The reality – in my opinion – is that the EU itself is the one delivering the “engine” and the “slide”. In a nutshell the EU may not be actively promoting authoritarian ideology but certainly applying either “paragraphs” or “chapters” from it under whatever convenient pretence. The problem with that of course is that the EU is not only undermining long held values (at least on paper) but undermining its history both collectively and independently for each member state; this at a moment where global order is being reshaped and ideology – like it or not – is a big chunk of the story (the geopolitical story). I’ve posted many times in the past about us being in the midst of an ideological war more than anything else and I believe I am right; so where you have no roots/foundations on that side of things its a matter of time before you’re stepped on because the days of economic leverage have long gone and as a method is unsustainable anyway. Many seem to be against globalism but what I would suggest is that we need to temper globalism and protect it from abuse in terms of wealth distribution (and other issues) – any system is vulnerable to abuse – but not by creating isolated islands/walls. In other words I would suggest this is the moment for “engagement” rather than “blockage/isolationism). The reality is we’re interconnected politically, economically and environmentally and trying to create systems that absorb global shocks is a waste of resources, time and energy that should be directed to eliminating (or minimising) shocks; and equally important is adapting our economies to be more competitive in a global marketplace that one cannot avoid being part of.