I dont have a strong feeling one way or the other, i'm sure there are genuine good reasons for each case but i've yet to hear any MPs actually mention any that make sense.
Because it's impossible to avoid, i've ended up hearing the odd debate on TV or radio between 'leave' and 'stay' advocates. Based purely on the individual's on those shows i'm tempted to vote 'stay' because the arguments of the 'leave' party have invariably pissed me off.
eg. (I dont really follow this topic or care overly-much so excuse the dumbed-down and poorly-understood content below)
'Stay guy' - If we leave EU, we will need to individually renegotiate various trade/import/export deals with EU countries, possibly at less favourable rates
'Leave guy' - Why would anyone already trading with us now not trade with us outside the EU?
'Stay guy' - Yes, but in the process of renegotiating we cannot guarantee that the same agreements will...
'Leave guy' - Nonononono. Explain to me why any country wouldnt keep trading with us if we simply left the EU.
'Stay guy' - That's not what i...
'Leave guy' - Countries want to trade with the UK, *i* dont seee any reason why trade terms would be less favourable if we have to renegotiate them from scratch, so we'll probably be fine
Makes me want to vote 'stay'. This is the kinda shit you get when parliament is full of SNP, someday we're going to run out of things to break away from xD
Most if not all of those public figures advocating for us to remain in the EU benefit from and have their own interests at stake from the EU in its current state in one way shape or form. Many times those in the remain campaign have blatantly lied to the public as to what the consequences of leaving the EU would be.. Saying that millions of jobs will be threatened, that we will lose trade with the EU, that the quality of life for the average Brit will deteriorate, that we would lose laws that protect workers and laws that protect peoples rights. Some advocating for remain have even gone as far as to say Brexit is some sort of conspiracy concocted by far right groups sponsored by Putin.. While at the same time those advocating that we remain all seem to be past and present public figures who in one way or another made something of themselves and benefitted from the status quo. Also many of these people would be what some consider to be non other than figureheads for the "neoliberal" establishment, proponents of big business, corporations, lobby groups and trade agreements like TTIP which further take power and opportunities away from the average person.
We need to remind ourselves that some nations, including Britain joined the EU to be a part of a common market. Over the years this membership had mutated from being one almost wholly about trade and regulation to one which dictates to us about what we can and can't do, what we can and can't buy from non EU states or what limits we can or can't impose on products from hoovers to MP3 players.. Uncontrolled immigration has led to a massive influx of low and unskilled workers and these circumstances have driven down wages, and increased competetion for any new job vacancies.. Mass immigration which has been precipitated by the existence of schengen zone has contributed to recuding the amount of spaces available in schools, increased the waiting lists to see a doctor or dentist, contributed to crime, and put pressure on our housing shortage and added pressure to local authorities.. But it has to be said that these problems are not "all the migrants fault", some of these problems arose from not just an increased population but also a reduced spending on infrastructure and mismanagement by past and current governments.
The EU could have been something amazing, it really could.. And there are still good things about being an EU member. Unfortunately under its tenure we've seen the gap between rich and poor increase, we've seen economies implode.. We've seen scandal after scandal... Every time a new scandal pops up the constituent members of the EU always come out and say "we will do this or do that, lessons have been learned, we will tackle this or tackle that", but by then it's too late the damage has been done and another scandal pops up. Then there's the geopolitical aspect of the EU, its expansion, competing and then coming to blows with Russia over Ukraine. It sometimes seems the EU is non other than a political front for NATO and through the expansion of both we only guarantee futher tensions with Russia, tensions which threaten global stability. The rapid expansion of the EU has also threatened not just the security of its member states but also the economic stability and viability of the EU itself, which undermines the very reasons why Britain purportedly became a member of the EEC in the first place.
