Puber Britain

I felt I needed to write this in English, so many of my friends could get the message straight and intact, as I feel it comes a time for civil action.

The Greeks used to call it “puber” and that is the age after the adolescence, between 18 and 22 years, in which we are sexually built but we start engaging the world on our own and take clear conscience about ourselves, skills, character, and our position in society. Those were the five years I spent in the UK which, I could well say, they were among the best of my life. All that happened thousands of miles from my homeland but, away from being lonely, I felt part of a nation that was coming out of a deep and terrible recession. By the mid 90´s things were bad, crime was rampant and unemployment high and, besides the recession, Great Britain was starting to come to terms with its new position as a post-imperial country. Hence I could see that me, and the country I was living, were even: it was UK´s puberty.

Alas puberty leads to maturity and, sometimes, during that developing process we forget our background, were we come from and our reason to be. Sometimes it’s just a short-term thing, a partial loss of communication with reality. Some other times this alienation might turn worst and leave us in the corner of the party, waiting to be invited to dance or called upon, and that puberty becomes an implosive nightmare, and frustration leads to resentment and hate.

For over five centuries, the internationalpolicy of Great Britain, has been known for its clever balance of power primarily with neighbouring countries and, later on, with developing empires of the world. As far as Spain is concerned things where polarized, hence sometimes fought along or against depending on the circumstances. Sometimes they won as it happened with the armada, and some other lost, such as during the siege of Cartagena de Indias by the British navy commanded by Admiral Vernon. This was at the time when Spain was an empire funded by wealth brought in by hundreds of ships from South America and the Caribbean. 

To my understanding, Great Britain is suffering from a similar lapse of stupidity, that Spain is gone thru almost 300 years, ever since territories and colonies started dropping. Great Britain has seen its empire slowly decaying but also its pride as a nation, which (to my surprise) is being converted to a nationalistic nonsense. As paradoxical as it might look, it is what Britain stood against during the first mid XX century, and the principles by which many left their life’s in the sands of north Africa and the beaches of Normandy, as well as the fields of Verdun and Somme. This nationalistic endogamy is intoxicating a nation I always felt part of. And it hurts.

A short time ago I heard during a lunch break in a European institution that “Germany is achieving, what for centuries failed to with armies and powerful policies: that is, to create a custom made Europe”. This statement was not agreed but neither denied by all present. But all approved that no opposition could be made politically by a weak France, a fragmented Italy and a Spanish peninsula straggling to survive in the middle of the worst recession in decades. Some partial and shy initiatives of opposition have been made from France and Spain, but Germany has been aligned with its traditional allies such as Austria, Holland, Baltic States and Finland… funny how history repeats. And here is where the levelling element is no longer present.

The UK sadly, has abandoned its traditional values and the core of its once famous strength of being the key-levelling factor. It is not that we need the Marines, Cold stream Guards or the Staffordshire Yeomanry. It is that Britain is needed as the interface between the powers that be, and will be, as it always has. 

Elizabeth I knew it, Wellington knew it, Disraeli knew it, Marlborough was well acquainted with it and Churchill spoke about the United states of Europe. The UK away from Europe its just another wishful associate of the USA, country too big and rich, who easily finds useful partners in some other places such as Australia or even the European Union itself… hence it is second plate at times.

Despite the big words and fireworks, this anti-Europeandriven infatuation is based not on conviction, but rather in fear. “Europe at stake”, “the dangers of being in Europe”, “the downfall of a Union”… they are all part of a language which searches and lives in conflict, cause as Aristotle put it: “no conflict, no story”. 

…and then again, when has Europe ever being away from conflict throughout its history?

Fortunately, with time, we have moved from conflict to divergence, which is a good area to live, cause Europe is now about negotiating and finding suitable solutions that will serve diversity and heterogeneity. It is also about finding that at the airport in my home town, all incoming and outgoing flights are from and to a wide variety of destinations in Europe. It is also knowing that travellers will be politely asked for an ID before boarding the flight, and they will arrive save and sound in their home towns. This is Europe and if “life is what happens while you make other plans”, Europe is what happens in front of your nose when you try to dismantle these great achievements, and plan ego trips to no where. 

Sorry fellows, needed to get it off my chest…