EU referendum: remain or leave? Rev Giles Fraser has his say
The EU referendum debate has been dominated by issues such as the economy, immigration and national security. But Christian Aid wants to ask, is remaining or leaving the EU better for tackling the root causes of poverty? Christian Aid hasn’t taken a position ourselves, but we have produced this reflection piece.
We do take the position that poverty is a scandal, and that we must take decisions mindful of the world’s poor. We encourage everyone to reflect on how their vote might make a difference and to vote wisely on 23 June 2016.
We asked four prominent individuals — Caroline Lucas MP, the Rev Giles Fraser, James Cleverly MP and Justine Greening MP — to share their thoughts…
Hear from the Rev Giles Fraser @Giles_Fraser
The Rev Giles Fraser is a priest of the Church of England, a journalist and broadcaster writing for The Guardian, and a regular contributor on BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day. Twitter: @Giles_Fraser
When I was Vicar of Putney, I had the privilege to minister in the very place where democracy was first debated on these islands.
The year was 1647, and the Levellers of Cromwell’s army met in Putney church to argue about the nature of political representation. Inspired by the Bible, they believed all people were made in the image and likeness of God. And that no king should wield power over ordinary men without the people having a say. Colonel Thomas Rainborough famously put it thus:
‘The poorest he that is in England hath a life to live as the greatest he… I think it’s clear, that every man that is to live under a government ought first by his own consent to put himself under that government; and I do think that the poorest man in England is not at all bound in a strict sense to that government that he hath not had a voice to put himself under.’
It would take time for women to be included. But the direction of travel was set. So when we reordered the church, I had the first sentence of the above speech set in gold letters on the church balcony for all to see. Fifteen months after this speech, sovereignty passed from the king to parliament in the most dramatic way imaginable: the king was decapitated.
As a result, I have a high doctrine of the House of Commons. That is where I believe sovereignty should rest and where it should remain. And that is my problem with the EU. For though I am all in favour of international cooperation, the EU represents a leeching of power from the House of Commons to Brussels — and worse still, to officials who have never once had to face the ballot box. The political freedoms that we have won are now being put at risk. Rainborough would have been appalled.
Immigration
Let me be clear. I don’t think this EU debate is about immigration. I want more migrants in this country. Indeed, I actually favour open borders. And the EU’s treatment of migrants from Syria has been disgraceful. And yes, there are Brexiters who are downright racists. But a vote to leave is not a vote for vote leavers. It’s a vote that whatever policy we have, it’s our policy. One we have agreed democratically.
My political hero was Tony Benn. We shared a common estimation of the Christian radicals of the seventeenth century. He famously said that when you meet a powerful person you should ask what power they have, where they have got it from, in whose interests do they wield it, and, crucially, how can you get them out. If you ask these questions of the EU — of Lord Hill, for example, our commissioner — you soon realise that the EU is not run for ordinary people. It is run for Davos man. For the smooth Peter Mandelson types who don’t require our vote or our permission.
I seek a world where every people and nation can determine their own fate, the poorest as much as the greatest. The EU is not the answer for the billions who endure poverty around the world.
I’m not sure how ‘remain’ came to be seen as some progressive cause. The EU represents the neo-liberal consensus, an economic selfishness zone designed to keep most of us placidly comfortable and others with wealth beyond the dreams of avarice, while those seeking a better life are left to drown in the moat of Fortress Europe. If you are happy with that, vote remain, because then you will keep things as they are, beyond democratic control. Otherwise, vote leave.
The Rev Giles Fraser, @Giles_Fraser
Find out more
- What Justine Greening MP thinks >
- What Caroline Lucas MP thinks >
- What James Cleverly MP thinks >
- Christian Aid’s reflection on the EU referendum >
- What Christian Aid do and why >
The EU referendum takes place on Thursday 23 June 2016 and we encourage everyone to reflect on how their vote might make a difference.
