24/10/2012 00:00
TW
0

I cannot allow Hugh Ash's article at the weekend, to circulate without a counter blast to his intemperate, vicious, chauvanistic remarks to go unchallenged. I can understand the present anti-EU feelings that abound, mainly whipped-up by the tabloids, especially The Sun, and its defunct sister paper, The News of the World, which deservedly was forced to shut down. But let us start at the beginning. The original impulse after the Second World War, was the resolve that never again would the countries of Europe go to war on each other again. In this, even Hugh Ash will agree that it has succeeded admirably.

Over sixty years this has indeed come to pass. Mr Ash drags in Yugoslavia. But it was the death of Dictator Tito, who had held the disparate Balkan countries in an artificial confederation (The Versailles Treaty to blame).

Thus, it was inevitable for those states to demand the right to secede from Yugoslavia and declare independence, which most obtained peaceably, the exception being Bosnia-Hertzegovina and through the fact of a large number of Muslims in Kosovo, a civil war erupted, in which many atrocities occurred. The EU cannot be blamed for this as no part of Yugoslavia was a member, though some have applied to join the EU since.

Regarding Norway, I am unable to understand Mr Ash's vituperation against a nation always held up as a model of democracy. His castigation of these people because of one deranged right-wing fanatic, is inexplicable, his wounding insults totally unjustified.

Coming to Greece, Spain and other countries seeking vast sums of money, that Germany is chief paymaster, not once does Mr Ash mention the profligacy that produced the huge debts, and this includes the UK.

Mr Ash is quite entitled to his biased and extreme views, that would feature well in The Sun or Daily Mail, but I submit, not in a fair-minded, middle of the road, Daily Bulletin.

Yours sincerely, Phil Green
El Toro