The only news we hear in Britain about the common market is the market bickering yet many of our leaders, religious as well as political are still talking about its lofty ideals and hopes of a United Europe.
Now either Eurtape, like mankind is a worthy cause to live and die for, and certainly one to aspire to associate oneself with, or it is a merger of national capitalisms motivated by no more or less than most company mergers.
Judging from what we have seen so far it seems to be the latter. A visit to the bleak arrogance of Brussels or the expensive austerity of Strasbourg will show you the heart of the common market. Some people are still enthusiastic about the EEC but fewer than before Britain joined. However we are in so we had better be realistic about it.
First of all let us forget these lies about ideals of unity and recognise its credit card values for what they are. We need not shun it just because it is an overgrown supermarket which has overstocked in butter and wine, but we do need to try to remind the managers that we are not mere customers we are the Owners.
Having established that we are the owners we should indeed make sure we vote at the shareholder meetings, not because the company is a good thing in itself but because if people don't get in there and behave like human beings the managers will begin to treat us as though we are part of the stock.
Consequently the bishops are right to urge Catholics to take part in the European elections. They are right to remind us of Christian values. But true Uhristianity involves true humanity, and that does not mean a slavish acceptance of
dardisation'.
What makes people human? Each his own answer but there are some fundamental attachments which, if you remove from people you remove a part of them. They are often quite simple things: pint milk bottles, miles, half-crowns, the traditional British passport and the like.
Be a human being-fight for them.