Ambassador's Corner

WEEKLY MESSAGE FROM AMBASSADOR JOHN BRUTON

Just before returning to the United States from leave in Ireland, my son and I decided to visit one of Europe's most ancient and interesting cities – York in the North of England.

York is where Constantine was proclaimed Roman Emperor at the beginning of the 4th century. He had been in York with his father, the previous Emperor Constantius, when his father died and he succeeded him. As Emperor, Constantine would later proclaim religious tolerance in his Empire and found the city that is now Istanbul in modern Turkey (Constantinople).

At the time Constantine became Emperor, York and Britain were at the political center of a different European Union – the Roman Empire – which stretched all the way from Southern Scotland to Germany and on to include modern Turkey, North Africa, Spain and everywhere in between.

It was bigger even than the present European Union, but was different from it in one important respect.

The European Union of Roman times was put together, and held together, by the use or the threat of military force. The European Union of today is held together by the voluntary commitment, freely given, of each of the States constituting it. The fact that the European Union is a voluntary pooling of sovereignty makes it something radically different from anything attempted in previous history. The voluntary character of the European Union makes it the most ambitious, and the most fragile, political experiment of modern times.

There are other echoes of modern times in historic York. At Clifford's Tower there is a monument to 12th century Jewish residents of York who were put to death by their fellow citizens because they refused to become Christians. Constantine may have proclaimed religious tolerance, but not every subsequent generation has followed his call.

By far the most impressive monument in York is the beautiful Church of England Cathedral, York Minster. We had a wonderful guide to the cathedral, a retired former member of the RAF, who introduced us to the amazingly detailed, witty and sometimes slightly risqué carvings around the magnificent stained glass windows of the cathedral. York is the second largest Gothic cathedral in Europe. The largest is in Seville in Spain, which I was fortunate enough to see last year when my daughter was studying at the university there on an Erasmus programme. In the cathedral in York, we heard prayers for peace in the Middle East by the Archbishop of York. The Archbishop is on a two-week fast, sleeping in a tent in the cathedral, and consuming nothing but water as a demonstration and a prayer for peace. It is good that his prayers seem at last to have been heeded.

We also had the chance to visit the Victorian spa town of Harrogate. I had heard a lot about Harrogate as a child, because my grandparents, and great grandparents, had gone there to take the waters. This form of health treatment seems to have gone out of fashion in more modern times. But the public gardens in Harrogate are really worth seeing.

While in Ireland I had the opportunity to meet with Congressman Elton Gallegly (R) of California who is chairman of the Europe Subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee. We had a wonderful meeting together with our wives.

Please send me your comments about this or any of my weekly messages or other EU matters. I look forward to hearing from you!