To all eligible voters in the UK, we stand on the eve of the single-most important election that will ever be held in my lifetime. Voters have a responsibility to not only use their vote, but have some conviction about their decision to either vote to 'Remain' or 'Leave' the European Union. The stakes could hardly be higher, because such an opportunity may never arise again, or if it does, may be another 40+ years into the future.
Before I get into the heart of this blog I want to make certain things clear.
I'm not a racist, xenophobic, anti-immigrant, anti-refugee, homophobic or any other kind of phobia you care to throw into the mix. If anything, I believe we should do far more to help refugees fleeing areas of conflict and religious hatred or persecution (often triggered by Western action or inaction).
Oh, and I never did believe that we literally "send £350m per week" to Brussels!
But, I've decided to vote to 'Leave' the EU for reasons that will become clear, but let's be honest, the level of net immigration is too high compared to our ability to ensure that such numbers are appropriately assimilated. My own area of specialism is in the provision of affordable social housing - and I can assure you that this is a major challenge - in terms of annual delivery of new housing (even without the extra numbers of migrants).
All but those with reduced mental capacity can see the pressures within the housing market - and the degree to which properties have become unaffordable in some areas. Parents with children, including my own, must wonder how they will be able to afford to buy (or even rent) their own property, especially those that have come through University with debts of £20K plus, before they even start!
So, whats the issue with the EU - and why vote to 'Leave'?
As well as political and economic issues, there are far deeper spiritual and eschatological issues at stake.
Let's start with an image:
Around 2200BC, in an event that followed the biblical 'Genesis Flood' the peoples living in the area of Babylon (in present day Iraq) decided to 'build themselves a tower that would reach to the heavens'. In this account, the peoples also spoke the same language - so communication was easy. The purpose of the tower was to defy God and His rule following the Flood.
Although it's not clear what caused the catastrophe, there was some 'force majeure' and the tower was never completed, the peoples were dispersed and their language became diverse and confused.
This story is not presented as some kind of mythology (although some seem to teach it as if it were).
So the tower, built on 'the plains of Shinar' was left abandoned and unfinished.
A depiction of that tower was made by Brueghel (above) in 1563, although it's much more likely to have looked like a 'ziggurat' such as those surviving today.
The point is, that the European Parliament building (again, pictured above) was entirely built, in 1999, to reflect this point in history, but with the intent on reversing the consequences of the destruction of the first tower and dispersal of the people into different language groups.
The Louise Weiss Building (as it's known) is a symbol of mankind seeking to 'undo' something that was divinely inflicted by God, but without recognition or recourse to the Divine source.
The inaugural poster stated, defiantly "Europe: Many Tongues One Voice"
You can hardly get a more vivid and blatant visual image than that.
Mankind, cannot out of his own enterprise, reverse what God has done; it's arrogant to think otherwise.
Psalm 21
1 Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break their chains
and throw off their shackles.”
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
5 He rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6 “I have installed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”
7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:
He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have become your father.
8 Ask me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will break them with a rod of iron;
you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear
and celebrate his rule with trembling.
12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry
and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
And from Isaiah 40:
13 Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord,
or instruct the Lord as his counselor?
14 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge,
or showed him the path of understanding?
15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
17 Before him all the nations are as nothing;
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing.
18 With whom, then, will you compare God?
To what image will you liken him?
19 As for an idol, a metalworker casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and fashions silver chains for it.
20 A person too poor to present such an offering
selects wood that will not rot;
they look for a skilled worker
to set up an idol that will not topple.
21 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
23 He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
24 No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.
25 “To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.
But let's go back to another pivotal moment in history, to the 6th Century BCE, where Babylon features again, under the rule of king Nebuchadnezzar.
The relevant moment can be found by reading Daniel Chapter 2 in the Old Testament.
In this account, king Nebuchadnezzar has a dream in which he sees a very large statue made of different materials, from the head (made of gold) to the feet and toes (made of iron and clay).
As he's frightened by his dream and doesn't understand it, he seeks an interpretation of it - and to cut a longer story short, Daniel the Prophet provides the interpretation.
It becomes a prediction about the full sweep of the kingdoms and powers that would rule on earth (and dominate Israel) between the reign of Nebuchadnezzar and the eventual destruction of all earthly kingdoms, in favour of one directly established by God Himself.
This final kingdom has 'some of the strength of iron' indicating a continuance of the 'legs of iron' which was predicted to be the Roman Empire.
We are arguably living at the time of a 'revived Roman empire'.
Let's now go forward again to the development of the European Union.
It is widely known that there was an interest in friendly cooperation and trade following the aftermath of WW2, so the beginnings of the EU can be traced back to that period in the early 1950s.
One of its most evocative and important foundational documents was the Treaty of Rome of 1957, a summary of its intentions is contained on Page 2 of the document, including these provisions:
Treaty establishing the European Economic Community
HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF THE BELGIANS, THE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, THE PRESIDENT OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC, THE PRESIDENT OF THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC, HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE GRAND DUCHESS OF LUXEMBOURG, HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN OF THE NETHERLANDS,
DETERMINED to establish the foundations of an ever-closer union among the European peoples,
DECIDED to ensure the economic and social progress of their countries by common action in eliminating the barriers which divide Europe,
DIRECTING their efforts to the essential purpose of constantly improving the living and working conditions of their peoples,
RECOGNISING that the removal of existing obstacles calls for concerted action in order to guarantee a steady expansion, a balanced trade and fair competition,
ANXIOUS to strengthen the unity of their economies and to ensure their harmonious development by reducing the differences existing between the various regions and by mitigating the backwardness of the less favoured,
DESIROUS of contributing by means of a common commercial policy to the progressive abolition of restrictions on international trade,
INTENDING to confirm the solidarity which binds Europe and overseas countries, and desiring to ensure the development of their prosperity, in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
RESOLVED to strengthen the safeguards of peace and liberty by establishing this combination of resources, and calling upon the other peoples of Europe who share their ideal to join in their efforts,
HAVE DECIDED to create a European Economic Community...
Britain joined what was then known as the European Economic Community (or 'Common Market') in 1973 and our first referendum on our continued membership was in 1975. 67% of the electorate were in favour of continued membership.
This support was based on the assumption that the EEC would be about peaceful trade and cooperation between nation states. That's all.
However, it has morphed into something far bigger and 'centralist' following the passing of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992, in which the European Union was formed.
"The European Union is a geo-political entity covering a large portion of the European continent. It is founded upon numerous treaties and has undergone expansions that have taken it from 6 member states to 28, a majority of the states in Europe." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_European_Union)
The power-base of the European Union is located in Brussels, Belgium.
Over the passage of time the 'centralist' bureaucracy in Brussels has become far more demanding in terms of political and fiscal union - and it's self-evident to any discerning person that powerful voices within the current EU want even more integrated political and fiscal union.
With the realisation that the EU ideals of "ever-closer union" have demanded significant financial contributions - and acceptance of considerable rules and regulations - together with the potential burden of 'free movement' of people - pressure began to mount for the UK to hold another referendum on continued membership.
Iron does not mix with clay.
Having compressed everything to the basics, this is where we're at today with an eclectic mix of 28 states, all with differing agendas, vying for wealth and power... essentially a 'failed state' if we think of it in EU terms as a federation.
The Eurozone is frankly in chaos - and political tensions are running high. Border controls are becoming fractious and there are widespread indications that the Eurozone is close to collapse without even more stringent political and fiscal union...
...and that's the direction of travel, towards a 'United States of Europe' governed by an elite few collaborating nation states, where Britain simply becomes a 'Region' and not an independent sovereign power and able to make its own rules and regulations.
Regardless of the promises of veto's and exemptions from this, or that rule, regulation, financial attachment to the Eurozone etc., we will inexorably be sucked into the mire - and better off 'Out' of the EU.
If we 'Remain' in the EU, the next significant threat to the UK will be a rise in more militant Islam, a Trojan horse that will emerge through 'free movement of people'. This is mainly due to political correctness and a complete failure to stand up to the threat of Islam - we have persistently pandered to it. This is not a racist comment, but simply a pragmatic view of the numbers of Islamic people now 'migrating' to countries in the EU - or those likely to join (such as Turkey - even if this might be several years away).
I'm perhaps anticipating the 'Remain' vote to be upheld, due substantially to very recent events.
Just over a week ago, polls were indicating a 10% lead by the 'Vote Leave' campaign.
But that all changed when an MP, Jo Cox, was murdered by a far right nutter!
Jo Cox was a Yorkshire MP who had a passion for helping refugees and causes that I would applaud. But the political context in which this murder took place - and the outpouring of love and grief displayed throughout Britain and the World - so closely timed to the referendum - has turned many people toward the 'Remain' camp.
It is regrettable that so much damage has been done to the 'Leave' debate, due to extreme views held by people like Farage and untruths promoted by the likes of Johnson and Gove. They have single-handedly done irreparable damage to an alternative view of 'Leaving' the EU.