Europe Restructured

The two big political questions in UK debate about Europe are, should there be a referendum on the subject and, if so, what should it be about? Lord Owen’s proposal gives a compelling answer. Yes, there should be a referendum; and it should include more options than the false dichotomy of a simple yes or no to Europe.

Europe’s crisis is not only about technical flaws in the adoption of a single currency. It is more fundamentally about the incompatibility of the different models that EU governments have been pursuing while claiming to be engaged in a common endeavour. Lord Owen maintains that countries that see their future as part of an ever closer union should be free to pursue that goal. But those who favour a union of self-governing states should have their sovereignty respected while being able to remain in a restructured single market.

The eurozone crisis has exposed three stresses. First, monetary union cannot work well without political union, which requires, second, a solution to Europe’s democratic deficit. That leads, third, to the inevitable conclusion that this country will turn its back on Europe. Lord Owen suggests a way through, in which Britain can remain part of a renewed single market without submitting to the demand to be part of a single government.
The Times Leader