With us or US? Michel Barnier challenges May on the kind of society UK wants. Do we want a model on the American formula with its low-pay, low tax, poor public services and lack of care and culture, or the European model based better paid jobs, higher taxes, better public services, a more caring society and an appreciation of culture?
I know which model I prefer.
In America money is all that matters. It is worshipped. They see nothing wrong in huge inequality, callous practices and cheating on tax. Taxation is seen as robbery. Money and race are the American class system. Money is status. It results in the rat-race and acquisition of status symbols.
In Europe there is a different attitude. They are not chasing money so much. Status is much more complex. There is more interest in culture. It has more depth. Social services are valued and a caring society is more prevalent.
I think Barnier already knew the answer. Our politicians have been leading us down the American pathway for many generations. This government epitomises it.
- They have reduced welfare to drive people into low-paid jobs. We now have an army of people criss-crossing the country delivering trash from Amazon, stocking shelves and carrying out mundane tasks like serving coffee
- They have cut social services – pay frozen, cuts and reduced numbers. Our schools, hospitals, social services, police and armed forces have all been reduced
- They have reduced taxes for the wealthy and corporations
- They have created division that has undermined the caring side of our culture
Now we are exiting Europe on a one-way path to the worst aspects of US lack of culture. We made our decision. We sided with shallowness.
We will be talking about movies, sidewalks and elevators.
There is much more to culture than a shared language. We used to be European. Now we’re an unrecognised pseudo American State.
What a sad state to have gotten ourselves into.