The upcoming referendum is giving me a lot of angst. The media and leading representatives of both sides of the campaign are playing havoc with the UK public’s fears: fears about the UK’s future wealth, security, its NHS, immigration, sovereignty.
Part of me thinks that, whatever the consequences, life for UK residents, and for those in power in particular, will go on much the same, whether we are in or out of Europe. The argument that the UK will gain £375 million a week if it comes out of Europe has no worth, in my view. That money will not go directly into the NHS as some people are being led to believe; there are too many other problem areas for the government to have to deal with. In spite of it sounding like a huge amount, in terms of public spending it is probably worth peanuts and will achieve nothing substantial, even if it is not handed over to Europe and remains in the UK coffers. Money and having more of it should not be a motivator for a ‘Brexit’ vote.
With my ideals of a better world, I think the UK needs to remain in Europe, simply because the EU as an institution provides a mechanism for the political leaders or representatives of member states to get together easily, and cooperate and compromise. We need as many countries and states to do this and the European Union encourages that, in spite of all the bureaucracy and legislation which may create problems along the way.
I don’t want a separate UK that wants a better deal for itself above all others. I want to be in a country that wants a better deal for all other countries in the world equally. Leaving Europe is not moving in the right direction if we are to achieve that.
It would be even better if we lived in a country where those at the top of society wanted the best for those at the bottom too. But that’s a separate issue……