HAWAII, January 27, 2012 – All eyes are on Europe as the World Economic Forum in Davos has been dominated by fears of continued fiscal instability and talks to determine how best to stop the sovereign debt contagion.
Numerous proposals, ranging from increasing the size of the European Stability Mechanism bailout fund to greater austerity measures are the topic of fierce debate as the future of the Euro hangs in the balance. But while some say wider government intervention is the only way to save Europe, a growing number of voices say the European Project has gone too far and freedom is the true answer.
One such man is Nigel Farage.
Elected in 1999 to represent South East of England as a minister of European Parliament, Farage has become a global icon for his passionate defense of the institutions of state sovereignty and freedom of choice through democracy.
Known for his charismatic oratory in which on the floor of the EuroParl he has excoriated face-to-face a long list of European leaders - not the least of which include Tony Blair, Nicolas Sarkozy and most famously President Herman Van Rompuy - the UK Independence Party's most famous MEP proclaims daily those things which many think but do not have the courage to say.
Farage's YouTube videos are among the most popular and shared on the internet, in part from the unique way that he demolishes arguments with bolt-from-the-blue responses that leave audiences laughing and opponents shrinking in their seats.
The continent is different, but the topics of debate and ideological arguments that heat the sessions of the EuroParl are very similar to those heard in our country: bailouts, bonds, taxes, market regulations and the question of who should control what. I had the opportunity early this morning to interview MEP Farage on his thoughts about the future of the European Union and what it means for all of us.
DDG: Many Americans are closely watching Europe and the ongoing debt crisis. Do you believe the situation is under control or are there more surprises to come?
Farage: The European Union - not Europe, actually - is collapsing under the weight of its own over-regulation, enormous subsidies (to its supporters) and attempts to rule the world through "soft power" (i.e. money) as well as the implications of its absurd currency-and-customs union. Most of this is not on the balance sheet, for credit-rating purposes, but it is there, in the real world, where the EU-crats do not appear to live. Anyone who believes what these people say is certainly in for some surprises.
DDG: It's been suggested by some experts that as a result of the European Union's sanctions on Iran, several EU states may have to tap into strategic oil reserves. In retrospect, do you think that the sanctions were a good idea or will they harm Europe?
Farage: How can an action, which limits choice of suppliers, not do harm? What's more, it will harm most the very countries, which can least afford it - the spectacularly indebted Mediterranean shore, which is also most dependent on Iranian oil - Cyprus, Malta, Greece, Italy and Spain! I don't need retrospect to say that.
DDG: What do you think the future of the European Union will be? Greater unity or 21st century Balkanization?
Farage: "Unity" and "integration" are merely EU-speak for the very "centralized control" which - as more and more people are realizing - is causing such misery. The EU has already been obliged to split into free currencies and Eurozone - and into exporting core and importing periphery - and along many other planes of fragmentation, while desperately cobbling together yet more groupings and alignments, in an attempt to keep power in Brussels. However, as Princess Leah said to Lord Vader, "the more you tighten your grip, Darth, the more worlds will slip through your fingers."
DDG: What do you think is the best way to accomplish maximum freedom, prosperity and personal choice in Europe?
Farage: Democracy! That is, that which the EU pretends to, boasts of and criticizes the lack of in others (i.e. its opponents) but the only way of restoring democracy is to scrap the EU and vest power in the elected representatives of individual, sovereign electorates, each of which has a common language. We must have accountable governments, cooperating voluntarily and engaging in transparent diplomacy. The EU has nothing, and cannot have anything, of this. Indeed, it was specifically designed to avoid it.
DDG: Last but not least, there are some in the United States who advocate duplicating the European model and forming an economic-political bloc as a means to "stay competitive." As someone who has heard all those arguments before, what advice do you have for Americans?
Farage: Don't let your ruling elite get away with it! The economic argument is even more fatuous than the EU's problems make it appear - and it's still the best argument the EU-crats can make. The real attraction, for these people, is unaccountable, perpetual power for a very few (themselves) protected by layers of supranational bureaucracy from public scrutiny or popular opinion. This is a recipe for oppression, poverty and war on an immense scale. You, and we, must stop this, now!
Danny de Gracia is a political scientist, an ordained minister and a former senior adviser to two committee chairs of the Hawaii State House of Representatives. He currently lives in Hawaii.
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