(IMO) The EU Referendum!
The vote is on the 23rd of June.
This is an edited extract of an assignment I had written from Uni in 2014 on the subject of devolution.
I believe it is more relevant now than it was then, and may be a useful article for people still sitting on the fence. Currently, 11% of the public are still undecided, with the majority leaning towards "Brexit". I hope this passage from my old blog will exercise the minds of young people still confused about this topic...
With thousands migrating here every month in hope to welcome a fresh start, a more favourable lifestyle and therefore, achieve happiness, it has aroused disapproval by many UK born citizens. It would seem that an increasing proportion of people here in Britain believe that enough is enough. The controversial mindset that, “jobs are being stolen, state benefits are being reaped, and homes are becoming scarce” has created prejudice and propaganda against Non-UK citizens living in Britain. A solid reason for our connection to the EU is because it protects our human rights, however, our right-wingers have attempted to have new laws regarding human rights scrapped, in their claims to be tackling ‘terrorism.’ Our interests in safety and welfare should be the priority of the officials, yet our pleas for attention to these matters is of no avail.
In the event that the UK left the EU, 1.4 million British people would have to emigrate back here, despite the UK already being the most occupied country in the EU. It is important that we consolidate the best use of our land and services to benefit our own people. I am not denying that every one should have the right to a decent standard of living, and not allow governments to be on their backs based on identity, which is discriminative.
The EU safeguards it’s inhabitants, there are regulations in order for a reason. It has generated freedom for businesses, made the luxury of tourism simplified and shared wealth and culture to it’s entire 28 member countries.
If my Grandmother never immigrated to the UK after WW2, my mother would never have been born in England and I would not exist. I know hundreds of people in my personal circles who have a similar background and would agree with me. As a young writer, I believe the voices of my generation are shaping the future in the present, that is now.
I would hope that we will not grant permission to our current government to manipulate what our consciences are telling us. We have been part of the EU since 1973, it is apparent that leaving would be a step back and therefore be, futile.
I hope that this has made some sense, and not only have I reminded my self of my original argument, but it may offer some rationality to the Brexiter's somewhat fascist views. I am not denying that I can't empathise with their perspective, however, I cannot help but feel that some people are missing key elements to this debate. The NHS for example are organised and operated by a large scale of EU migrants. Forcing them out would essentially mean UK citizens would have to replace all of those nurses who were deported. It costs our government thousands to train doctors and we can't afford to lose the services that we rely on. A lot of businesses are run by foreigners too. Additionally, these retailers offer an alternative to the tax-dodging supermarket chains. Its too easy to blame foreign workers for the governments lack of support in getting British people back into employment. To my knowledge, a grand proportion of migrants do jobs that some British folk seem too stuck up to attend to. I am not against patriotism, but I think it would be kinder if British people would represent our country as "Top Dog" in the EU.
We should be leaders as opposed to antagonists. It would just stir too much shit, besides I don't see why leaving would benefit us that substantially anyway. Or would we be passing on too many powers to Brussels etc. in making decisions about boarders and trade etc. Basically, we could argue about this until the cows come home, but at the end of the day, presently being part of the EU, we should consider an entirely new concept on the rules and regulations of the system, put in place in order to gain some more liberty in the way our country is domineered; Europeans would panic and it would cause a pandemic. I am trying to be as non-bias and conscientious as possible, since I live with a Polish lady who has been living and working in Nottingham for 2 months.
Our landlady has been extremely compassionate and has compromised our circumstances generously. We shouldn't blame richer classes for wanting to stay in the EU for the sake of business either... I believe that like the general election, this campaign is and will be rigged. Another spell of propaganda to divide the best of allies and create tension in the workplace, alongside unnecessary prejudice that already swamps our vision of a better Britain for the next generations. The xenophobia might spark WW3 in the process. It may be just a case that we need to focus on policy changes as opposed to just drawing out of the whole damn thing. We don't have much choice about where we are born so you cannot blame human beings for wanting to better their lives, and if they are clever then they will take advantage of the system. It is unfair that migrant workers who have been here for five minutes get to harvest benefits of what the majority of people scrimp and scrape for, taking years and years of their lives to accumulate any form of wealth. It is the law of attraction, it is the law of intention. It is obvious that people are going to take all the aid that is available to them, they will push for what the law states they are eligible for.
What if we're just rushing into this and haven't comprehended all our options in, what I intuitively see as a conspiracy. We can excel so much if we work collaboratively as opposed to playing the blame game.