BREXIT - A GAMBLE NOT WORTH TAKING

Will Britain opt to 'go it alone.?

Those of us who would like to see Britain remaining in the European Union and fighting with other similar minded member states to reform it, are looking towards the Britain's EU Referendum vote on 23rd June 2020 with deep apprehension.

The reason for this apprehension is the fear that a majority of the British electorate could vote the country out of the European Union, through a combination of malaise, xenophobia, racism, selfishness, and, yes, because of their genuine concern that, by doing so, voting 'no to continuing British membership', they will solve the problem of increasing immigration to Britain, more jobs for the less skilled or unskilled workforce, and less pressure on the country's National Health Service, housing and education infra-structure.


And yet, the maths does not add up and even where they seem to do, the situation is not as clear cut as the Brexiters are claiming.

They would like the electorate to believe that, if, or as they would prefer, when Britain comes out of the European Union, all will be fine. That the country 'will reclaim its autonomy', meaning that when the incumbent government wants to deport anybody, it will be able to do so, without that person having recourse to the European Court. That when British people believe that their human rights are being denied and tramped on, as was argued by prison inmates who believed that they should not have been denied the right to vote, there will be no higher legal authority, such as the European Court, to intervene on their behalf.

Similarly the Brexiters, such as Nigel Farage, argue that, by jumping off the EU ship, Britain will have more control over her immigration policies, and will be able to decide whether and how many immigrants from her then former EU member states, and from the rest of the world - such as from Africa, Asia, and the West Indies, she takes in. Now, it seems to me that what is not being acknowledged by the Brexiters, is the fact that, for many or most of their supporters who are proffering 'immigration' as their be'te noire, probably what they resent most, is, generically speaking, 'non-white' and Muslim people in Britain, whether they are natives or not, and immigrants from the poorer European countries

How ironic then, that, in scouting for trade, post-EU Britain will doubtlessly be resorting to going to these and other similar regions of the world to sign up trade deals to replace those lost as a result of her leaving the European Union? The message will be clear; we do not want your people, it is your money and resources we want.  The resources, of course, will include their locally trained doctors and nursers to come and help to resource the NHS. Some Brexiters from Africa, the West Indies and Asia and South America might be thinking that Britain leaving the EU would be good for those regions, as they might resurrect the defunct 'favourable trade deals' they had with Britain before she went into the EU over 30 years ago. I think they would be misguided; the world has moved on since then.
Similarly, what will become of Ukip and Nigel Farage, were the electorate to vote against Britain remaining in the EU?

Membership of the European Union, as I have said previously, was never about just money and profits; it was about European countries joining together to foster a shared European identity and working together for a peaceful and prosperous co-existence. It is true that the EU, as it stands today, is at serious risk of being 'high-jacked' by, in my view, right-wing politicians who, if they are not already there, are gravitating towards fascism and, possibly, replacing the Russian government with one more consistent with their version of the EU empire they want to build. 

The problem with an ever expanding EU is that it increases the risk of it imploding.

Will calm and prudent contemplation guide the nation into doing the right thing?

That said, there are many countries within the EU, with citizens who are opposed to the path the EU has and is taking, and who would like to see it reformed. These are the countries and the relevant segments of their population with whom Britain needs to work with  to reform the EU. It can and should be done, and is likely to cost less - in financial, economic, political and stability terms, than walking out like a spoilt child who cannot get his own way.

And when all is said and done; what happens if the Brexiters' argument is backed by a majority of the voting electorate; especially if it is a minority of the electorate that cast their vote?

Well, the gods forbid it that such a thing were to happen, although it could. And this is why I would hope that this Referendum requires a certain minimum percentage of the electorate to vote, and also that it requires more than a simple majority to vote no, for Britain to slink away from her  duty towards international fraternalism and cooperation between nations. 

It would be tragic if that were to happen, even if their are millions of people in Britain who want to take the selfish approach.

And so, it seems to me, that the most prudent approach would be for Britons to: 

VOTE TO STAY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION, IN ORDER TO WORK CONSISTENTLY TO REFORM THE EU!

Is Britain about to undertake new adventures into the unknown?