We Should Be Thankful for the EU

It is misunderstood and has been labelled ‘undemocratic’ and ‘monstrously expensive’ by its critics, but the European Union remains a force for good, writes Allan Massie Resolution of the Eurozone crisis, whatever form this may take, will probably require a new Treaty. All member states, even those which do not use the euro as their currency, would have to agree to its terms. A new Treaty would have to be approved in a referendum here. As Peter Jones reminded us yesterday, this is now “a legislative necessity”. If it was rejected by the British electorate, a second in-out referendum might follow. It is quite possible that there would be a majority in favour of leaving the EU altogether. I suspect that there might not be, but the intensity of hostility towards the EU is undeniable. It is quite common for internet posters to term it the EUSSR, as if this free association of nation states was the equivalent of the old Soviet Union.