With four weeks to go until the all-important UK referendum on whether Britain should leave or remain in the European Union, the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) in Luxembourg gathered its members, among them many of Luxembourg's UK migrants, at La Table du Belvedere in Luxembourg-Kirchberg to hear the thoughts of Lord Paddy Ashdown on a potential 'Brexit'.

BCC Chairman, Alison MacLeod, joked that the biography of Rt Hon Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, known as Paddy Ashdown, read like a John le Carré novel, featuring as it does positions as a Royal Marine and Special Boat Service officer and an intelligence officer at MI6 before becoming an MP for Yeovil in 1983. After serving as leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1988 to 1999, Paddy Ashdown became High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, for which he was recognised with the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in the 2006 New Year Honours List.

Alison MacLeod quipped that he is a man of his word, having delivered on his promise to 'eat his hat' should the BBC's predicted 10-seat tally for the Lib Dems in the 2015 exit polls be proved correct - albeit in chocolate form. As Paddy Ashdown took to the stage, he claimed he has "eaten many hats" before beginning his address that combined light-hearted one-liners and impromptu poetry recitals into a discourse that was none-the-less shrouded in warning about the fate of the United Kingdom should it opt to leave the European Union.

Thursday 23 June 2016 will mark a significant date in Europe's calendar, not just as Luxembourg's National Day but as the momentous point at which the UK's citizens will decide whether or not Britain should remain an EU Member State. In stark contrast to a February BCC event during which Ukip leader Nigel Farage claimed that the European Union project "does not work", Paddy Ashdown dismissed many of the arguments put forward by the "Leave" campaign which he stated were based on the four principles of sovereignty, democracy, bureaucracy and business.

Sovereignty

According to Paddy Ashdown, arguments for leaving the EU in the name of sovereignty are based on an "out-of-date notion that sovereignty is as it always was", which he claimed did apply in the early 19th century but no longer, as the concept has migrated onto the global stage.

He claimed that many factors transcend borders, such as crime and terrorism which can only be fought through an international network. In contrast to the belief that Britain's grip on its sovereignty is slipping, he asserted that the region would have far less control over global forces as a stand-alone nation, declaring: "This ought not to confuse us, it ought not to perplex us".

As a result, he said strength would only be found in pooling sovereignty with that of our neighbours, an idea that was understood fifty years ago as reflected in the creation of NATO.

Democracy

Paddy Ashdown criticised the words of certain political figures such as Nigel Farage, who previously referred to the upcoming referendum as a "golden opportunity to take back our birthright, make our own deals, form our own friendships" and create distance between Britain and what he deemed unelected EU officials who were granted all the power to make decisions.

Challenging this, Paddy Ashdown stated that "no European law is made without being made by the Council of Ministers", but conceded: "We don't get our way every time, but in a democracy you don't".

He then cast disapproval over the British government election system, citing it as more undemocratic than the EU process due to the lack of proportional representation, with a 2015 BMG poll highlighted in the Independent finding that 51% of the population are "unhappy with the current electoral system and want it to change".

Bureaucracy

Mr. Ashdown acknowledged that the "EU does impose certain overly bureaucratic decisions" before declaring that the British government does too, pointing to several cases in which the EU was attacked for a certain directive that in fact turned out to be British.

"It is not bureaucracy made in Brussels, it is bureaucracy made in Britain," Paddy Ashdown stated before highlighting the importance of the EU as the most successful peace-making institution created.

Business

Dismissing the case put forward that the bureaucratic burdens of the EU are preventing British industries from flourishing, the speaker pointed to the nation's low position in terms of productivity and competitiveness as probable causes for this stumbling block and claimed that as many northern Member States find themselves unimpeded by this issue, "this makes no sense".

He alleged that the UK has a reputation for searching for the exit route, rather than investing time and energy into alliances that would "enable us to win". Paddy Ashdown urged Britain to remain in the EU and work with allies to assert itself as a European leader, deploring a potential Brexit as a "folly of historic proportions for which our children and grandchildren will pay the price".


During a subsequent Q&A session with members of the audience, Lord Ashdown claimed that non of Britain's allies, including NATO and commonwealth countries, were encouraging Brexit, saying that whilst the EU is good at hard defence and not at soft defence, Britain is the opposite and that the two entities therefore have much to gain from one another.

He admitted "I do think democracy is under challenge" but claimed that this is because the political party remains stuck in the 19th century and that "democracy is failing because of the failing of politicians".

In terms of the current refugee crisis, which may be causing some voters to turn to the "Leave" option in fear of the consequences, Paddy Ashdown assured "migration is not a new phenomenon", using Churchill's words to describe London itself as a "mongrel city". When prompted for potential solutions to the crisis, which he cited as "one of the strategic challenges of our time", Lord Ashdown stated that the problem would not simply disappear and could not be dealt with as an independent nation, advising the construction of a proper reception camp and establishin a large-scale conference to properly address the issue and even revisit the definition of 'asylum' itself. He then warned that a "barbed wire and batons" approach would ultimately result in the loss of European values and generate further conflict.

Addressing the idea of fear-mongering, which has been used to criticise both aspects of the campaign, Lord Ashdown claimed: "almost every election nowadays is won by fear", defeatedly stating: "I don't like it but it's happening".

Paddy Ashdown concluded his speech by cautioning that as many Scottish voters may have chosen to remain in Britain so as to avoid leaving the EU, Brexit could see Scotland call another referendum which he felt held a high probability of seeing the country part from Britain, warning: "I think it would be the end of Great Britain".

Photos by Sarah Graham