Great Britain's Attempted Escape from the European Union

This coming Thursday, Jun 23, 2016, citizens of Great Britain (GB) will vote of whether or not to remain part of the European Union (EU). As my title suggests, I believe it would be wise for Britain to leave. But since huge corporations and the entrenched political elites have raised three times as much money as the people who want their country back. So I predict that the rich will win with huge media campaigns that will convince a majority to vote to remain in the European Union.
 
The national movement for Britain to exit the EU has become known as the “Brexit” – the first two letters of Britain combined with the word exit. British Prime Minister David Cameron, like most professional politicians, is against the Brexit. But he was elected on a promise to allow the British people to have a say in the decision. Thus the referendum.
 
This above sign was produced by the “Leave” campaign. In case you can’t read the small letters, it reads. “Who really runs this country? 75% of our laws are now made in Brussels.” That’s the crux of the matter. Think of your own experience with politics. You have more control over what happens in your community if the decisions are made by officials who were elected locally to govern your town or county, and who are answerable to the voters.
 
You have less control if the decisions are made by people in the state capitol. You have even less influence and control if they are made by federal officials. So how would you feel if the United Nations was producing rules and regulations that impact your life and freedom? That’s the way many British patriots feel about Brussels (the seat of the European Parliament) creating 75% of the laws that govern their once-sovereign nation, and even overriding laws passed by the British Parliament.
 
I don’t have time today to go into a history of the European Union. I suggest that you read my article, “Who Cares if Greece Leaves the Eurozone?” Although much of the article deals with the possibility that Greece could leave (or be ejected from) the European Union, the first part of the article contains a condensed history of the EU.
 
Let’s focus on Great Britain’s involvement with the EU. One of the most foolish things they ever did was to join the European Union. One of the smartest was to refuse to join the Eurozone. There are currently 28 members of the European Union. Of those, 19 are members of the Eurozone, which means they were obliged to give up their own national currency and adopt the common currency of Europe, the Euro.
 
GB was one of the nine nations that had the sense to refuse the Euro. When a nation gives up control of its currency, it gives up control over its economy. This means it no longer has control of such important things as its interest rates, its banking institutions, mortgage rates, and the all-important employment rate. Most important, it gives up its national sovereignty. Sovereignty is the authority and ability of a state to govern itself.
 
As a member of the EU, Britain gave up a large measure of its sovereignty. But the nations that adopted the Euro gave up even more of their sovereignty to the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice. Most EU nations regularly have their own laws overturned or overruled by these two institutions. But Britain maintained a degree of its national sovereignty by refusing to give up its currency, the Pound Sterling. Due to this Great Britain has been insulated to a large degree from the intrusion of the EU’s institutions.
 
Those in the “Remain” camp subscribe to the idea that Great Britain should become “ever closer” to the EU. This means losing even more of its identity as a nation and eventually becoming part of a “United States of Europe.” Just as the original 13 sovereign nations of America – and the ones who later joined them – gradually gave up their sovereignty to the federal government, the “Remain” campaign doesn’t just want Britain to stay in the EU. It wants ever more integration into a future, all-powerful federal government like that of the US. And one of the ways it plans to accomplish that is to force Great Britain to give up the Pound and adopt the Euro.
 
As I mentioned at the beginning, the largest corporations, the richest people, and the most powerful politicians of GB have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. That’s how they will remain the largest, the richest and the most powerful. They control the financial resources, the political parties and the hidden organizations that have raised the maximum amount the Electoral Commission has allowed for the referendum campaign – £7 Million.
 
The “Leave” campaign has raised only a fraction of that amount. And they don’t have powerful politicians and huge corporations pushing their cause. But they do have millions of citizens who are fed up with Brussels running their country, forcing Britain to accept millions of Islamic immigrants, and paying far more into the EU’s treasury that they receive in return. So even though they are being greatly out-spent by their opponents, these underdogs have maintained 50% loyalty among likely voters.
 
In addition to the rich and powerful, the “Remain” campaign has the support of the wealthiest nations of Europe – the ones who will benefit the most financially by the status quo. Even Obama has stuck his nose into the debate. Not surprisingly, he is against the Brexit. If only the people of Great Britain knew him as we do, just the fact that he is for the “Remain” group would be enough to make British citizens vote to “Leave.”
 
Here are the main reasons citizens want Great Britain out of the European Union:
 
1)      Europe’s “Open Borders” policies force the British to accept people – both for work and as refugees – that they do not want. Britain, a small island nation, wants to limit immigration to 100,000 per year – but the EU has forced it to take 300,000. They cannot refuse these people, and are forced to support them. In many cases they are forced to pay welfare benefits to people who end up performing terrorist acts against GB.

2)      Great Britain pays £350 Million every week to the EU. In 2015 that contribution totaled £17.8 Billion, but the UK was rebated only £4.9 Billion. Even when one includes the £4.4 Billion in farm subsidies GB received, Britain is only getting in benefits about half of what it pays in. Thus, it is subsidizing other countries – Socialism at its finest.

3)      The EU interferes with Britain’s foreign policy and defense. The EU has been expanding its role in determining the foreign policies of the member nations. It also interferes with GB’s spending on its national defense because it wants the money to set up an EU army.

4)      Businesses suffer because of ever-growing EU regulations that demand a one-size-fits-all business environment. Every one of the 28 EU nations has unique strengths, weaknesses and challenges. By layering on more and more regulations the EU is making it very difficult for all but the largest multi-national corporations to compete. Just as in the US, small businesses and farms are being forced out of business.

5)      Other nations can join together to force laws on GB that violate its laws and constitutional principles. The British government has repeatedly been defeated in cases brought before the European Court of Justice. This is not surprising since most of the nations that make up the EU are far more Socialistic than Britain, which maintains a fairly free market economy.

6)      Just as in the US, immigrants who are willing to work for low wages are taking jobs from British citizens. At the same time, EU employment rules are making it harder and more expensive for British companies to afford to pay their workers.

7)      Great Britain is not allowed to negotiate its own trade deals – these are all done by the EU. Great Britain, once the greatest economic power in the world, needs to be free to pursue its own destiny.

8)      The way the EU is organized, GB is forced to subsidize other nations in the EU. In some cases these countries are poor due to lack of natural resources, geographic location, or other problems. But in the great majority of cases, the nations are poor because of Socialist policies, corruption and fiscal mismanagement. Britons are tired of supporting the EU with their taxes when many of their own people need help.
 
In writing this article, the irony has not been lost on me that most of the complaints of the Britons echo those of US citizens as our nation becomes more and more Socialistic and more and more controlled by a powerful central government. I sympathize with the British people. But while it is too late for the states of the US to free themselves from what is essentially a totalitarian executive branch that ignores the Constitution and our Congress, it is not too late for Great Britain.
 
I believe power and money will likely win out and Great Britain will be forced to remain in bondage to the European Union. But I’m rooting for the little guys. I hope they will see through all the lies and vote “Leave” next Thursday.