The Queen stands firmly behind remarks she made yesterday in Berlin, calling for unity in Europe and warning against “dangerous” division, Buckingham Palace has confirmed. Speaking at a state banquet in Berlin, Her Majesty called on Europe’s leaders to “maintain the benefits of the post war world”.
Suggestions have been made that the views expressed were not the Queen’s but that of her Government. The current Prime Minister, David Cameron, has admitted that he would like to see Britain remain within the EU whatever the outcome of his renegotiation strategy.
Does no one in Fleet Street know the government writes the Queen's speeches? #EU
— James Hannam (@DrJamesHannam) June 25, 2015
But a spokesman from Buckingham Palace has told Breitbart London that, although they could not disclose who wrote the speech or how it was crafted, they could confirm that the Queen stood firmly behind her speech, saying: “Suffice to say, the Queen would personally sign off on the speech as she is the one delivering the speech.”
Addressing an audience which included political and business leaders, as well as scions of the arts world, the Queen said: “Since 1945 the United Kingdom has determined to number among Germany’s very strongest friends in Europe. In the intervening decades, Britain and Germany have achieved so much by working together. I have every confidence that we will continue to do so in the years ahead.
“Our work together includes every part of life, from politics to commerce, from industry to every aspect of the arts, in particular, music, museums and education.
“In our lives we have seen the worst but also the best of our continent. We have witnessed how quickly things can change for the better. But we know that we must work hard to maintain the benefits of the post-war world. We know that division in Europe is dangerous and that we must guard against it in the West as well as in the East of our continent. That remains a common endeavour.”
Her speech is being widely received as a blow for the Eurosceptics as it seems to put the Queen on the side of those who would like to see the UK remain within the European Union. One of the bedrocks of EU mythology is the idea that the Union was wrought out of the wreckage of World War II, and is the only thing standing in the way of Europe collapsing once again into bloodshed.
Earlier this year the Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan questioned the historical accuracy of the idea that European integration has brought peace, asking: “Was the EU a cause of peace in Europe, or a consequence of a peace built on the defeat of fascism, the spread of democracy and the security of NATO?”
He answers that question by posing another: “By far the most common cause of unrest is people’s sense that they have been included, as it were, in the wrong state.
“Ponder the effect that the euro has had on relations among its participant states. Listen to the way Greeks now talk about Germans and vice versa. Would you say political integration is quelling or stoking animosities among Europe’s peoples?”
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