The State of Angleter and Eastern Haane
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The remarks and announcement made today by the Prime Minister of Angleter are both saddening and sobering. For those who may still be unaware: the government of Angleter has announced a referendum on their membership of the European Union.
The Apostolic Crown of Angleter is the second oldest member state of the European Union, having joined the Union in 2008. Since 2008, the voice and presence of Angleterics have enriched the European Union, particularly in the European Council, where their councillors have often been steadfast voices of reason and rationality. The recent absence of their councillor has been deafening, and their voice and input has been sorely missed. The loss of the Angleteric councillor has been a major loss for the Council, and indeed a major loss for the Union. The withdrawal of Angleter from the European Union would be a great tragedy.
Even though it brings me great sorrow, I respect the announcement made by the Angleteric government, and I will respect the will of the Angleteric people. I have always strongly believed that the people of the member states should always have their say in European politics, and so I will respect any decision that is made through a people’s referendum on EU membership.
Angleter is like a second home to me. I spent most of my career as an Inquistan diplomat stationed in Angleter, before I was named the High Commissioner to Halsberg in 2011. Since 2015, when I first met my wife, I have spent considerable time back in the country, and have been residing in the country for extensive periods since my marriage, as my wife still calls Angleter her home. Thus, I am not naïve about the opinions or attitudes of Angleterics toward the Union. The fight to retain Angleteric membership in the European Union will be an uphill battle, but it will be battle that I will not be involved with. In this circumstance, it is simply not my place to dictate what is best for another county and for another group of people. The outcome of this referendum is only for the people of Angleter to decide.
While I don't agree with everything the Angleteric Prime Minister has said, many of his criticisms are valid. There are many lessons to be learned from this announcement and from the upcoming referendum in Angleter. I think most Councillors would agree that there have been problems within the European Union for some time, particularly when it comes to the cohesiveness and efficacy of the European Union. The Union has been slow to act, and it has been far from united.
The Union has sat idly by as member states fall into anarchy, civil war, and conflict. Instead of the European Union remedying these situations, member states take the initiative into their own hands, and they make heavy-handed interventions that end up worsening and exacerbating existing crises. When the European Council does take responsibility, and passes a motion, then member states simply refuse to recognise or accept that motion. It has resulted in disaster after disaster, and crisis after crisis - many of which are still ongoing.
I hear and share the concerns that the Angleteric Prime Minister has with Eastern Haane. I shall not condemn the Kingdom of Reitzmag, but I will point out that all evidence and news coming out of Eastern Haane has shown that the Reitzmic intervention has been nothing short of a disaster. The Reitzmic intervention has aimlessly worsened an already sad and tragic humanitarian crisis. These sort of interventions need to stop. The intervention into Reitzmag, months ago, was a disastrous mess which claimed many lives. I really hoped and expected that the Kingdom of Reitzmag would have learned from what happened in their own country, and would have not have copied this mistake elsewhere.
An EU-led intervention into Eastern Haane was always supposed to be the last resort, but it has now unfortunately become the necessary action and reality. The EU-led mission into Eastern Haane should only be with the aim to bring peace and stability to the country, and we must refrain from installing our own regime into power. The people of Eastern Haane must be afforded their sovereign right to determine their own future, and that is a right that the EU coalition must work toward.
In the coming months, it is imperative that we establish new precedents for the European Union. It is imperative that we establish a precedent for action and responsibility, in which the European Union is more active and less passive during crises. A precedent in which we do not allow individual member states to embark on national voyages into other countries, but in which the European Council establishes accountable and responsible coalitions. A precedent in which the Council authority is respected, and motions are not illegally discarded based on whims. A precedent in which unlawful member states are punished, and if necessary, ejected from the Union.
All eyes are now on Eastern Haane. Perhaps the EU-led mission into the country could mark the beginning of these precedents, and put our Union on a new path forward.
Edward Firoux
Council Speaker and Councillor for Inquista
