Britain: not sitting at the table with the EU anymore but on the menu

In Britain—where many politicians and the eurosceptic media are celebrating Mr. Cameron’s "show of strength", and the consensus seems to be that the nation is wisely distancing itself from a collapsing edifice—this new reality has yet to sink in. Few, it appears, are giving much thought to the frustration and rage set off in Europeans—and how this welling anti-British sentiment might manifest itself in the coming weeks and months.

Britain’s financial sector isn’t the only asset Brussels is considering going after. European officials are openly talking about no longer paying Britain its annual rebate check, which last year amounted to 2.7 billion. “The British check … is now up for question,” stated European People’s Party leader Joseph Daul on Tuesday. “Tax monies should be spent on someone else rather than compensating selfish nationalism.”

Asked if he was declaring financial war, Daul haughtily responded: “There will be no tanks, no Kalashnikovs before Christmas.”

 

Europe has other means of making life uncomfortable for Britain too. For example, European corporations, many of which are simply extensions of national governments, own a disconcerting number of Britain’s strategic assets and resources. The baa (formerly British Airports Authority), owner of Heathrow Airport, is owned by the Spanish Ferrovial group. Arriva, which operates a large number of Britain’s bus and train services, is owned by Deutsche Bahn. edf Energy is one of Britain’s largest gas and electricity firms, and is owned by the French government via the state-owned edf sa. Npower, another electricity firm, is owned by the German energy giant rwe. Even the car division of Rolls Royce is owned by Volkswagen and bmw. Just last weekend, the Sunday Times reported that German state-owned company dfs is bidding for the British government’s stake in Britain’s air traffic control company.

As relations deteriorate and competition with Britain intensifies, don’t think Europe won’t bring its dominance of these strategic assets into play. 

One of the most arresting diatribes came from Guy Verhofstadt, Belgium’s former prime minister and an mep. “When you are invited to a table,” he told Britain, “it is either as a guest or you are part of the menu.”