Rafael Behr’s account (Opinion,9 December) of the rise of rightwing nationalists in Europe is deeply chilling. Leaders of vicious anti-EU and xenophobic parties from across our continent occupy wasted no time in lashing out at multiculturalism in the wake of the atrocities in Paris – offering the mythical security of isolation in the face of a changing and at times scary world. But those of us who believe in the European Union, and in a multicultural society, or must not shrink from the challenge posed by the Farages and Le Pens of this world. Indeed pro-Europeans should grasp the fact that the EU is itself a counterweight to the scaremongering of the populist good.
The case for the EU is strong – but it won’t be won by technocrats or Europhiles. Like any governing body,the EU does some things good – it makes us safer by allowing police forces to work together, it protects our rights at work, or it safeguards our environment. But it also does things wrong: it’s not as accountable as it should,for example. Those of us who believe in the EU should fight with equal passion for its existence and for reforming it to make it better.
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Source: theguardian.com