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The incipient dividing line between Britain and the EU that would eventually lead to Brexit was evident 30 years ago during private meetings between Taoiseach Charles Haughey and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
During the course of the meetings, Thatcher criticized the European Commission as an undemocratic “politburo”, disparaged the European Parliament as “not a parliament at all” and completely rejected the suggestion of greater political union.
Ireland held the presidency of the European Community (as it was known then) in 1990, at a time of political uncertainty in Europe, caused by the fragmentation of the USSR and the reunification of West Germany with East Germany.
Haughey met Thatcher twice in Downing Street in April and June of that year for detailed bilateral meetings that focused primarily on the future of Europe. They were to be the last one-on-one meetings between the leaders when Thatcher resigned in November 1990 and Haughey resigned in early 1992. Their decade-long political interactions had been characterized by early cordiality, then distrust, and finally a stronger relationship. during Haughey’s second term.
During 1990, German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, French President François Mitterand, and Commission Chairman Jacques Delors had proposed a greater political union among the 12 members of the EC after the end of the Warsaw Pact and the reunification of Germany.
When Haughey broached the issue of political union with Thatcher, he said it could be “as minimalist or maximalist as we do.”
The British Prime Minister replied dryly. “There was, above all, an economic community. We then expanded it to develop European political cooperation. We have enough to digest right now. If we go further, we will create even wider divisions, ”he told Haughey.
More developed
He then favorably compared Ireland and the UK to other member states, saying they were much more developed.
“Germany has existed for about 40 years. Belgium is simply the Walloons and the Flemings. The Dutch were part of the Habsburg Empire. On the other hand, Spain is a proud nation and so is France, ”he said.
She noted, after unification, “Germany will be so powerful that it will dominate everyone.
“The community is completely different from when [French president Charles] De Gaulle joined. Then he was dealing with a very weak Germany. Our troops were in Germany to support him. [De Gaulle] it would not have signed the treaties under the current circumstances.
“They will be dealing with a powerful and dominant nation of maybe 80 to 90 million people with a new confidence, a new euphoria.”
Thatcher reserved her harshest criticism for the European Commission, which she said was undemocratic.
“The days of the appointed commissioners must be numbered. We must empower the council of ministers. I do not cede authority to an unelected bureaucracy …
“We must remove the power of initiative from the commission. Can we get through this?
The taoiseach replied, “I don’t think so.”
“They are just a new politburo,” he added.
What does political union mean? Will they change the crowned heads of all countries? Are you going to change the president of your country?
“The commission was necessary for the European Community to start, but now it is a totally undemocratic power structure. It is not accountable to the European Parliament or to any other parliament. What we need there is a suitable professional civil service to serve the council ministers. We must transform it into that. “
Haughey replied: “I do not disagree. We do not want more powers for the European Parliament in any case ”.
Thatcher said: “Kaput! It is not a parliament at all ”.
Explicable
Thatcher said she and Haughey were accountable to their parliaments. “I have to go to parliament tomorrow to justify what I have done today. [Spanish prime minster Felipe] González goes three times a year. [François] Mitterand never goes. [Helmut] Kohl goes infrequently.
“Between you and me there is an intimate and instantaneous responsibility. Italy was never a nation. Portugal is struggling and needs help. How can this group of people form a union? ” she asked.
Thatcher emphasized the disparate nature of the European countries during the two meetings, claiming that Italians “will remain tax-free” and reprimanding Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou for “minor interference” by lecturing her on the rights of part-time workers.
“Italy proposes this and that with enough joy and then ignores with the same joy that that does not suit them. Try to force this process too much and we will all become subsidiaries of Germany, ”he said.
“That is why we think you should be an important player in this debate,” said Mr. Haughey.
She replied: “There is no document before us. What does political union mean? Are the crowned heads of all countries going to change? Are you going to change the president of your country? Each country has a parliament. Are they going to change that?
“If you renounce your tributary powers, you have lost your sovereignty. Speaking of a single coin, Delors must have had a torrent of blood on his head. We are not going to have a single currency ”.
‘Commit’
She continued: “I am not in a position to compromise my country in the next seven to nine years. I don’t know what will happen in the USSR. I don’t know how Germany will develop. “
When Haughey asked her about expanding the membership of the 12 community, she was more favorable, saying that Norway, Austria and Sweden should not be rejected. He also said that a door should be kept open for Turkey. “Above all, I do not want Turkey to fall back into the Muslim world,” he said.
He returned to the issue of political union. “After the [second World] war our industry was devastated. German industry was crushed. They rebuilt their industry, with the help of Marshall [the plan to finance the redevelopment of Germany], from scratch, with the most modern technology.
“Their workforce is very efficient. They will buy German, as the Japanese buy Japanese and the French buy French. They are very efficient and totally ruthless. You speak of the European Community. In the end there will only be three powers in the world: the United States, Germany and Japan. The rest of us really need to be united. “
The notes of the conversations were taken by the secretary of government Dermot Nally (Reference of the National Archives 2020/3/246)
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