The EU: Should We Stay or Should We Go?
The referendum on whether or not the UK stays within the European Union, is now less than one month away and lets be honest, both the Vote Remain and Vote Leave campaign are getting pretty desperate within their arguments, you have Boris Johnson comparing the European Union to Hitler of all things, and then David Cameron and George Osborne saying that if we leave the EU that we will be facing another year long recession, as leaving the EU would cause an “economic shock and slower growth”. Then we have the leader of the opposition Jeremy Corbyn, saying that the EU isn’t a problem to the UK at all, its just the Conservative Government that’s the problem, That’s all well and good Jeremy, but we aren’t voting in a general election on June 23rd are we? So save the GE campaign tactics for 4 years time, as blaming the Tory’s isn’t helping people make their mind up on their EU referendum vote. This all just confuses voters, as the scaremongering tactics being used by both sides means that those of us who are voting, have absolutely no idea which way to vote.
Within this blog, I am to try and help everyone clarify these issues, by separating the political propaganda and scaremongering from the actual cold hard facts of the situation and therefore hopefully helping everyone to come to some kind of decision over the EU. Its not my place to tell you how you should be voting, but I can definitely help iron out the key facts.
Immigration/Migration
The first key point that needs covering is the topic of immigration, many would have you believe that if we leave the EU then our overall Net immigration figures will go down, but is this the case?
Camp Brexit believes that this will be the case, with Brexiters saying this:
- It is impossible to control immigration as a member of the EU
- Public services are under strain because of the number of migrants
- High immigration has driven down wages for British workers
- The official figures underestimate the true level of migration
- Immigrants, especially those from the EU, pay more in taxes than they take out.
- Cameron’s EU deal means in-work benefits for new EU migrant workers will be limited for the first four years.
- Outside the EU the UK would still have to accept free movement to gain full access to the single market.
- Immigration is good for the economy.
- The gross cost works out at £350m a week.
- If the UK left, billions of pounds would become available for other priorities.
- The UK would also be able to decide how to spend the money that the EU transfers back to it.
- Economic benefits of EU membership easily outweigh the cost.
- Other countries contribute more per person than the UK does.
- After Brexit, the UK would still have to contribute to the EU budget to retain access to the single market.
- UK companies would be freed from the burden of EU regulation.
- Trade with EU countries would continue because we import more from them than we export to them.
- Britain would be able to negotiate its own trade deals with other countries.
- Britain leaving the EU would cause an economic shock and growth would be slower.
- As a share of exports Britain is more dependent on the rest of the EU than they are on us.
- The UK would still have to apply EU rules to retain access to the single market.
- Membership of Nato and the UN Security Council are more important to Britain’s defence than the EU.
- The EU interferes with defence procurement and wants to set up its own army.
- Britain would have more influence on the world stage as an independent country.
- UK needs to be in the EU helping to take big decisions, not sitting on the sidelines.
- Leaving the EU would diminish Britain’s influence on the world stage.
- Working with EU neighbours to tackle shared threats has helped keep Britain safer.