What Price The Remain Campaign's Guarantees?

Vote Remain have published a list of things that they will guarantee if we vote to stay in the EU. Let’s take a closer look.

Full access to the EU’s single market.

Our exports to the rest of the world now exceed those to the EU. While a large amount of our foreign trade is still with the EU the fact is that this sector is actually in decline. Part of the reason that our trade with the rest of the world has not grown even larger is that the EU actually represents a barrier to our expanding our trade relationships with countries like China, India, the Commonwealth countries and South America. The simple fact is that access to the EU’s single market costs us more that it gives back.

Workers’ rights protected.

Let’s have a look at The European Working Time Directive which is touted as a flagship policy protecting worker’s rights. The Working Time Directive represents an estimated cost to the UK economy of £4.1 billion a year and the benefits are unknown. In spite of this there is no policy avowed by the Brexit campaigns to repeal any of the existing labour laws. Any changes would be subject to our parliament. Leaving the EU does not represent any threat to any existing workers’ rights.

Keeping the European Arrest Warrant.

Are we sure we want to keep this fundamentally flawed piece of legislation? Under the terms of the European Arrest Warrant (EWA) a British subject could legitimately expect the same treatment at the hands of the courts if charged. The implications of the EWA fundamentally undermine that legitimate expectation. Now at the request of judges in other jurisdictions the UK is willing, indeed obliged, to export its citizens to face charges for offences that may not even be crimes in Britain and before judicial systems we would never endorse in our own country. It could be argued that whatever the technocratic arguments advanced by its advocates at its induction, and now parroted by its defenders, in operations it is fundamentally incompatible with the system of justice with which Britain has prided herself over generations.

A Special status in Europe.

What does this actually mean? David Cameron promised us that he would deliver a deal which would mean significant changes to our position in Europe. It is now widely agreed that the deal he came back with after is negotiations did not amount to anything at all. The so called handbrake to immigration is not ours to control as the hand on the brake is actually that of Brussels. He did not get the restrictions on benefits for EU economic migrants he promised and these paltry concessions, as well as everything else are not yet ratified by the EU and could be overturned after the referendum, even if we stay in. Brussels has already made it very clear that if we do vote to remain then our days of carping about legislation we don’t like are over. How long will it be after the 23^rd of June that treaties are changed to deny us our veto? Voting to remain will give us less of voice for reforms not a greater one.

Stability for our country.

Remaining within the EU is achieving the stability of tying yourself to a supporting column of a car park during a massive earthquake. To be stable any country needs to be able to rely on the firm bedrock of its constitution, its laws, its ability to create wealth, the ability to maintain its sovereignty, the security of its borders and its citizens. The EU is already suffering the sort of minor tremors which often are the heralds of a major earthquake or even a catastrophic seismic shift. The EU imposes regulations and laws which fundamentally change and erode our constitution. They pass into law edicts made by unelected bureaucrats which are forced upon us. The imposition and now protection and maintenance at all costs of the Euro have engendered devastation to the economies of Greece, Italy, Spain and now France. All of these countries are suffering record unemployment and massive civil unrest. Even though we are outside of the Eurozone we are not immune from damage from the aftershocks of its inevitable collapse which will cost us billions; not only in bailouts but also in lost trade. Our membership of the EU restricts our ability to trade with the rest of the world and keeps us poor. The free movement of people means that we can no longer secure our borders while the Schengen Agreement means that potential terrorists are free to sow fear and anarchy throughout the continent once they are past the porous southern frontiers.

In short these so called guarantees are either not guarantees at all, as the power to deliver them is not in our politician’s hands, or they are not things that we would actually want in the first place. Brexit does not come with any guarantees but its prospects are still brighter than the alternatives.

The Referendum - What's It Really All About?

In spite of George Osborne telling us the economic debate is over, there is still much claim and counterclaim from both Brexit and Remain The problem both sides have with their argument over the monetary cost, or benefits, is that no one really knows what would happen should we decide to leave. All either camp can do is speculate.

I believe however that the economic argument is not the one on which the majority of voters are focused. In my opinion the two really big issues of the referendum are "Who makes and enforces our laws" and "How do we control immigration". Of course at a fundamental level the two are inextricably linked. While we continue to be signed up to the EU we have to accept that the free movement of people comes with the deal. It is therefore the EU who ultimately decides who we have to let in. We do get to chose those from outside of EU but given the sheer numbers arriving from our European brothers and sisters (and their families) there is just not that much room left for our Commonwealth cousins, let alone our other foreign friends.

As a nation with a proud history of accepting refugees, asylum seekers and skilled immigrants there are very few people in this nation who could be accused of xenophobia. The problem we have is not one of being anti-immigration but rather one of assimilation and integration. The Blair government's policy of open doors has meant that we have had to absorb too many people too quickly and multiculturalism has compounded this situation by fostering the belief that those coming here do not have to assimilate into the UK's culture and society, which breeds discontent, by both communities.

If we look back at the mass immigration waves which occurred in my lifetime, The Empire Windrush generation from the West Indies, the Asians who were expelled from Idi Amin's Uganda, the Biafran refugees to name but three and not to mention those from Indian and Pakistan who came before, during and after. In all these case we see that they have, largely and successfully, integrated themselves into our society. This is not to say that they haven't kept their own culture alive, but as they arrived we had time to digest the extra numbers and integration was achieved by osmosis rather than diffusion.

As I see it the problem we have with the EU is that it will not allow us to slow the rate of immigration caused by the free movement of people and the EU itself apparently has no policy (or the will) to stop Africa trying to decant itself into Europe. I think that the point must be made that no one in the Brexit camp is saying that we would, or should, ban all immigration from the EU countries, but, while Brussels will not let us make and enforce our own laws that will give us back control of our borders; I must vote for Brexit.

Brexit - Why Won't Either Side Tell Us The Truth?

Two of the big hitters from the EU debate were on TV this morning. George Osborne on ITV with Robert Peston and Michael Gove with Andrew Marr on the BBC. All that seems to have emerged from these interviews is that neither side can say with any certainty what will happen to our economy if were to leave the EU.

Both camps accuse the other of painting a rosy view of their desired outcome, with no hard evidence to support their speculation while predicting a financial apocalypse if we take the opposite course, again without any hard facts to back them up. However, I do believe that there are some things that we can say for sure about what would happen if the ‘Remain’ campaign do win the day.

If we vote Remain then on the 24^th of June the EU legislators and the European Court of Human Rights will have free reign to impose their will without let or hindrance. Every time we raise an objection or attempt to seek allies for change or reform we will be told in no uncertain terms that we have to accept their will. We will be told “You voted to be part of the club – now you have to obey its rules. We will also eventually be forced to pay more to bolster the failing economies of those in the Eurozone and the fees we are already paying to the likes of Albania, Bosnia, Serbia and Macedonia, to help them get ready to join the EU, will only increase.

Then there are the vexed questions regarding Turkey. This non-democratic, increasingly pro Muslim state which is run by a despotic tyrant who persecutes the Kurdish minority and ruthlessly crushes any attempts at opposition and/or free speech, is already holding the EU to ransom over its bungling of the refugee crisis and thereby costing us a fortune. Turkey has already prised open a door to allow visa free travel for 75 million of its citizens and will continue to screw the EU for even more money before it eventually gets free membership.

Make no mistake should we vote to remain we will not have any meaningful voice with regards to reform and we will not be granted any further indulgence when we ask to be excused from regulations, legislation, or increases in taxes or fees.

To return to the area of speculation, I would argue that there will be an economic price to pay for voting to leave. I believe that those running the Out campaign should be honest with us and admit that negotiating trade deals will be tough and things may well get worse before they start to get better. But, any economic price we may have to pay in the short term for voting ‘Out’, will be more than offset in the longer term by our regaining control of our own borders and being able to re-invest our own money in our own economy instead of continuing to fuel the Brussels gravy train. I believe that the British people are big and brave enough to understand that Brexit is not an easy, risk free, option.

We have faced tough times before and stood defiantly alone in order to maintain our freedom and independence and that we can do it again. Let’s hear the truth from the Brexit campaigners and not be afraid of short term sacrifice for freedom. I believe we need to hear the echoes of Winston Churchill saying in effect that:

"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage (economic) war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage (economic) war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror (or Project Fear), victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival. Let that be realised; no survival for the British People, no survival for all that the British (economy) has stood for, no survival for the urge and impulse of the ages, that mankind will move forward towards its goal. But I take up my task with buoyancy and hope. I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail among men. At this time I feel entitled to claim the aid of all, and I say, "come then, let us go forward together with our united strength."