This
And That
I
realise that I haven't written anything for a while but there has
been little to write about, although much to enjoy. Late
spring/early summer is here and with it the asparagus and strawberry
season, coronilla, lilac, irises and Judas and tamarisk trees
blooming everywhere and a decent number of hot afternoons and balmy
evenings; all very much as usual for the time of year but nonetheless
hugely enjoyable. This year the season is undoubtedly a few weeks
ahead of itself and I have already planted my hanging baskets with
petunia surfina (blue, of course).
Next
week my daughter Natalie and her husband Andy will be visiting for a
week so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather will feel
inclined to celebrate too, keep the sun shining as it has been and
shut down the Mistral wind. I'm sure we will enjoy the week together
anyway.
I've
been playing boules regularly in Buis and received a gratifying
number of comments to the effect that the English should all go home
(meaning I'm winning too often). On that note, the EU referendum in
the UK has been of some concern to me and I've been following the
results of polls with interest. Living here, I very much hope the
result will be to stay in the EU simply from a personal point of
view. However, I also think that would be the best result for the
UK. Economically that is definitely the case. Even ignoring
comments to that effect from the IMF, World Bank, OECD and other
global economic entities it seems obvious to me that the UK outside
the EU would need a trade agreement with the EU, given that the EU
accounts for something like 50% of the UK economy, which it is
difficult to believe could be replaced from elsewhere. And given the
experience of Switzerland, Norway and others outside the EU, such an
agreement would cost just about as much as the admittedly high cost
of membership. So any presumed saving from the cost of membership
would be an illusion.
And
I have little sympathy with those who cry freedom, the freedom to run
the UK as Britons want, because I regard that as an illusion too.
Nobody likes the idea that external powers can impose unwelcome
measures but the fact is that the major influences on the world are
and will continue to be the major powers, the USA, China, Russia and
the asiatic bloc (and the EU); and the UK will have to live within
the bounds of what they impose with probably less influence as a lone
voice voice outside the EU than as an important voice within it. Of
course the EU needs urgent and serious reforms but Angela Merkel has
expressed the hope that the UK will remain within the EU to help
implement those, an admission that reform would have Germany's
powerful backing. And immigration is really irrelevant as an issue.
Schengen is dead. The EU may seek to deny it but individual EU
member countries have already dismantled it and are not about to
resurrect it, whatever treaties state: RIP. Simply taking power from
the Commission and devolving it to the European parliament would be
an important step, at a blow removing accusations of being
undemocratic and forcing realism on all future measures. Elected
politicians don't vote for measures that make them unpopular.
So
I'm looking forward to meeting and greeting more summer visitors and
enjoying the coming months.
