David Cameron on Brexit, Donald Trump and why he does not regret calling a referendum
Harriet Alexander, greencastle, indiana
David Cameron has used his first major speech since resigning in June to explain why he felt people voted for Brexit – and defend his decision to hold the referendum.
Mr Cameron, speaking at DePauw University in Indiana, also spoke of similarities between the Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump – and he used his platform in the United States to urge Mr Trump to respect the “incredibly precious” American values of freedom, tolerance and outward-looking policies.
In a wide-ranging address – funded by former students Sharon and Timothy Ubben, who since 1986 have invited Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, Benazir Bhutto and Mikhail Gorbachev to speak - the former prime minister warned against being seduced by “so-called strongmen” leaders, such as Vladimir Putin.
And he said that he did not think other European countries would follow Britain’s lead and leave the EU – although he had deep fears for the future of the euro.
“It’s kind of you to have this ex prime minister here tonight,” he told the crowd inside the sports hall, 40 miles from Indianapolis.
“Because of course, the last time the British had a prime minister my age was about 202 years ago, and that ended up with the British invading North America and burning down the White House.”
The audience laughed, as he added: “Watching your politics recently, I wondered whether you might do it yourself.”
On the decision to hold the referendum
Mr Cameron insisted that he had no regrets in holding the referendum – despite acknowledging that it would be remembered, unfairly in his view, as his lasting legacy for the country.
The 50-year-old said told the students and alumni that he felt British politics was becoming “poisoned” by not having had a referendum on the EU for 40 years, despite the EU having changed significantly from when it was founded.
“I believed and I still believe that the fact we hadn’t had a referendum on this issue for 40 years – in spite of the fact that the European Union was changing and changing – was beginning to poison British politics,” he said.
“It was certainly poisoning politics in my own party. And I think, more importantly, people were feeling they had been promised a referendum - but people were beginning to get very frustrated about this issue.
“In the end, we had to decide.
“As we try and build the globalisation that works for all our countries and all our people – as we do that, we have to listen to what people want. And people do want a say on these issues.”
On why Britain voted to leave
Mr Cameron said that he say the Leave vote as being motivated for economic and cultural reasons.
“We have seen a vast increase in wealth and prosperity, and people in the poorest countries lifted out of poverty through globalisation. But let’s be clear: the rising tide has not lifted all boats. There are many people in our own countries who feel, rightly, economically left behind through globalisation,” he said.
“There is a second phenomena: a cultural phenomena.
“In some of our countries the pace of change has been too fast for people to keep up with. People are concerned that the country they are living in is not the country they were born into. And they see that change as happening too fast."
Describing himself as “pro globalisation, pro immigration, pro market economics” he said that leaders needed to understand the calls for change.
“The simple truth is this; if we don’t address the problem of those who are economically left behind, we open up our politics to the parties of the extreme left. And if we don’t address the concerns about the pace of cultural change, we open up our politics to the parties of the extreme right.”
However, he cited political analysts who had discovered that if people said they were concerned about the changing makeup of Britain, and the fact that it was “going in the wrong direction,” that was a stronger indicator of a Leave vote than if you asked them about their salary.
He said it was now the job for politicians to acknowledge those feelings, and work to resolve them.
“If they put their heads in the sand and say this will pass, and we will just carry on the way things are – then 2016 will be seen as a real watershed,” he said.
“But if, as I believe will happen, our democracies are flexible enough, and our leaders are aware enough, then they will course correct – as I put it.”
On whether other European nations will follow suit
Mr Cameron said he did not think other EU countries would leave the EU.
Marine Le Pen would be defeated in France, he predicted, and the elections in the Netherlands would not force their country out of the EU either.
He said Britain was uniquely uninspired by the EU – something he credited with Britain’s long history of being strong and independent.
“I think Britain particularly never loved the institutions of the EU,” he said.
“Even those of us who wanted to remain certainly felt no affection for the way the organisation worked. We knew needed to be there for trade and cooperation and working together, but the affection for the institutions – particularly as Britain has had such a successful history with our own independent institutions – simply was not there.”
On Brexit and Donald Trump
During the US election campaign, Mr Cameron, then prime minister, criticised some of Mr Trump’s rhetoric as being “divisive and wrong”.
But he acknowledged that his supporters and the Brexit voters shared similar concerns – about being left behind in an increasingly globalised world, and not feeling the benefits of economic successes.
“I think the similarities are: we are both successful economies. You have seen in the United States a growth, and a big fall in unemployment – just like you have in the United Kingdom.
“I think that economic concern, that somehow globalisation isn’t working for everybody, was at the heart of the Brexit decision and also a very big issue in your election.
“But I don’t think it is enough to explain the results.
“If you ask someone in Britain if the country is going in the wrong direction, or if Britain isn’t as great as it used to be, or uncertain about change in your community – that is a better indicator that you’d be a Brexit voter, rather than is your income at this level or that level.
“So I would say you need to understand this political phenomenon through both the issues – and that is the same in both situations.”
On the Special Relationship
Mr Cameron described himself as having a “very strong” relationship with President Barack Obama, noting how, in his opinion, they worked well as a team – despite being from different political sides.
“In any international gathering, or any subject that came up, even though I was a Conservative and Barack Obama was a Democrat, we basically had so much shared language and knowledge and approach about how we would tackle these problems, that we would communicate very quickly, see each other’s arguments very quickly, and see how to work together,” he said.
He expected, he said, Theresa May and Mr Trump to continue to have a fine working relationship.
But he stressed that the Special Relationship was about more than the individuals involved – that it was military, security, and intelligence links, and shared culture and values.
He said he did not expect the Special Relationship to change, with Mr Trump in the White House and Mrs May in Number 10.
On Donald Trump’s presidency
Mr Cameron did not provide any specific recommendations for Mr Trump. But his words could certainly be taken as meant for the incoming president.
He backed his calls for border enforcement, saying that having a defined policy on immigration is key – “we may not need a wall, but we do need borders that work and are seen to work. We need that in Europe, just as you need that in the United States,” he said.
The former Conservative leader urged against being bewitched by “so-called strongmen leaders, in places such as Russia” – insisting that the American values of democracy, freedom and tolerance were its greatest strength.
He also said that, to survive in turbulent times, the US must remember its principals and values, and not seek quick fixes.
“This is still the most successful country on earth,” he said. “You are at the cutting edge of all the industries of the future.
“You have an educated and trained workforce, and I am sure you will do even more to do that in the future.
“And this is the country that people aspire to. People want to be like the United Kingdom, or the US People want to live in our countries. They believe in our values, they believe we have the keys to unlock the progress they want to see.
“And you don’t need a former British prime minister to tell you this – but I would say: have confidence in the values that made this country so great and you won’t go far wrong in the future.”
Mr Cameron said his worst moments as prime minister had been watching the videos of Jihadi John beheading American and British citizens – but one of his best moments was when the terrorist was “put a stop to.”
And he said that he believed the West had been too slow to respond to Syria, and drew parallels with Rwanda.
He insisted that President Bashar al-Assad remained part of the problem, but said that first Isil had to be defeated militarily, as Mr Trump has maintained.
The former prime minister said that the fundamental problem was having governments which did not represent their people – Sunni, Shia, Kurd or Alawites included.
“We need a government that is going to represent Sunni, Shia, or whatever else.
“They don’t have to be perfect democracies. We can’t be perfectionists. The road to democracy is a long one – and can be a messy and difficult one.
“The basic requirement is look after their people, and that is the same in Iraq and Syria and Yemen and elsewhere.”
On his life after politics
Mr Cameron joked, when asked how he was spending his time, that he was “available for weddings and Bar Mitzvahs.”
He also made the audience laugh when he told them that his son had remarked, as he was leaving for his flight: “Dad, why are you wearing a suit? It’s not like you have a job or anything.”
But he said that he was writing his book, speaking to audiences, and doing pro bono work for the National Citizen Service.
He sounded a somewhat wistful note, however, when asked about his departure from the frontlines of British public life.
“I am writing a book about my time in politics,” he said. “Rather sad to be doing it at the age of 50, but there we are.”
