Let me paint you a picture of a Britain not in the EU, a Britain alone and isolated. This Britain faces unemployment of around 11 million people. It faces problems of reduced immigration creating even more financial difficulties. It faces an extremely volatile and uncertain situation regarding future trade with other countries. Today I am going to talk about why these two main points- trade and immigration – form the argument of why we should stay in the EU.
The first issue I am going to raise is trade. A huge benefit to the UK and UK businesses is that as a member of the EU we have access to worry-free and tariff-free trading with all its members. As such, approximately a staggering 50% of our exports go to the EU. Critically, leaving the EU puts our economy under threat. The hope of euro sceptics that we can easily enjoy a free-trade agreement such as Switzerland and Norway is both unrealistic and more importantly dangerous.
If the UK leaves the EU, it is likely that UK based firms will relocate abroad, leaving a massive hole in our economy and forcing us into another recession. Furthermore, if we were to still have a free-trade agreement with the EU, we would still have to comply with all the strict regulations. Only, these would now be regulation that we had no input or control over what so ever.
Can you honestly say, having just come out of one of the biggest depressions in over half a century and with confidence slowly crawling out of the gutters, that you are prepared to risk the entire economy based purely on a theory of hope? Simply a roll of the dice if you like. If we want the EU to work in Britain’s interests, then we need to be involved in EU decision-making. Neighboring nations like France … and Germany .. will have no incentive to listen to Britain if we are not playing on the same team.
My other point I am going to raise is immigration. Let it be clear that when we talk about immigration we refer mainly to those coming from Eastern-European countries such as Romania.
Immigrants often receive a bad press from sceptics, when in actual fact it would be very harming to the British economy if they stopped. Firstly, immigrants actually pay more in UK tax than they consume in public services which raises government revenue. Without them, we would have to make further cuts in public spending or pay higher taxes .. or .. .. even both.
Furthermore, migrants also raise the productivity of the economy which boosts economic growth and raises GDP, which, in more simplistic terms, essentially creates a higher level of national income for the UK.
So, to sum up, free-trade has allowed international global success for our economy. We are simply not in a position to be risking our economic future for the sake of chance. Especially in our current volatile position.
Secondly, a loss of immigration will do far more harm than it will good.
Choosing to leave the EU is choosing to lose our influence over our own prosperity. It is choosing to be dictated to. It is choosing to have no choice.