Big pond, small pond

The European Union is about working together.

It believes that European interests are as important as national interests, and, in time, will become more important than national interests.

The freedom of movement, goods and services, along with the single currency, make the people of Europe citizens of a continent, not just a country.

Politicians in Britain and in several other countries, cannot get their heads around this. They keep banging on about their national interest.

The solution is not, as David Cameron suggests, for Europe to become more like Britain. It is for those who believe in a European future to divest themselves of those who don’t.

Not a two-speed Europe, a single-minded Europe which decides on what terms other countries can deal with it.

The Europeans will decide what happens; share services, resources, regulations and data; deal as a group with international companies and other countries.

Those outside won’t have any say in what happens; won’t have the same access to services, resources or data; and will have to deal with multi-national companies and other countries on their own.

I want to be a European. I may be in a minority in Britain, if the media and politicians are to be believed. But my life will be better if the things which affect me are decided by Dutch, French, German and Italian representatives as well as those from Britain than it will be if my local representatives decide them all with no reference to any wider picture.