britain’s borders, to implement an open hand trade policy, and begin a process leading to confederation will take statesmanship of the highest order and a willingness to allow the people to have their say on important questions. As the American Articles of Confederation and the European Union itself have shown, no confederation can have democratic legitimacy without consultation with the people on the proposed constitution, a plebiscite or convention in each state to approve it, and democratic government at both the Realm and the Confederal level.
The question is does the conservative government have the vision and ability to reach out and seize the opportunity the voters have presented them. It is on that point which the government of Prime Minister May and Minister Johnson will be judged by history.
