Vive La Résistance: Brexit, Yellow Vests, and the Fate of the EU

“There’s a military base – a German military base, with the help of NATO – being built for urban warfare training…Why would Europe need a training camp for urban warfare if they wouldn’t expect upheavals that you may see in the case of Brexit, we don’t know yet, that you have seen already in Greece, that you may see more of in Greece, and that may happen in Italy, and in all those cities in Hungary for example, or in Poland…? All these upheavals, these civil upheavals, must be oppressed.”

– Peter Koenig, from this week’s interview.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

Click to download the audio (MP3 format)

The latest chapter in the Brexit saga played out this past Tuesday. Members of the British Parliament soundly rejected the withdrawal agreement arrived at following months of negotiations between the government of Theresa May and EU leaders. With 430 votes against, including 118 members of her own party and elements of both the Leave and Remain camps, and only 202 in favour, it was reportedly the most devastating defeat of a sitting government’s policy in the history of the country. [1]

The debacle illustrates the difficulties of crafting a deal which will be acceptable both to the EU leadership and the UK Parliament, to say nothing of the general public.

Under the process currently underway, the UK is set to officially abandon the EU on March 29, 2019. Opposition Members of Parliament have been lobbying for an extension of the deadline, a second referendum on EU membership, and even a new election which would potentially lead to a different Prime Minister taking charge of the Brexit negotiations. [2][3]

Meanwhile, the Gilets Jaunes in France (Yellow Vests) are into their 10th weekend of protests. Triggered by opposition to a proposed hike in fuel taxes, ostensibly to combat global warming, the demands of the French populace have extended to encompass a wider range of concerns, generally centred around advancing prospects for the working class and ending austerity measures. Critically, they have also demanded France depart from both the European Union (FREXIT) and from the NATO alliance! [4]

The European Union has arguably been a culprit in undermining the democratic will of the peoples of all member states. As Belgian human rights activist Andy Vermaut pointed out in a December 2018 article, the EU through the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), mandates that all EU members must submit their budgets to the European Commission before those budgets are discussed in the members’ national parliaments. The rules designed to “pursue sound public finances” and coordinate the fiscal policies of EU members has, Vermaut argues, resulted in “many years of austerity policy throughout Europe.” [5]

On top of these developments, a new Treaty is set to be signed between Germany and France on January 22nd which would align the diplomatic, economic, military, and other policies of the two European and NATO powers. It has been suggested that this pact would act as an incubator for military as well as economic integration throughout Europe. Such a development naturally invokes questions as to the democratic sovereignty of constituent nations. [6]

On this week’s Global Research News Hour we build on the EU-connected political developments of recent weeks with analyses from two guests.

Peter Koenig provides some insights into the Brexit vote last week and what lies ahead for the UK. He also provides some background on the origins of the European Union project, which did not originate from Europeans themselves, and describes the forces that shaped its trajectory through the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1957, and the signing of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 which established the European Union and a common currency (the euro.) Koenig also shares his thoughts about the upcoming Franco-German Treaty and its implications for military containment and suppression of civic unrest.

In the final half hour, Diana Johnstone returns to share her perspectives on the Gilets Jaunes in France, who they are, what they are demanding, and what distinguishes this movement from other popular mobiliizations such as the Occupy Wall Street Movement.

Peter Koenig is an economist and geopolitical analyst. He is also a water resources and environmental specialist. He worked for over 30 years with the World Bank and the World Health Organization around the world in the fields of environment and water. He lectures at universities in the US, Europe and South America. He is the author of Implosion – An Economic Thriller about War, Environmental Destruction and Corporate Greed – fiction based on facts and on 30 years of World Bank experience around the globe. He is also a co-author of The World Order and Revolution! – Essays from the Resistance. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization.

Diana Johnstone is an American political writer based in Paris. Best known for her book, Fools’ Crusade: Yugoslavia, NATO and Western Delusions, Johnstone is also the author of Queen of Chaos: The Misadventures of Hillary Clinton. Diana Johnstone is a past guest of the Global Research News Hour and a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization

(Global Research News Hour Episode 245)

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

Click to download the audio (MP3 format)

The Global Research News Hour airs every Friday at 1pm CT on CKUW 95.9FM in Winnipeg. The programme is also podcast at globalresearch.ca . Excerpts of the show have begun airing on Rabble Radio and appear as podcasts at rabble.ca.

The Global Research News Hour now airs Fridays at 6pm PST, 8pm CST and 9pm EST on Alternative Current Radio (alternativecurrentradio.com)

Community Radio Stations carrying the Global Research News Hour:

CHLY 101.7fm in Nanaimo, B.C – Thursdays at 1pm PT

Boston College Radio WZBC 90.3FM NEWTONS  during the Truth and Justice Radio Programming slot -Sundays at 7am ET.

Port Perry Radio in Port Perry, Ontario –1  Thursdays at 1pm ET

Burnaby Radio Station CJSF out of Simon Fraser University. 90.1FM to most of Greater Vancouver, from Langley to Point Grey and from the North Shore to the US Border.

It is also available on 93.9 FM cable in the communities of SFU, Burnaby, New Westminister, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Surrey and Delta, in British Columbia, Canada. – Tune in  at its new time – Wednesdays at 4pm PT.

Radio station CFUV 101.9FM based at the University of Victoria airs the Global Research News Hour every Sunday from 7 to 8am PT.

CORTES COMMUNITY RADIO CKTZ  89.5 out of Manson’s Landing, B.C airs the show Tuesday mornings at 10am Pacific time.

Cowichan Valley Community Radio CICV 98.7 FM serving the Cowichan Lake area of Vancouver Island, BC airs the program Thursdays at 6am pacific time.

Campus and community radio CFMH 107.3fm in  Saint John, N.B. airs the Global Research News Hour Fridays at 10am.

Caper Radio CJBU 107.3FM in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia airs the Global Research News Hour starting Wednesday Morning from 8:00 to 9:00am. Find more details at www.caperradio.ca

RIOT RADIO, the visual radio station based out of Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario has begun airing the Global Research News Hour on an occasional basis. Tune in at dcstudentsinc.ca/services/riot-radio/

Radio Fanshawe: Fanshawe’s 106.9 The X (CIXX-FM) out of London, Ontario airs the Global Research News Hour Sundays at 6am with an encore at 4pm.

Los Angeles, California based Thepowerofvoices.com airs the Global Research News Hour every Monday from 6-7pm Pacific time. 

Notes:

  1. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-46885828
  2. ibid
  3. Alex Hunt & Brian Wheeler (January 16, 2019), ‘Brexit: All you need to know about the UK leaving the EU’, BBC News; https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32810887
  4. https://www.opendemocracy.net/can-europe-make-it/france-bleu/demands-of-frances-yellow-vests-as-uploaded-by-france-bleu-november-29
  5. https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201812111070566448-yellow-vests-austerity-eu/
  6. David Scott (January 16, 2019), ‘Will the New Treaty of Aachen make the EU Dream Come True?’, UK COLUMN; https://www.ukcolumn.org/article/will-new-treaty-aachen-make-eu-dream-come-true

Comment on Global Research Articles on our Facebook page

Become a Member of Global Research


Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Centre of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post Global Research articles on community internet sites as long the source and copyright are acknowledged together with a hyperlink to the original Global Research article. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: [email protected]

www.globalresearch.ca contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the copyright owner.

For media inquiries: [email protected]