Learning to disagree well on Europe
- 2015-09-01
- By ReimaginingEurope
- Posted in Disagreeing Well, Welby
Around 1981 I was travelling down to Nigeria with colleagues from the oil company I worked for. It was a French company and I lived in Paris.
My colleagues were all French. One of them was far, far senior to me, the head of the shipping department, and as we travelled, we chatted.
There was a crisis in what was then called the European Community, with, I think, Mrs Thatcher strongly asserting the UK’s position. He turned to me and said “you British just don’t get it. Europe is about peace, not money.”
He went on to say how three generations of his family had lost people in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 and in the two world wars, always fighting the Germans. He himself had been in the Resistance during World War II. I listened with interest and gained a new perspective.
But life moves on. 1945 is 70 years back. Those of my father and father-in-law’s generation who fought in Europe are now in their late-80s at least. No-one can seriously imagine that we might go back to war. Surely that is done and dusted?
In less than two years we will have a referendum on our place in Europe. There will be passionate arguments on both sides.
People will say that we should not take the risk of leaving, others that it is less of a risk than staying. There will be talk of national sovereignty, of national confidence, of repatriation of laws, or being bound by European laws over which we have no control. The only certainty is that there will be much heat, probably slightly less light, but that it is a hugely important decision, with thoughtful and committed people, including Christians, on both sides.
But what about those in the UK for whom our membership, or withdrawal, from the Union, is not a major question, those for whom the needs and responsibilities of each day take precedence, and mention of political debates such as this leave them cold?
This new blog is a contribution to the debate. It is a joint initiative between the Church of England and the Church of Scotland, whose mediating and reconciling role during and after the Scottish referendum campaign is something we should all look to as a model for how the Church can engage in divisive debates.
It is a platform on which we can seek out new ways of disagreeing well that leaves us energised and revitalised, not dispirited and divided.
The contributors – who will be drawn from as wide a spectrum as possible – will, as a group, invite us to imagine what types of relationship with Europe we need to encourage human flourishing. Their views will vary widely.
How can we revitalise ideas such as sovereignty and subsidiarity – ideals formed out of Christian faith whose political dimensions capture their meaning only in part – and help encourage a clearly values-based approach to Britain’s future relationship with the EU; one that includes, but does not end with, economic and political perspectives? We are going to try and make this blog a helpful contribution to that debate.
About the author
The Most Revd and Rt Hon Justin Welby is the Archbishop of Canterbury. Having spent 11 years working in the oil industry in Paris and London, he was ordained in 1992. He served as a curate and parish priest in Coventry Diocese, before being made a Canon of Coventry Cathedral in 2002, running the reconciliation work based at the Cathedral. In 2007, he was installed as Dean of Liverpool, where he spent four years. Elected Bishop of Durham on 2 June 2011. Bishop Justin was consecrated at York Minster on 28 October and enthroned at Durham Cathedral on 26 November 2011. He became the Archbishop of Canterbury on 4th February 2013, and his public ministry was inaugurated at his enthronement in Canterbury Cathedral on 21st March 2013.
Reblogged this on Persona and commented:
An absolute read.
Don’t confuse Europe (which we have always been in, geographically, historically and culturally) with the EU.
Mr Welby, your denomination has no credibility as an honest broker because it has been working flat out in public and in secret for European political integration since the year that Britain stood alone against Hitler, as documented in detail by the Time Magazine article “For a New Society” of 20 January 1941. Your dioceses have long been structured such as to anticipate a political union of the European continent.
Are you seriously suggesting that a programme which was put forward seventy-four-years ago, and which fewer than a quarter of the church’s then bishops had signed, about what sort of Europe we might try to create after the war, disqualifies present-day leaders of the church who were not even born when “For a New Society” was written from expressing an opinion about the very different circumstances which exist today
Yes, I am seriously meaning that. They were the dominant and most politically engaged bishops, their agenda was determined, and their work continued through the decades. The problem is that little pronoun ‘we’ in your question. You and many other well-intentioned people might mean that in the sense of ‘the church’ or ‘the nation’, but the bishops meeting in 1941 and the coterie that continued this work since then meant ‘our people’.
It will be particularly interesting to hear from people on both sides of the debate who have changed their minds on the issue.
Would Justin Welby please clarify whether he remains in favour of the Church of England (and Scotland) maintaining an ‘opt-out’ from the Church of Rome?
Would he not agree that we should seek to have friendly and beneficial relations with people all over the world, and not just in Europe, and without necessarily being in political or religious ‘union’ with them?
I cannot begin to comment in an academic way about Justin Welby’s proposal. However as a person living in the here and now…… I can only speak positively for unification with our neighbours, it’s good old fashioned common sense.
I agree that the fundamental purpose of Europe is peace, unity and a shared approach to issues such as bringing Greece back to strength (they stand on the edge and it is unthinkable that people should be dying for want of cancer care and coping with the refugee crisis - puts Europe to shame) Europe should have a robust way putting refugees back on their feet - shameful the response so far . I think Europe needs to be fully democratic although I have no idea how this could be done. There is too much cumbersome legislation about minor things like food items etc
New World Order politics were defined by Rockefeller who said once he had a nation’s economy he cared not who made the laws. Privatization has put national economies and its related power into global hands; hence the regular G7, G20 meetings to manage it.
The EU is a legislature that increasingly overwhelms a nation’s ability to function in the best interests of its people, and imposes a socialist federalist agenda on its members.
Thatcher was partly deposed for opposing further EU integration, and her successors have all been Europhiles. A politically compliant elite seems to have been hatched to continue the integration.
British sovereignty is in service to the glory of God; Parliament increasingly rejects Christian values and is replacing them with secular humanist values, such as the new “British Values.”
Publicly reasserting Christian values with addresses by Non-Conformist leaders, organisations like the Christian Institute, as well as establishment leaders would revitalize the issue and bring many active Christian believers into the discussion. Relying on the constitutional power of state religion would be discourteous to them; and could in effect change the sovereign power from spiritual to secular.
Drum thumping nationalists misunderstand subsidiarity, and until they have a better understanding of the ruling grace of God they are unlikely to humble themselves into a position of strength.
Thank you. Having just been a part of the C of E Regional Shared Conversations considering human sexuality I have experienced how helpful this kind of option can be. I look forward to seeing how this develops.
Reblogged this on West Kent YMCA.