“SOr a radical European Englishman”, he said in an interview with Lusa Agency about the launch of his latest work “Pátrias — Uma História Personal da Europa” (Temas e Debates, June 2023) in Portugal.
Author of several works on Europe, Gordon Ash reiterated a point he has made in recent years: “Brexit is one of the biggest personal tragedies of my political career”.
An Oxford University professor of European studies refers to the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union (EU) in 2020, which was usually decided by a referendum but which most British people now consider to be the wrong decision.
Citing recent polls, 31 percent said it was the right decision, while 56% thought the opposite, 63% considered it a failure, and only 9% considered the process a success.
Gordon Ash recalls that the European Union was completely different compared to the beginning of the 1980s, after the enlargement processes, which required the deepening of the European project.
He advocated that the development of the European Union should proceed in a process he likes to call “progressive integration”, in which candidate countries fulfill positions in various sectors.
The advantage, he argued, is that Ukraine or Serbia have a “structure of positive incentives” that every year or two “encourages further reforms that create greater access, to see that they have made progress.”
Gordon Ash also considered that Europe was shaped by four political generations that lived through the two great wars of 1914–1918 and 1939–1945 and the political and social changes of 1968 and 1989.
“Are we going to see a generation of 2022 shaped by the return of great wars to the European continent?” he questioned.
As for the UK’s return to the EU, he admitted he was confident it would happen.
“I truly believe, I believe passionately,” he said.
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Jane Austen is a writer and contributor covering culture, literature, lifestyle, and society. Her work focuses on thoughtful storytelling, social trends, and the issues shaping everyday life, delivering engaging and accessible content for readers across the United Kingdom.
