The UK, EU Member State, introduction

This course uses chapter 7 (pages 82 to 93) of the Hatier classes européennes HISTORY GEOGRAPHY text book, entitled: "The United Kingdom, between Europe and the open sea" .

2016 editorial cartoon by Tom Janssen

Pages 82-83, introduction

Teacher’s analysis of the title "The UK, between Europe and the open sea":

What is the “United Kingdom”?

• The UK (aka Britain or Great Britain) is a sovereign state in Europe.
• Its full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
• It is a member state of the European Union (it joined the European Economic Community in 1973).
• It lies off the north-western coast of the European mainland, includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. The UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to its east, the English Channel to its south and the Celtic Sea to its south-southwest. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland.
• It is the 8th-largest country in the EU (248,500 km²).
• The UK consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland (though Northern Ireland is also described as a region).
• The population is estimated at 64.5 million inhabitants (third largest of the EU). England's population is about 53 million (one of the most densely populated countries in the world, with 417 people per km², concentrated in London and the south-east).  Scotland's population is about 6 million, Wales’ population is about 3 million, and Northern Ireland about 2 million.
• The UK is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance (House of Lords and House of Commons). The government of the UK is based in Westminster (London). There are devolved administrations in Edinburgh (for Scotland), Cardiff (for Wales), and Belfast (for Northern Ireland).
• The capital city is London (10,320,000 inhabitants, second-largest in the European Union). It is a global city and a main financial centre.

What is “Europe”?

It means the continent of Europe (geographical area), all the European countries, and it can mean the European Union (EU).

What is “the open sea”?

It means the main body of a sea or ocean, especially the part that is outside territorial waters and not enclosed, or partially enclosed, by land. Here, the term is used to describe the Atlantic Ocean. For the British (the inhabitants of the UK), the ocean is the natural barrier that makes them an  island nation (it puts them physically but also culturally apart from the rest of the world, in particular “the continent”, i.e. Europe). The ocean is also the thing that has to be dominated (cf. “Britannia rules the waves”). The British are a (proud) maritime nation; they sailed the sea to conquer a world-wide Empire from the 16^th to the 19^th centuries. 

The “open sea” also refers to the atlanticist foreign policy of the UK (Atlanticism, according to Wikipedia, is "a belief in the importance of cooperation between Europe and the United States and Canada regarding political, economic, and defence issues, with the purpose of maintaining the security and prosperity of the participating countries, and to protect the values that unite them"). According to Charles De Gaulle (in his Mémoires de guerre, published in the 1950s), Winston Churchill had said (in 1944) that: “Each time we (the British) must choose between Europe and the open sea, we shall always choose the open sea”. This would appear to be Eurosceptic, and to favour Atlanticism; the British are often reproached for having this attitude… However, Churchill, one of the founding fathers of post-war Europe, also said (in 1947, at the start of the Cold War, when European cooperation was seen as the means of rebuilding the continent and resisting communism) that: “If Europe united is to be a living force, Britain will have to play her full part as a member of the European family”. These two contradictory quotes by Churchill reflect Britain’s ambivalent attitude towards its European partners: should the UK be a more active member of the EU or should it be more independent and deal unilaterally with its economic and political partners in the world (notably North America)? The “Brexit” referendum (on whether the UK wishes to remain within or leave the EU) is the consequence of the UK government being unable to resolve this long-standing quandary… So, “between Europe and the open sea” in the title does not simply refer to the UK’s geographical position, but also its political position within the EU.

Analysis of the Key question: "How does the UK combine its own original model with EU membership?"

The UK has an “original model”; this means it is different from the other EU member states on the political, economic and social levels.

Politics

For the British government, “Brussels” is synonymous with EU “interference”. The UK parliament (often proudly described as “the mother of parliaments”) resents having to comply with EU directives and has negotiated with the EU numerous “deals” (the latest by David Cameron) and opt-outs to the UK’s advantage (like not being part of Schengen or the Eurozone).

Economy

The UK (fifth-largest economy in the world and the second-largest in Europe after Germany), has a laissez-faire economic system and a weak welfare system (there is wide-spread poverty). Its financial sector is very dynamic and gives it a degree of independence from the EU. The UK sees the EU essentially as a market, not as a means to political rapprochement or to favour better working or living conditions for the people (a “social” Europe).

Society

British society values its own particular values and practices (its own currency, driving on the left, the monarchy, etc.). It is also very much open to the world (London is a world city). The 2012 Olympic Games held in the UK were an interesting insight into how the British perceive themselves and how they would like the world to see them: creative, dynamic, different (a little eccentric, self-deprecating, with a sense of humour), open to the world but proud to be themselves (patriotic)… The British, because of their history (empire-building), their insular mentality (independent-mindedness), and perhaps their “heroic” role during WW2, see themselves as leaders and trend-setters. The British are, according to most surveys, the most Eurosceptic of Europeans; most people reject the EU's perceived "federalism" and "bureaucracy". One can say that the UK combines with some difficulty its "original model" with EU membership...

Questions:

1. What does the phrase "the open sea" refer to?
2. Why did Winston Churchill say that the UK would "always choose the open sea"?
3. Why are so many British people Eurosceptic?

Translate the introductory paragraph (p. 82).

Describe and comment the photo of City Hall and Tower Bridge using the FACTFILE and all the words of the WORD BOX.

For a description of, and comments on, the editorial cartoon By Tom Janssen, see below!

This is an editorial cartoon entitled “Brexit walk”. It is dated 24/02/2016. It is by Tom Janssen (born 1950), a well-respected Dutch political cartoonist, who works for Trouw, the Dutch national quality (centre-left) daily and the Netherlands Press Association (his target audience is well-educated).

Description: In this pocket-cartoon (i.e. an editorial cartoon consisting of a topical single-panel single-column drawing), we see the side-view of a man dressed in a dark business suit, wearing a bowler hat, and carrying (like a walking stick) a folded umbrella in his right hand and a dark brown (leather) attaché case in his left hand. He is on the left and moving towards the right. His right leg is bent; his left leg is high up in front of him, his foot on a level with his head. His head and torso are leaning forwards. His chin and his nose are long and pointy. He has no mouth. His eyes are hidden under his hat. He is “goose-stepping” (like a soldier) along a tightrope. An A3 piece of paper hangs from the rope (2/3 of the way along from the left) on which “BREXIT” is written in thick black capital letters. Below this word, there is an arrow pointing downwards. There is shadow in the space below the rope. Janssen’s signature (“Tomm”) is in the top right corner.

Comments: The man is dressed in an old-fashioned way. He is behaving in an eccentric manner; to goose-step along a tightrope is an irresponsible, possibly dangerous, thing to do! He looks like the civil servant in the “Ministry of Silly Walks” sketch (1970) from Monty Python’s Flying Circus, a famous British TV series. In this cartoon, he embodies the UK (the gentleman in a bowler hat is a national stereotype/caricature, like the man with a beret carrying a baguette is a caricature of the Frenchman). His behavior in the cartoon is irrational; the cartoonist means that the UK is doing something unwarranted. The shadow below the man is worrying; it is obviously a dangerous area (if the man falls into it). It is where he will go (cf. the arrow) if he (i.e. the UK) “falls” into Brexit (if the UK votes at the June 2016 referendum to leave the EU). In other words, it isn’t going to end well if Britain takes a tumble… The tightrope symbolizes the referendum (it is risky to walk along a tightrope, like the referendum is risky because of the possible result: Brexit). The UK is “walking a tightrope” (taking dangerous and unnecessary risks) by choosing to hold a referendum over its EU membership; the risk is that the UK will leave. For Janssen, Brexit would be a bad thing for the UK; this image sums up the absurdity of Cameron’s referendum gamble perfectly.

The man in a bowler hat is wearing the traditional uniform of a gentleman who works in the City of London (the historic CBD); perhaps Janssen means that Brexit would be bad for British business? The man could also be a caricature of a (short sighted, incompetent?) British civil servant (like in the Monty Python sketch); perhaps Janssen is saying that the British Establishment is making decisions for short-term political gain (pandering to Eurosceptics), and losing sight of the long-term interests of the UK (cf. the bowler hat over the eyes).