The US of E
From Mr Herb Greer Sir: Chris Patten's appeal ('Let's get emotional', 18 May) for a European identity is touching, but way out in Left field for the following reasons: Europe has no body politic, therefore no citizenry, therefore no accountability or real identity of any kind except as a geographical (and bureaucratic) conceit. And there is no visible prospect of the Continental countries and Britain coalescing to acquire any of these things.
There is, in fact, one genuine European country. It stands at the centre of gravity of European civilisation in terms of power, and in terms of a true representation of what Chris Patten likes to think of as 'Europe'. That country is the United States of America, which is the only political entity to collect and alloy all the cultural elements of European civilisation into one whole: it boasts a single body politic, harbours a genuine respect for its constituent (and separate) cultural ingredients, while maintaining a single political loyalty which transcends them all. It also has a central government which is genuinely accountable.
The occasionally rather stupid censure of America uttered by Mr Patten may arise from a subliminal resentment of American success at an endeavour which on this side of the Atlantic is now, and for the foreseeable future seems likely to be, a shambolic, oppressive, corrupt, destructive, and politically clumsy &bade.
Herb Greer
Salisbury, Wiltshire
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