Shane Te Pou: Shifting sands in the world’s political landscape

A pro-EU protestor stands in Parliament Square in front of Parliament during the debate in the House of Commons on the EU (Future Relationship) Bill in London. Photo / AP

OPINION:

Europe is bookended by two former world powers who are discovering they’re relative minnows in the 21st century. In between them, a new global power is forming in the East.

Russia, still imagining itself the Soviet superpower when it’s really a second-rate petrostate, is suffering a military and economic calamity as it fails to conquer its long-time possession, Ukraine.

In the West, the UK, drunk on its belief in British exceptionalism and tabloid tales about Brussels bureaucrats, chose to cast itself adrift of the EU - as if it was still a world-striding empire, when it was really only a lonely island in the Atlantic. It has seen its influence and trade collapse and discovered it is no longer an equal power with the big boys like the US and China.

Britain, shocked to find itself no longer the centre of the world, has no US trade deal, no EU common market access, and no empire.

As the British national myth has fractured, so has its government, with four prime ministers in six years. The infamous clip of the hapless Liz Truss bragging about how she would be visiting China to try to sell the Chinese more British pork shows how the tables have turned. And it’s somehow fitting that her brief premiership was brought down by a shambolic vote on fracking – a government looking to mine and export the fuels of the past, even as the rest of Europe moves into the green future. Once a leader in science and manufacturing, which took in food and raw materials from around the world and produced high-tech goods, Britain now finds itself locked out of EU-funded research and at risk of relying increasingly on exporting primary goods. Talent once flocked to Britain, now it’s leaving for the continent.

I’ve been visiting Europe and the overwhelming view here of Brexit is bewilderment and bemusement. Why did Britain not want to be part of the European project? Why did they think they were so special they could go it alone? I’ve spent time in Italy, Portugal, and Spain on this trip and there’s a growing sense among people that, while they retain their national identity, there is a European identity too. They may be Spaniards, Germans, Latvians or Greeks but they’re also all Europeans. They’re all intermingled and multilingual (something Britain hasn’t been able to embrace) and, with that, comes a common understanding.

Climate activists lie after painting "stop funding fossil fuels" on the square in front of the Euro sign in Frankfurt. Photo / AP

That is an incredible change for a continent where, just a century ago, these countries were in the midst of brutal wars of annihilation against their neighbours. It’s not to the point of the US, where the American identity supersedes the state identity, but increasingly people see themselves represented by the EU on the world stage.

As Mike Moore said: “Where the tribes appreciate and respect each other’s differences - culture, music, religion, food and commerce - we enjoy a united Europe. Human rights and living standards are high. A united Europe is a force for good.”

I think one of Putin’s mistakes was underestimating this common European identity. He didn’t expect EU countries to respond with such unity to the expansionist threat he posed or for EU citizens to reach out and include Ukrainians in their shared identity. Brexit and Putin’s War were both existential threats to the European project. They could have been the undoing of the EU. Instead, it has emerged stronger. I expect Scotland will soon be independent and will quickly rejoin the European Union. As will Ukraine once the war is over (probably when the Russians depose Putin).

Even the remnants of the UK will be back one day, although it will have to pay a price – like giving back Gibraltar. The EU is now the world leader when it comes to our biggest global challenge – climate change. New solar farms, wind tribunes, light rail systems, EV factories and battery plants are popping up everywhere even as coal power plants are shut down. City centre roads are being converted to cycle lanes and busways, and each metropolis becomes instantly more liveable as a result.

Ironically, Putin’s war has only accelerated the EU’s work to get off dependence on Russian fossil fuels. Going green is now a matter of national security. This year, Jacinda Ardern’s Government has signed Free Trade Agreements with both the UK and the EU. While the UK will always be important to Aotearoa New Zealand – an important source of our culture and heritage – it is the EU deal that is going to be by far the more important in the future. A progressive, multicultural society that embraces differences and invests in a sustainable future is going to be a more important partner for us going forwards than the lonely island in the Atlantic.

Shane Te Pou (Ngai Tuhoe) is a commentator, blogger and former Labour party activist.