The huge decision by Great Britain on Brexit and the future has arrived, a monumental decision with ramifications that will reverberate around the world, even regional Australia.
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Will Britain turn its back on Continental Europe, in particular France, and vote to break with the European Union.
Decades of close economic and political co-operation through a single market apparatus is at stake. Over recent decades this has led to positive liaison and produced projects such as the Chunnel, providing a two hour 15-minute Eurostar service between Paris and London.
Is it time to end Britain’s membership of the EU, place it in mothballs and negotiate a complete out?
Well it has to be said it is a very curious time to even contemplate such a big step just days before the centenary of the Battle of the Somme.
One hundred years ago Britain and France were in lockstep as allies, opposing the might of the German army. Belgium had fallen in 1914, all but the Ypres Salient and a large part of eastern France was now in the hands of the Germans as they pushed towards Paris.
General Henry Rawlinson, known as the “butcher of the Somme”, devised an opening to this big battle that was a total disaster, resulting in 20,000 allied soldiers being dead by noon on July 1, 1916, the opening day.
Ironically the French units fighting side by side made real progress on that first dreadful day of the Somme and John Monash led an enemy raid nominating the 14 Battalion of the Fourth Brigade of the AIF to do this difficult task, with mixed results.
The Battle of the Somme went on for weeks and months. It ended four months later with some ground gained from the Germans but it was not a success, albeit it did set up the basis for ultimate breakthroughs and victory in 1918.
Of course this was helped greatly by better generals coming through at last eg Arthur Currie (Canada), John Monash (AIF Army Corps), Henry Plumer and Ivor Maxse (British but two of the better BEF generals) and eventually Ferdinand Foch.
The spirit of the Somme and the ultimate decisive victory in 1918 was very much a multi nation effort.
British and French for the greater part, but Australia, Belgium, Canada, India and eventually the USA playing supportive roles, at a huge cost for the rising generation in KIA and WIA.
So 100 years ago, the Anglo Franco liaison was near its zenith.
It has waxed and waned ever since but the touchstones were laid in the Great War and flowed from the victory obtained.
Fast forward and here comes the vote on Brexit when some but not all of those touchstones are at risk. If Brexit wins, France will say never again.
Liaison on many fronts will end and the Calais based refugees will suddenly find passage across the English Channel facilitated.
In due course, by 2020, Scotland may vote for independence to stay in the EU, then Northern Ireland will erupt and demand a unification referendum with Ireland, both to obtain renewed membership of the EU and to stop a massive Berlin Wall being created between Ireland and Northern Ireland, contrary to the Good Friday accords.
This 2020 possibility of Great Britain becoming little England is ugly and will ripple around the world at a time when stability and unity is in short supply, it will be a case of so much for the spirit of the Somme.