Some of my friends’ declarations for “Leave” mystify me, others were probably to be expected: I like to think I can be friends with people with all sorts of opinions. What it shows is that there is dissatisfaction with where we are today and I can understand that. There is dissatisfaction too throughout Europe but what I see in the UK, is a country which was the sick man of Europe in the 70s but which is now one of the strongest in Europe and with a comparatively stable economy, high rates of employment and cheaper food than at any time in my lifetime (which is a long time).
Quite how the leave campaign has managed to make so many people feel that we are in a bad situation I have no idea except that successive governments have blamed all unpopular decisions on the EU when in fact we have agreed with them. The REMAIN campaign has been poorer in my view but not in terms of facts just delivery. We should be more honest about the work that the EU does and fight harder for the change that it is agreed is required.
Some people talk of patriotism and a re-emergence of Britain as an independent country but our elected representatives are 471 to 156 in favour of REMAIN and highly unlikely to suddenly go charging off with big changes of policy if we were to vote to leave. There isn’t a patriotic and an unpatriotic choice – leave your misty eyed view of us wielding power by virtue of a united commonwealth behind and vote to REMAIN
TRADE – of course the world will want to trade with us but we won’t get any more favourable a deal from the EU and our value to other countries will be diminshed. TTIP will be forced on us by the Americans because we will be desperate for a trade deal with them.
IMMIGRATION – Free movement within the EU allows people to leave as well as enter and that is exactly what a significant number of Poles (and British) have done already. In order to “tighten the borders”, we will have to reverse years of cuts and spend a LOT more on the border and immigration agencies particularly as we will presumably need border controls in Ireland and potentially Scotland!