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The major stumbling block to getting this dreadful policy reversed was the European commissioner for climate action. It amazed me that one unelected official had such inordinate power in a union of over half-a-billion people. As a result of extensive lobbying and the presentation of a supportive scientific study, the FQD was finally scrapped — but only after the commissioner retired. It is safe to assume this kind of bureaucratic obstruction is encountered frequently in EU matters large and small.

It amazed me that one unelected official had such power over half-a-billion people

As an aside, the North American aversion to Brexit is inconsistent with two core values. The Americans would never subject themselves to the kind of supra-national governance that the EU imposes. And, as Colby Cosh wrote recently in the National Post, Canada’s sovereignty depends on a willingness to pay an economic price to remain independent of the U.S. But to quote Ralph Waldo Emerson, a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, so there’s no need to get off one’s high horse to avoid accusations of hypocrisy.

Many Americans have similarly festering resentments, which helps explain the Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders phenomena. Millions of Americans are angry they were left behind economically by a seemingly indifferent political elite and are humiliated that America’s role in the world has been diminished. Acknowledging if not necessarily agreeing with these grievances is prudent for U.S. politicians who want to retain the loyalty of their electors. More generally, responding constructively to discontent helps keep Western democracies healthy. As we know from a turbulent history, a disaffected citizenry can lead to demagoguery and extremism.

While critics are pessimistic about the U.K., I worry more for continental Europe. A French Frexit is a possibility and, if momentum builds in other countries for their own referendums, so is an implosion of the EU. A fragmented and weakened Europe would undermine global growth and create unpredictable geopolitical risks. We are not near that point. But misinterpreting the overarching lesson of Brexit and refusing to consider fundamental reform would make the unthinkable possible.

Joe Oliver is Canada’s former minister of finance and minister of natural resources.