Reply to post: EU Problems Are Closer To Home

EU Problems Are Closer To Home

Preface: I haven't decided whether I'm voting to Leave or to Stay. My backside has many splinters from sitting on the fence.

TL;DR: Flip a coin and vote that way. If it lands on its side, do the lottery.

All of the problems the UK have with the EU stem from our own apathy towards it and us not holding those responsible to account.

The turnout for European elections are always lower than that of the General Election. Why is this? The usual reason is down to a simple case of the UK public not giving a damn what happens in Europe. This is compounded over time through more sensationalist headlines breeding a feeling of the UK is powerless to do anything with Europe.

Our biggest representative in the EU is UKIP. The UK public - those who voted anyway - decided it was a brilliant idea that a Euroskeptic party should go to Brussells on our behalf and work with the EU. What exactly have they done though? UKIP have always been very quiet about what they have done in Europe, how they have voted etc, and what they have done to reform the EU. Quite simply, they couldn't give a toss about the EU, they just want out of it. Fair enough, but they still go to Brussells, still pick up the wage (£100k per MEP?) plus expenses. Aside from UKIP the BNP were our representatives, Labour and the Conservatives. I would ask the same question to them, what have they done?

It's an easy thing for MEP's we send over to come back and say "it's undemocratic" and "it doesn't work for Britain". If you attend a meeting when every single person knows you don't like them and don't care very much about them, how likely are they to take your side on matters that are important? I think if we're talking about undemocratic processes then we need to question our MEP's first before we blame the MEP's of Europe.

And on this subject of the unelected, undemocratic system that the EU is - will the UK become a republic? Our house of Lords is unelected, the head of state is unelected. At least in the EU the positions which aren't elected are at least discussed and one is appointed. The monarchy runs on the rule of whoever the current head of state gives birth to first is then the next head of state.

Our relationship with the EU is also flawed, but could it be argued it's an extension of the national feeling that the UK still owns 25% of the world. During this referendum hate campaign (and that's exactly what it's been like on both sides) is that the EU takes etc from the UK and we get nothing back. This in itself is wrong. Yes we pay money to the EU which is about 0.5% of our GDP, which allows companies in the UK to deal with other European countries on a fairly cheap and easy basis. Norway, who has long been pointed at as a country that prospers outside of the EU, have an incredibly raw deal. They pay £190 million a day to the EU (which once our rebate is removed is what we pay) yet have absolutely no say on what happens inside of it, even if it affects them. Their PM even said that Britain would hate to have the Norway situation, although that makes me think why can't Norway negotiate a better deal for themselves?

From what I have read you would be forgiven to think that Brexit's view on the EU is something we should be a member of but cream off all the good bits of it and leave the bad bits. When really our relationship with the EU should be viewed as an office. There will be people we don't like, people we do like, bosses we don't get on with and wonder how they got there, but if you don't pull your finger out collectively the whole company falls down.

And that brings me on to another point, there are 27 other countries we deal with daily in the EU. We have been told we'll still have great relations with those countries if we leave. As much to say we're leaving the party but we'll still chat on Facebook. The UK leaving the EU will cause those countries a load of shit. It will. The economies of those countries will suffer (who knows to what degree), the EU itself will be cast in to chaos as other countries will then think "Well if the UK can leave then we will too". In stead of leaving the party on good terms, we've effectively smashed a box of stink bombs in the middle of the room.

If France decided to leave the EU, and we didn't have this referendum, yes the people here would want to follow France's lead and vote to leave. But if France left long before that notion got to be discussed, our economy would suffer and we'd have to deal with the problems the EU would then face. What would our opinion be then? "Bloody France causing us a load of problems, selfish bar stewards". Would we want to deal with them after they left? No. Why? They caused us problems. To think the other countries would view us differently to this is pure fantasy.

Ultimately though, this referendum isn't legally binding. It's not like on Friday we're going to wake up to news that Cameron has gone to Brussells to and told them we're leaving and we'll be back to split the CD collection. All it will achieve is the markets will react, the TV channels will be flooded with analysis, social media will be full of the Leave people saying "YES WE WON" or "BLOODY FIX THIS IS RIDICULOUS" with the Stay people saying the same thing in appropriate response. From a poll I saw the other day it was split 44%/44% in favour of leaving/staying. With something that close to call, will those who have lost the referendum accept it? Of course they won't. Recounts will be demanded, a new referendum demanded, all the time showing that those who believe in democracy and the right of the people not the elite actually don't give a single damn about any of that. They want to win at all costs. If the Stay vote get 49% of the vote, they'll demand all of this. Likewise if Leave get the same number.

But those who are on the winning side, how will they feel when the referendum result is passed to Parliament and they vote on it? Oh yes, this has to be done to make it valid. If the MP's vote against the result of the referendum, what then? The people you elected only 18 months ago have gone against what you want. What are you going to do about it? Kick off? Start smashing the place up? Flood social media with hateful messages condeming those who thought differently to you?

It's democracy, and it's ugly.

Personally, I know what I have said may seem I'm on the side of staying but I'm not decided. The EU has major problems. It does need to be transparent and accountable. But the people of the UK also need to be smart enough to hold it to account, not to just view at something silly like The Voice on TV. We need to elect people who will do a proper job of representing us and working with the EU to fix it and to make it better. We can't do that outside of the party. We can't do that by sending someone in to the party who hates parties. We need people we can trust, however rare they are they do exist. You might be one of them reading it, stand for election maybe?

If you're undecided, there's only a handful of things you can do. Look at what's being said, look for the evidence to back it up. Make sure it's something that actually does affect you, because there seems to be a lot of people from predominantly white areas complaining about immigration and that those lazy people who come over here from Syria are taking all the cleaning jobs from people in this country, even though they work at a Renault dealership somewhere.

For me it's down to the economy. How will we cope or prosper if we leave/stay in the EU. As nice as it might be to think we suddenly have £190 million to spend on the NHS (which will NEVER go there - hello TTIP), it's cold comfort to me if in 6 months time the place I work for goes under. I have a house, I am planning to get married, I want to have kids. I want an easy life free of hatred, free of agro. Everything, to me, was fine before this referendum started. Since then my bills have gone up as the pound has suffered in the markets, I come home to see stories of total bullshit on my TV screen. I go outside and my neighbour has a massive "We Want Our Country Back, UKIP" outside his house. I go to work and I see that Farage has promoted that dreadful poster of "Breaking Point".

I have said it before, but it might just be better for everyone if a coin was flipped and you voted that way. If it lands on its side, don't vote but do the lottery.