Wednesday 6 January 2016

Britain needs to be informed and think very carefully about the decision it will be asked to make at the EU referendum.
Here’s a breakdown of the arguments for Brexit and Britin.

Democracy
Brexit: Britain should have her own powers to create her own laws. The EU is undemocratic and full of unelected bureaucrats.
Britin: an examination of EU institutions compared to the UK’s Constitutional Monarchy and unelected House of Lords reveals the EU to be more democratic, more accountable and more transparent than the UK. Thousands of EU laws, ratified and voted on by the 73 elected British MEPs in the European Parliament, have greatly benefited UK citizens and protected their rights, in all aspects of society, both here in the UK and in Europe, as they have for all EU citizens. I would recommend researching these institutions and the laws passed because they are not publicised. Don’t rely on views expressed in newspapers about the shape and size of bananas etc. They do not want to inform opinion, they want to form it.

Economic
Brexit: Britain can flourish outside of the EU as it is the fifth largest economy in the world, which the rest of the world will be desperate to trade with.
Britin: Britain is the fifth largest economy in the world. It is the same size as France and three quarters of the size of Germany. It is tiny compared with the U.S., China and the EU, and will be compared with other free trade areas such as North and South America and other emerging economies and BRICS in years to come. Britain can survive outside the EU, but it would decline. That is inevitable. Large markets do not offer good terms to smaller markets. It is the founding principles of economics and international relations, to protect your citizens’ interests. Britain’s multinationals will see their market shrink from 500 million to 65 million. It will not be in their interests to remain in the UK. They are not nationalistic, they only desire to keep costs low and make profits. If their option is to pay the costs of exporting to 435 million people or to 65 million people, they will choose the latter. It is simple economics.

Immigration
Brexit: Britain’s uncontrolled and uncontrollable open-door policy to migration will see this country ruined by swarms of migrants, mingled with terrorists, all abusing the UK’s generous welfare system that will destroy British society. Our way of life, jobs and security will be lost.
Britin: Net migration in the UK has risen over the past few years, but this will level off and will benefit the country in the long run. EU migrants to this country do not come to claim benefits. This has been well documented and the government knows this, but instead of educating the public it chooses to keep them in ignorance for self-serving reasons. News organisations like the BBC are wary of countering Eurosceptic claims due to outlandish claims of bias from the right and the threats to its future made by the government. The problems of immigration are short term and should in no way result in the taking away of considerable, long-term, multi-generational benefits of EU membership.

Peace in Europe
Brexit: NATO has kept the peace in Europe since 1945, not the EU.
Britin: a military alliance can easily be disbanded through fallouts with its members. Political and economic integration can not be. European integration has maintained the longest period of peace in Europe for two hundred years (with Europe’s hugely diverse history and culture, with modern, powerful nations in close proximity, this, historically, is a great success). Integration provides far greater long-term security than military alliances.

Cultural
Brexit: ? (Meat and two veg? Pipe and slippers?). Reduced cultural diversity.
Britin: Britain has gained immeasurably, culturally, through EU membership. The deregulation of EU airspace has enabled cheap foreign travel to some of the culturally richest countries and cities in the world. This cheap travel would also disappear for future generations if we left (nice gift – we did it but we didn’t like them so you can’t).
The don’t knows need to consider very carefully and become as informed as possible in order to make the right decision, otherwise it will be a decision we will all regret for a very long time.