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InorOut of Market
ONLY BRITAIN
CAN SAVE BRITAIN
LONDON: In Biitain, the
battle for - or against- Europe
ison.
The politicians are stumping
tlíe naúon telli,ng their respec–
tive sides
on
the emoúonally
charged issue of eonünued Brit–
ish membership in the Euro–
pean Eoonomic Community.
[t's a oonfusing situation -
one that has tragiconüc over–
tones. Labour Prime Minister
Harold Wil§on, baving success–
fully "renegotiated"
bis
nalion's
membership terms with tbe
Etc, ís working hard to draw
out lhe
' 'Y
es" vote in the up–
coming nationa1 referendum.
Yet opposition to
bis
leadersbip
in the issue is greatest among
the
11!_nks
of
bis
Labour Pany -
in sorne areas 2 to 1 against lhe
Mar
k
e
t.
Of course, in the cnd, "it wiU
all
be
decided by the Britisb
public wben they go
10
the polls
on June
5
in
tbe tirsl nationwide
referendurn
in
Britain's Joñg
history. Mr. Wilson, wbo origi–
naUy caUed for thc election,
says
hi,s
govemment will abide
by tbe decísion ofthe eleclorate.
Currently, the opinion polls
sbow a substantial majority of
tbe Britisb people in favor of
oontinued membersbip, perhaps
as higb as
60%.
Yet wben the
result of the referendum is
fi–
nally known - wbether the an–
swer is Yes or No - it very
likely won't be based on a
know1edgeable assessment by -
the Britisb people of the wider
implications of lhe current and
likely fu1urc stale of tbeir na-
KOREA
(Continued from page 3)
as the bulwark ofstabílíty in thé
area.
The biggest impact upon tbe
éollapse ·or Soutb Korea would
be felt in nearby Japan. Ameri–
can troops, under lhe U.N. ban–
ner, fought tbe 1950-53 Korean
War mainly to "oontain Com–
mu.nism" at the 38th paraUel, to
preven! World War Two weak–
ened Japan from faUing under
Communist inOuenoe.
lion and the world as a whole.
The fact is, mere continued
membe,rship in the Community
does not, of itself, guarantee re–
lief for Brítain of her nagging
eoonomic doldrums. In 1he past
six
months the overaU rate of·
inftation climbed inexorably 10
an alarrning 25.4% - and th,is
when the rate
ís
falling in all
other Westem industrial oounJ
tries excep1 llaly. Wages
jumped neady a third in jusi 12
montbs. The pound reached all–
tiroe Jows on the foreign ex–
change markets.
As a result, Britain's inJluence
inside the Market - where her
performance is only slígbtly j)et–
ter Iban that of "sick roan" ltaiy
- is slipping. It's no secret that
two other oountries domínate
Community life, France and
Germany - especially the lat.–
ter. But leaving 1he Market
could possjbly lead to a worse
fate. On their own again, tbe
Britísb would Jind themselves in
a vastly dilferent world ·to that–
of pre-membership days before
1973. The old trading markets
upon which Britain depended
are no longer open 10 ber
as ·
they once were. The "cbeap
food" era is over.
Consequently,
ln.tlde
the EEC
an economically sick, weak Brit–
ain stands to beoome a vassal of
a powerful, vibrant Germany.
And
outside
Europe, tbe nation
stands lo beoome isolated, sub–
jecl to a siege eoonomy, and
bounded by ber international
creditors.
lt
is indeed ironic that at
a
time when voices are being
raised loudly agai.nst Brita.in
surrenderíng ber political sover–
eignty to the European Com–
mission in Brussels if sbe
remains a member of the Euro–
pean Community, tbe nation is
in danger of
jorejeiting
its eco–
nomic sovereignty to foreign
creditors.
In tire final analysis tben, the
question for the British people
is oot so mucb one of eontinued
membership in tbe EEC as it is
of tbe age-old need for the na–
tion 10 rediscover tbe road to
real economic and industrial re–
covery.
As
Prime Miníster Wil–
son said on the opening day of
tbe parliamentary debate on the
Commón Market: "1 bope that
during lhe great, national de–
bate no óne wíU be carried
away, as to forget tbat, in or out
of tbe Community, Britain sur–
vives and prospers in direct oor–
relation to our own efforts in
this
oountry."
But sadly, it appears the kind
of reeovery that the nation so
desperately needs is beooming
ever more unlikely. As the Brit–
isb magazine
Banker
puts it:
"There
ís
no domestic saviour in
sight - nay, not a glimmer of
hope."
lt
appears the Britísh
people really have lost the will
to
~upoi\1e..
.in
. an....íncr.easingly .
more compeüüve and hostile
world.'
Like Ephraim of old, Britain
sees her sickness but depends
on others to beal her (Hosca
5:13). The nation has beoome
'ofas a cake nottumedu - getting
bumed, but too tistless to tum
, over - fruling to realize tbe full
extent and end result of her na–
tional sickness (Hosea 7:8-12).
lt will take more tban contin–
ued membersbip in tbe O:>m–
mon Market
10
beal the old
lion.
O
- Peter Butler
However,
íf
lhe worst l)ap–
pens in Korea, Japan would
be
forced
lO
reexamine its own de–
fense arrangements with the
United States. Presently shaded
by the
U.S.
"nuclear umbreUa,"
1apan rnigbt even feel com–
peUed to "go nuclear." Sucb
a
development would greatly de–
sta~ilize
ao already shaky
world.
o
,,WAATS
"miS--
OOR
Nff!Vol
NA'TlONAJ..
SIRD?
1/
4
lllarlllwalall
by
Gene H. Hogber,g
EntanglingAlliances
The expens say oow it is time for the United States to "reap–
praise" its foreign policy. Perhaps so. But to be completely accu–
rate, the reappraisal shotild include a good look at sorne neglected
history - and sorne very vital but forgotten principies on how a
nation sbould eonduct itse1f oo tbe international scene.
The agony of Vietnam, in fact, oould have been avoided
íf
Americans had beeded tbe counsel of the Bible. God origioaUy told
the nation of Israel that once they eotered the Promised Land they
were to bave notbing to do with the nativo peoples living in lhe
region (in fact, they were told to entirely wipe lhem out,
so as
10
not_be influenced by their false
tr~ditions
and religious practices -
Deut.
20:
16-17).
-
However, at one key juncture in their history, the sot\-hearted
lsraelites carelessly violated this principie. The ninth chapter of
Joshua reoords the inciden! where the Gibeonites, fearíng that
what bad happened lo the obliterated cities of Jericbo and A i
nüght also befaU them, sougbt an alliance with Israel. The lsrael–
itcs
cooseoted; tbey "did not botber to ask the Lord, but went
ahead and signed a peace treaty" (Josbua 9:14-15).
(AU
scripture
references are to
The LiVing Bible.)
·-
.
· To be sure, the acoount reveals that tlíe crafty Gibeonites
tricked
tb.e lsraelites, pretending tbat they were not native to the
' arca. but instead carne ·rrom a
~dístant
Jand." Still, the lsraelites
bad received adequate warning from God - as Americans did over
3,000 years later from their first President, George Washington
l.
'
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Aod witb good reason. Very soon at\er the
treaty-wa:s~mage,-
the Gibeonites found themselves threatened by a band of aggres-
sive neighbon. Panic-strícken, tbe Gibeonites called to the stronger
lsraelíte power for assístance. "Come and help your servants!" they
dernanded. "Come quickly and save us! For
aU
the kings of the
Amorites who live in the
bilis
are here with their armies" (Joshua
IQ:6). Israel, true to its word, heeded the caU.
lt
was the first time
Israel had to oome to the rescue of a power "struggling for self–
deterrnínation."
The "Gibeonese War," furthe.rmore, did not traumatize the
Israelites, primarily be<¡ause they opted for an all-9ut m.ílitary
vic1ory instead of an agonizingly protracted " no-wín" oonJlict in–
tended to bring tbe Amorítes to the conference table!
The lsraelites, to be sure, sbould never bave made a treaty
with the Gibeonites. But onoe baving done so, they honored theír
commitment and God totaUy backed them up - by example, a
rather poignant condemnation of what
has
taken place in South
Vietnam, where the U.S. refused to honorcomrnitments made to its
aUy two years ago.
The experience with the Gibeonites sbould have taught
lsrael's modero descendants the püfaUs of enteríng into alliances
with " tbe nations!' But it also should have taught tbat once a
people commits itself to
a'
course of action and gives its word - it
sliould foUow tbrougb.
One must now seriously wonder about the depth of America's
commitmenl to the
4S
other oountries with wbom it is Jinked eitber
in grand alliances such as· NATO, SEATO, ANZUS, or the Río
Pact
(20
Latín America.n nations), or in bilateral. "mutpal defense"
treaties with such allies
as
the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan and
Soutb Korea.
Tbe vast majoriÍy of these arrangements were made wben the
Unüed States was in its prime,vinually
uncontest~d
in the world –
and probably never thougbt of the day when it would actuaUy
h~ve
to back up the signature
~
action under fire. But at\er Vietnam
the Communists may reaUy puuhe pressure on!
Will the present generation of leadel'$ in
Washin~ton
-
e~~
cially in Congress - try to sguirm out of, rationalize away, or
renege upon solemnly contracted agreements? Will the prophecy of
·Hosea
10:4
indeed be fulJilled: "They make promises they don't
intend to lceep''? o
WEEK ENDlNO MAY 24, 1975