End of British Empire and its influence in the world – Part II

In Part I, we discovered when and how the British crown lost its empire and greatness. British influence survived a little longer, mainly because the British are good at adopting new titles whenever they lose others, and partly because of their impact on other nations, cultures and civilisations following their conquest or subjugation.

Thus, following the acquisition of independence, most of the former British dominions and colonies were persuaded to join a loose association of what came to be known as the British Commonwealth of Nations which, in reality, shares no wealth, but survives on mutual historical, cultural and humanitarian interests of its members.

Having lost the empire, successive British governments hung onto the idea of greatness as long as they could. Apart from clinging to the idea of the Commonwealth under which British kings and queens remain theoretical heads of state of some of those countries, Britain sought other international relations where she would continue to be seen as one of the great powers of the world.

Some of these relations were military, while others were economic and trade-based. From the United Nations, NATO, GATT and the European Economic Community, Britain joined still in the belief that other nations accepted her because of her special qualities as a great empire.

Eventually, when under the Treaty of Rome, European states, led mainly by Germany and France, united under a new arrangement whose vision and purpose were political and economic integration, Britain initially hesitated to join, also again in the false belief that her imperial grandeur would sustain her in relations mainly with her former possessions as an empire.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world appeared to fare much better without the United Kingdom. New powers, including the Soviet Union, now reduced in size as Russia, the USA, China, Japan and India, then Canada, Saudi Arabia and Italy, one by one caught up, but Britain would still count herself as among them, whether in twos or threes or more, depending on their respective military or economic strengths.

For instance, recently Britain was counting itself among the five and then later seven great economic powers of the world. In this last categorisation there is no guessing that Britain must have found herself seventh as an economic power.

Suddenly, in the 1960s, it dawned on the British that they were lagging behind the more affluent and rich nations of the world. Almost in desperation, the UK government applied to join the European Economic Community but were initially rejected. Eventually the community accepted their application, at a price not fully understood by the population or accepted by extreme conservative elements among its population.

Very recently, under a politically naïve Conservative prime minister, the British government -- encouraged by the negative anti-Germans and French, the two nations which dominate and control European affairs and fuelled by anti-immigration resentment -- under premier David Cameron, unwisely promised to hold a referendum if the terms of a negotiated agreement which the government was seeking were not satisfactory.
Had he been properly advised, he should have only allowed the subject of staying or leaving the European Union to be made a subject of campaign in a general election. As it was, the government gambled and lost by a narrow majority of those who bothered to vote in the referendum.

Following the referendum, many politicians who were either for leaving or staying in the European Union appear to have lost their heads and reasoning. The main British political parties had unanimously accepted the negotiated agreement and vigorously campaigned for staying in the European Union during that referendum.

Unfortunately, their leaders immediately resigned from the leadership of their parties and of the country. Their former colleagues, with a few exceptions, either declined or were rejected by their parties, to assume that leadership.
The leader of the small ultra nationalist party (UKIP) also surprisingly resigned. It is thus that the kingdom has become virtually leaderless at a time when it badly needs strong and visionary leaders.

In the next article, the pitfalls of what is known as Brexit or the UK leaving the European Union will be discussed and do not give comfort to the people and royalists of this once great empire.

Prof Kanyeihamba is a retired Supreme Court judge. [email protected]