Brexit: German leaders write emotional letter to Britain

Leading German politicians, celebrities, athletes and business leaders have written an emotional letter in Friday’s edition of the British Times newspaper, insisting to their “British friends” that the door to the European Union would always remain open. 

“Britain has become part of who we are as Europeans,” the letter read. “And therefore we would miss Britain. We would miss the legendary British black humor and going to the pub after work hours to drink an ale. We would miss tea with milk and driving on the left-hand side of the road.”

The short but impassioned message was signed by the leaders of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Social Democratic Party (SPD), and the Green Party, as well as the heads of four major industry associations, the CEOs of Daimler and Airbus, the rock star Campino, classical pianist Igor Levit, and former national football goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.

The letter’s signatories included Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, successor to Angela Merkel as head of the CDU and potentially Germany’s next chancellor.

• Beyond Brexit: Why we love the British

  We love the Royals

  Queen Elizabeth II is Britain’s longest reigning monarch. She has been Queen since 1952 and has come to symbolize continuity and stability, tradition and self-discipline. Walking two steps behind her is usually the love of her life, her husband Prince Philip. This year she turned 93, and he is 98.

• Beyond Brexit: Why we love the British

  We love pop music from Britain

  The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards and Ron Wood pose at Havana Airport in Cuba. The veteran British band performed there for the first time on March 24, 2016 — writing music history.

• Beyond Brexit: Why we love the British

  We love the British capital and its sights

  Tower Bridge in the center of London has been one of the city’s most famous landmarks since 1894. London is among Europe’s most popular travel destinations, drawing more than 30 million tourists each year.

• Beyond Brexit: Why we love the British

  We love British writers and the protagonists of their books

  The adventures of the young wizard invented by J. K. Rowling have found fans all over the world. This picture shows Harry Potter, played by Daniel Radcliffe, in his second year of training at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

• Beyond Brexit: Why we love the British

  We love beautiful British models

  Naomi Campbell has been a key face in the international fashion business for almost three decades. Born in London, she was the first black model to be shown on the cover of French edition of Vogue magazine. She was one of the six models of the 1990s to be declared supermodels.

• Beyond Brexit: Why we love the British

  We love British humor

  Few people can make us laugh like Rowan Atkinson, alias Mr. Bean, does. The Mr. Bean comedy series was produced from 1989 to 1995 and has a cult following.

• Beyond Brexit: Why we love the British

  We love Britain’s great gardens and parks

  Kew Gardens in southwestern London are one of the world’s oldest botanic gardens. The British are famous for their gardening skills and are regarded as experts in cultivating immaculate lawns. Arguably, no other country in Europe has such lovely gardens.

• Beyond Brexit: Why we love the British

  We love British style

  The focus is not on speed, but on elegance and class. The famous British understatement is also evident in Britain’s luxury cars, like the Rolls-Royce. The company was bought by Germans, but it remains a British classic.

• Beyond Brexit: Why we love the British

  We love their somewhat strange taste

  There are certainly other European countries that are more famous for their cuisine. But if the British don’t leave us, we’ll never complain about their warm beer or lamb with mint sauce again. We promise!

• Beyond Brexit: Why we love the British

  We love their traditions

  The British taught us how enjoyable sightseeing can be. London’s double-decker buses are more than a means of transportation. They still characterize the appearance of the British metropolis on the Thames.

With the UK in political deadlock over Prime Minister Theresa May’s defeated withdrawal deal, the EU faces the prospect of a “hard Brexit,” which could lead to disastrous short-term economic consequences.

At a regular government press conference on Friday, Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert reiterated the government’s position: that it was up to London to come up with a viable deal.

Contribution to Europe

The letter began by thanking the UK for its historical service to the European continent. “After the horrors of the Second World War, Britain did not give up on us,” it read. “It has welcomed Germany back as a sovereign nation and a European power. This we, as Germans, have not forgotten and we are grateful.”

The leaders insisted that while “we realize that the freedom we enjoy as Europeans today has in many ways been built and defended by the British people,” they respected the choice of the British people to leave the EU.

Its ending was equally heartfelt: “Therefore Britons should know: From the bottom of our hearts, we want them to stay.”

The response from pro-European British politicians was equally effusive, with former Labour Party minister Andrew Adonis describing it as the most important letter written to the venerable paper in his whole life.

One of the letter’s signatories, Franziska Brantner, Europe policy spokeswoman for the Green Party, said the purpose of the letter was to ensure that Britons realized, “in these very difficult times,” that Germany still welcomed them in the EU. 

“Brexit makes us all weaker,” she told DW. “We can say that Britain has always helped us find pragmatic solutions and move forward. And we still need the Britons for a reform of the EU. We don’t want to guarantee the Britons more rights without obligations, that’s not possible, but we want to say: The door is open, if you want to reconsider, we would be happy.”

Other prominent German figures have found their own way to massage Britain’s ego in anticipation of the impending exit from the European Union. Wolfgang Ischinger, veteran diplomat and chairman of next month’s Munich Security Conference (MSC), told reporters on Wednesday that Britain’s historical importance meant the EU must try to give it a “special role” after Brexit.

“Even if you’re not a friend of Britain, you have to admit that Europe’s security and defense policy has to a significant degree been carried by Britain,” he said. “Britain is, let’s face it, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, [Germany], for example, isn’t. … Britain happens to be a nuclear country, and there’s only one other European country that has that — France.”

“The British know-how about foreign policy issues of almost all kinds, is, let’s be honest, usually greater than that of the Germans, or the Estonians, or the Portuguese, simply because they have a lot of experience, because they’re a former world power, because they have a highly-competent diplomatic community,” Ischinger said.

03:00 mins.

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/brexit-german-leaders-write-emotional-letter-to-britain/a-47132376