So the whole point with the EU was to stop the endless bickering and power politics between European nations, and actually create a framework for free trade. Look at how Russia deals with with trade/diplomacy to get an idea how it was. Basically and endless and absurd tit for tat. Perhaps that is more fair in the end, but it's also a monster destroying predictability and general smoothness of trade. The result is often non-trade, and much much worse than being in a union where the rules are established.
About removing people further from power, corruption etc, this can be true. (Although I haven't heard much about Brussels being so corrupt..) The problem with EU is rather powerlessness and sluggishness when it comes to handling issues that require immediate attention like the refugee crisis. In stead of either voting for closing down Schengen borders, or opening them up, we have total paralysis, forcing individual nation states to act unilaterally and chaotically. Except the fact that taking in millions of refugees and others would only cause an even larger influx of people, Europe "could" have taken in lots of refugees with no problem, IF they were spread out evenly among the nations. At least in theory. (Idea is of course flawed because of future consequences. ) - in Norway we call it "peeing your pants to keep warm."
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About Britain leaving the EU. I think it's retarded. It's a result of ignorant Brits thinking they are "special and superior" (like Americans, but they have some reason at least.) Except that it's a very long time since they were special and superior. Germany is a far better run country than that island.
It wasn't the EU who fucked Britain over. It was themselves and their idiotic tinkering, class system, practical backwardness, and general power being far, far removed from realities. After spending time in Belfast I'm honestly a little shocked how terribly run everything is. Perhaps Belfast is not a good metric for judging Britain, but it says something when our Ukrainian coders thinks its not so different from back home!
You are right to an extent. We, (as in the working poor and unemployed) have been fucked over by the class system and the political establishment, things could have been and could be run much better..
As it stands it's arguably those in the middle and upper middle and upper classes, who currently enjoy most of the benefits from Britains relationship the EU and that's why many of those within those demographics are fighting to remain in the EU, because it benefits them. There's no wonder why so much of our media is so pro-EU and anti brexit nor why both main political parties, both the government and the opposition support remaining within the EU, because they belong to the aforementioned demographics.
The working poor and unemployed get fucked over by mass immigration for multiple reasons, we don't have the social mobility or financial wealth to be able to start up a business when we want, pick and choose EU companies to trade with. In many cases the majority of the working poor don't have a choice due to financial constraints to pick where they can live in the country, or pick what schools, colleges and universities their children go to, or pay to pick what dentist or doctor they see.. They have to rely on the public systems in place like the NHS, the council services and the benefits system and all these services are under strain from a booming population in part caused by mass poorly controlled immigration. On top of the existing strain on said services the government is at the same time reducing funding to all these services when the demand on them couldn't be higher. Essentially we have a growing population that has to subsist on a crumbling underfunded infrastructure. Additionally, for the low skilled working poor we also have to compete harder for fewer available full time low skilled jobs and compete harder for overpriced rented accomodation of questionable quality. When it comes to rented accomodation for example, most of the landlords are more often than not middle, upper middle and upper class and whom manage property portfolios that have an amount of properties often numbering into double figures. They have a monopoly on the rental market and are thus able to charge stupid amounts of rent for poor quality housing. This is again another example of their demographics benefitting from the status quo in which a a housing shortage exists in part due to a growing population that's largely stimulated by uncontrolled immigration, the higher birthrate of isolated migant communities and an overall aeging population.
Of course blame lies with both successive governments domestic and foreign policies. Policies including but not limited to those derved from our membership of the EU, our foreign policies where successive governments have spent billions blowing people up and destabilising nations in the Middle-East, actions which then contribute to regional instability which then leads to an increase in the flow of migrants and refugees... To complete the shitfest we have borders that aren't effectively managed or controlled leading to an uncontrolled amount of immigration. At this point they've failed our nation, or at least the working poor and unemployed on multiple levels. Their policies and ineptitude have contributed to an increase in the gap between the rich and poor and increased the threat of terrorism against the general populace both at home and abroad. In response to these threats they introduce new anti terror legislation that has infringed on all of our civil liberties and in some instances has been used to stifle protest, spy on and collect the data of millions of innocent people. With the almost certain implementation of TTIP social mobility for the working class will be almost entirely dead, except for the lucky few.. While the well to do middle and upper middle and upper classes will largely continue to happily live in their bubbles, bubbles far removed from many of our problems, they'll contniue to be able to hire cheap polish builders to build an extention on to their three storey town houses while they pay peanuts for childcare, peanuts for maids to clean their houses and can afford to spend all of their spare time studying University courses... These trends only threaten to increase the disenfranchisement the working poor and unemployed have with the system and its defence ofthe status quo, and will encourage these demographics to vote for more populist, fringe political parties, as we see in the EU and Britain today.
The status quo as it stands may not only continue to doom the working poor, but if those benefitting and profitting from it aren't careful, it threatens their own futures, the future of our nations and civilised societes too.