The European Marriage

I am embarrassed to be British, for the first time in my life. Right wing whingers make our country seem not strong, but like a toddler throwing it’s toys out the pram. I’m talking, of course, about the EU debate, which has divided British politics. But it could have much more severe long term effects. Let’s take a look at this marriage, and see if divorce is really the wisest option.

We are gathered here today…

…Because, while the minutiae of life may be sufficiently distracting to keep the general public’s gaze off politics most of the time, occasionally a concept dawns on the masses (usually after having been heavily featured in the Daily Mail). Such notions quickly develop into a zeitgeist if not quashed, and when championed by telly friendly politicos such as Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson, the formula is complete. We have a scandalously sensationalised campaign against the European Union, with just the right amount of ‘Britain First’style xenophobia to capture the imagination of those usually uninterested in politics. This campaign may well have floundered and died once the election was over Farage’s air time dried up, if not for Cameron. Our PM seemed to get rather flustered by UKIP in the run up to the last election, as their loud mouthed campaign stole Tory votes, and Cameron’s own back-benchers seethed that he wasn’t leaning far enough right. So, in a move that he is sure to be regretting, Cameron promised a referendum if re-elected. This play certainly took some wind out of UKIP’s sails. Whether it was worth it remains to be seen.

Ever Closer Union

The European project is essentially a peace keeping mission. Started by France and Germany after WW2, member states pay fees, and in return they help each other out and reap rewards. It is by far the world’s largest and wealthiest trading bloc, it now accounts for over a 20% of world imports/exports. The UK joined in 1973.

To Love and to Cherish?

Although in a democratic society the cries of the people should be listened to, following the fickle waves of public hysteria into irreversible actions in a bid for quick votes is a bad idea. The British Social Attitudes survey has been measuring EU support and states that in 2006, before the financial crash, just 15% of Brits wanted to leave the EU. In 2014 that figure had risen to 24%. This ties in, most studies agree, with the recession and the rise of Extremist parties. So some Brits are becoming increasingly concerned with immigration and the cost of the EU. But will Brexit actually help these people?

For richer for poorer

The resounding answer, from financial, military, and political fronts, is no. If judging on a financial basis, the obvious (and much overblown) Leave argument is the membership fee, which is net 8.5bn per year. That’s just 1.14% of the total government yearly spend. The financial benefits, however, are harder to measure. 50% of British exports go to EU countries, one of the reasons that many British firms including BT and M&S have recently spoken out against a Brexit, saying it would “risk British jobs”. The EU is a single market which it is irrefutably beneficial to be part of. Leave campaigners state that we could negotiate access as an outsider, like Canada. However this is a carefully worded fallacy. Not a single country has full access to the single market without being a member, and those that do are bound by EU rulings- all without having a say in them like we do now. And an EU divorce woud create years of financial unrest- Canada’s trade deal took 7 years to negotiate. Firms such as BMW have already warned that without tax free exports the Europe, manufacturing may move elsewhere.

Barack Obama, in his recent visit to Britain, has been said to have “crushed the Brexit fantasy”, dispelling the idea that Britain might form a brighter trade future amid the Anglosphere of America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Obama, with the tone of one reprimanding a bumptious teenager, said that a non EU Britain would be “at the back of the queue” for trade talks.

What’s mine is yours

The other key argument I will address here is immigration, which seems to be the main sticking point for most leave campaigners (stats have shown direct correlation between concern over immigration and anti EU sentiments). 66% of European migrants stated jobs as their reason for moving to the UK last year. These workers for the most part will be paying income tax and VAT, without the benefits that British citizens can claim. This effect means that despite propaganda stating the opposite,”EU  immigrants have made a positive fiscal contribution, even during periods when the UK was running budget deficits.” -UCL. Yes, immigration has increased recently, but as a negotiating non member it is likely that we would have to maintain some element of free movement too.

Til referendum do us part

It is Obama again that brings me to my final point- that remaining or leaving the EU is the biggest political decision in a generation and cannot be taken lightly.  Obama urged our generation of Brits to “reject cynicism” and “take a longer, more optimistic view of history.” This, for me, is the real heart of the debate. Europe has been through a difficult decade financially, as has the rest of the world. ISIS is stronger than ever, pushing immigrants around the continent. Russia is flexing it’s muscles to the East. So what do we, Great Britain, do? Follow the fusty old likes of Johnson and Farage into a rose tinted future that sounds more like an impossible dream of an Imperial past? Push away our allies in the conviction that we will flourish alone? That’s not the future I want to belong to. I want to belong to a strong Europe, in which Britain stands up and plays a crucial role. The single market is a thing to be celebrated, as are the billions that the EU invest in Britain each year for projects ranging from Culture Capital grants to small business loans. Free movement of workers is a thing to be encouraged, the emphasis should be on creating a strong Europe in which the members grow alongside each other. For it is this unity, that is more than just statistics. It defines us. And in the face of enemies such as ISIS and a pushy Russia, Europe needs to stand united more than ever before.