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Dr
Mifsud Bonnici Speech to the Second Congress for Democracy - Westminster, 9 July 1999 |
I come from an ex-colony and therefore I should be very careful to address you!
But I take courage from the fact that the day before yesterday your Prime Minister felt it his duty to write to our Prime Minister, obviously for publication, congratulating the Maltese government on its insistence to join as quickly as possible the European Union. Your Prime Minister knows quite well that half the population of Malta is against membership of the European Union, and that half is represented by the Labour Party of Malta. So we were very much upset by our friend, your Prime Minister, lending himself so obviously in the campaign against the official policy of a brotherly, friendly, Labour Party in Malta. And if your Prime Minister deemed it fit to interfere in local affairs, I take courage in making my views known to you, without wishing to interfere in your internal affairs.
As an outsider, I would say that the fundamental problem of whether you adopt the euro and give up the pound is this: Are you keen on promoting further the integration into one superstate, the European Union, or not? - Because that would be a step in the furthering of integration of the countries of the Union. If you are against further integration, I do not think that it would be in your interest to give up your pound. So this is fundamentally a political question to an outsider like me.
The second fundamental point that I think is relevant is this: Do you want further that you do lose control of your monetary policy? Do you wish that your monetary policy is no longer controlled by you, but that you will have a controlled monetary policy – controlled by Brussels? If you wish that to happen, then give up your pound and set up the euro, and this is a fundamental thing too because by giving up your currency you will take a further step in losing control over monetary policy.
I think it is also relevant to think of other points. Is there no alternative to further strengthening and integrating the countries of the European Union, no other alternative to Great Britain? Has Great Britain lost sight of the Commonwealth and the Commonwealth countries? Is it in the interest of Great Britain to weaken the Anglo-American Alliance and to further instead European integration? As a foreigner, I think that would be a relevant question to put, and I think the answer to that question would help you to decide whether it would be to your advantage to give up the pound.
And the fourth point that I think is relevant is this: Would it be in your interest to give up your currency when there are future prospects in relation to the emerging African countries, where Great Britain had so much influence in the past and I am sure could have very much greater influence in the future? Not only the emerging African countries, but the prospects of the east: Would it help Britain with its own currency in its future commercial relations and political relations with the east – with China itself, which is becoming stronger and stronger, and with Japan, and with the other countries of the world? I think that the country with its own strong international currency will have a better prospect of being of influence to all these emerging blocs, African and Asian.
Now in Malta, if you allow me just a brief reference to the situation, the present government is keen on our country joining the European Union. The official Opposition is saying that it has nothing against the European Union but it considers it disadvantageous at the moment in the present circumstances for the country to become a full member of the Union. That is the official Opposition, but in opposition to the European Union, a movement has been set up called Campaign for National Independence, in which I have the privilege to take an active part. This organisation is saying that before considering whether it is advantageous or not, we have to review and reconsider the policies which are being followed by the European Union and see whether in fact they are correct or intrinsically defective, because if we were to join today or tomorrow, we would have to follow those policies, whether social or economic. We are saying that as long as the European Union follows the present policies, which are inherently and intrinsically defective, we should not have anything to do with the European Union.
Against this radical line the government and the European lobbyists are saying that Malta cannot stand isolated in the middle of the Mediterranean. I think that if we were not to join the European Union we would not be isolated. I am sure Great Britain will never forget Malta and Malta can never forget Great Britain. We are members of the Commonwealth and I think we, Malta, and you, Great Britain, should activate and give more emphasis to making the Commonwealth more of a living and forceful entity in the world. What we will lose if we were not to join the European Union – and I hope we will not – is that we will not participate in the growth of the Union, which is a factory which produces tons of directives and tons of regulations. But we are prepared to forego the benefit of so many directives and regulations.
I have come to this country to accept your kind invitation, for which I consider it to be an honour and a privilege, but I have also come here to enlist allies in our campaign to keep Malta free and independent.
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