Beloved Exeposé readers,
As we approach the end of this seemingly never-ending referendum campaign on our continued membership of the EU, the question on the ballot paper on June 23 could not be more important. A question of Britain remaining a member of the biggest trading bloc on earth or turning our backs on our geographic neighbours.
This article will be making the right wing case for remaining in the EU. It will outline the economic, political and security benefits that we get as being part of the EU. Now let me make it clear from the outset, I am not a keen believer in the EU, not a Beethoven’s 9th chanting, Brussels-loving Europhile. But I believe that the EU is the lesser of two evils when making our choice in this referendum.
Let me start with the economic argument. Just yesterday, figures were published showing that unemployment in the UK stood at 5% – the lowest since 2005. This figure has been strongly influenced by the UK’s membership of the EU. The EU offers the UK 500 million consumers for exporting businesses, as well as giving consumers here greater choice. It cannot, however, be said that even in economic terms, the EU is perfect. Yes, it has been the slowest growing area on earth. Yes, youth unemployment is extraordinarily high in some parts – such as Southern Europe – and yes on some occasions it does protect inefficient producers at the expense of more competitive ones outside the EU. However, Britain has benefited economically as a member of the EU. More than 3 million jobs are directly dependent on us being a part of the institution. That means 3 million people will be left uncertain as to whether their jobs will be safe if we decide to leave.
THIS REFERENDUM IS THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION NOT FOR YOUR PARENTS OR GRANDPARENTS, BUT FOR YOU
What people often miss out, however, is the fact that most of the economic benefits have been indirect. Nor I nor the Remain camp can give you exact numbers, but lower consumer prices and lower tariffs are something we would all miss out on if we decided to leave. The Leave side has failed to set out a clear vision on what Britain’s relationship with the EU would look like if we leave. This means that at least in the short term, Britain would find itself in a precarious situation, where businesses, the backbone of our economy would not know what, how much and when to produce. This would have the knock on effects of increasing unemployment and even increasing interest rates, which would affect working class people the most.
Furthermore, there is a risk of forgetting is that this referendum is the most important question not for your parents or grandparents, but for you. You as students will be most affected by the outcome and the EU has been beneficial in investing in Universities such as Exeter, who have unequivocally stated that leaving would affect their standards in terms of teaching and research.
On political benefits, we are better off cooperating with the EU and leading change from within than divorcing ourselves from it. A clear example of this is in the recent Climate Change Summit in Paris, where Britain was not negotiating on its own but as an EU block, being the lead negotiator, asking countries like China and the US to lower their emissions and hence achieving a legally binding agreement. This would certainly not have happened if Britain was on its own, as we would simply not have the same sort of influence independently. Moreover, thanks to most our recent deal with the EU, the UK would be able to opt out of this ever closer political union – and quite rightly so. This also links with the security benefits. If we remain in the EU, organisations such as EUROPOL and security services working on a cross-border basis would work together on a much easier footing to foil terrorist attacks. After all there must be a reason why so many high ranking military generals and experts have warned of the security threats of leaving.
BRITAIN CAN BE GREATER STILL IN A REFORMED EUROPEAN UNION
Therefore, when you make this decision, next Thursday, you must ask yourself the question, that even if we decide to leave on 23 June, would we restore our sovereignty to the levels of 50 to 60 years ago? The answer is no. We live in an ever globalising, integrating and cooperative world, where working together, not turning our backs, is the way forward . The EU is not perfect and it needs much, much more reform, but Britain is at its best when we lead such countries into making those necessary reforms, not telling them that we’ve had enough of them. When people talk about Britain adopting the Norwegian, Swiss or World Trade Organisation model outside the EU, I say we already have the best model – the British model. No other country has got a better deal with the EU than we do if we remain. A control on migrant benefits, no to a political union, economic independence and making our parliament more supreme with veto powers – that’s a deal worth staying in for. Many critics of the EU said before this deal of ours was reached that none of this was possible, but it clearly is and shows with the right will and determination what further we could achieve together. So let’s vote in favour of the British model, let’s not take a leap into the unknown, for Britain can be greater still in a reformed European Union.