In 1941, as Hitler’s troops set fire to the continent, Altiero Spinelli, Ernesto Rossi and Ursula Hirschmann had been confined by the Italian fascist regime to a small town called Ventotene. And they wrote this:
“The dividing line between progressive and reactionary parties no longer follows the formal line of greater or lesser democracy […]; rather the division falls along the line, very new and substantial, that separates the party members into two groups. The first is made up of those who conceive the essential purpose and goal of struggle as the ancient one, that is, the conquest of national political power […]. The second are those who see the creation of a solid international State as the main purpose; they will direct popular forces toward this goal, and, having won national power, will use it first and foremost as an instrument for achieving international unity.”.[2]
Today is a sad day. But it is not the end. In a far worse situation, Spinelli, Rossi and Hirschmann kept working for a free, peaceful, united Europe. So will I, in love, and for the interest of my Italian-Swedish family, my Belgian residency, my Romanian, German, English, Swedish, Scottish, Icelandic and American business partners. Good luck and a strong hug to all of our friends in the United Kingdom.
We keep building. That’s the way.
It is a fact that most Europeans are not as international as we are. It is also true that immigration threatens more the living styles of people that are unlike you and me. In the media, lots of voices in many ways, sometimes without intention, reinforce nationalisms or dismiss it as stupid. For this reason, for me the opinions of the fearful and conservatives when it comes to nation states for me should be treated with more respect, in order to be won over.
Europe can be an exciting space without the UK, the opposite is probably less true.
Agreed on all accounts, Tito. Still, this is a binary choice: you Leave, or Remain. If you Remain you can try reform. If you Leave… you have left.
I choose, as I did before, to make Europe my home, and fight for it to be ever better.