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Brexit has failed - we must now return to the centre of Europe, Lord Heseltine says
(www.independent.co.uk)
this post was submitted on 18 Jun 2023
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The reality when the UK rejoins will be similar to what it was before, just with less opt outs and special treatment. As one of the larger economies and populations they will have a larger say just by way of how the parliament works.
Painting it as a desire for empire is a bit silly.
It's a desire to matter, not necessarily the desire for empire. They want to be "the centre" of Europe.
They will never matter that much again. Their place as an empire and head of nations was a historical accident and they blew it, and now they're just one nation of many with nothing special to offer.
Why do you think they go so overboard with their monarch pageantry? They yearn for the old days.
"There are only two types of countries in Europe: small countries... and countries which are small but don't yet know that they are. " --Paul-Henri Spaak
Nope, most British just wanted the single market, there was no appetite and little awareness of the EU's desire for ever more political union.
The monarchy is a historical relic, a tape back up if parliament fails and a tourist attraction.
Completely agree that there is a section of population which yearns for the old days. However that section of society is the one that voted to leave in the first place, so it's a bit of a false equivalence, but not totally invalid.
I think you're being a bit literal in your interpretation of "centre" here. Being one of the largest countries would give the UK a larger say over things, in Parliament, than smaller nations. Personally I'd say that would mean it's closer to the centre than it currently is, being very much on the outside.
That being said, this is also just what Heseltine is saying, and he's an old Tory who still defends what he did as part of Thatcher's government, so he'd be one of the last people I'd want to define the future of the UK in the EU.