On 23 June 2016 all of the UK over the age of 18 will vote on whether Britain remains a member of the EU (European Union) or whether we leave. This is the most defining vote of a generation and yet all the media focuses on is immigration. Well as a son of an immigrant I have seen with my own eyes the positive impact that immigration has had on Britain and this is not the sole reason for the vote.
Britain last held a referendum on Europe in 1975 and they asked voters whether the UK should remain in European Economic Community? The vote was won with a endorsement of 67%.
Membership of the European Union provides an umbrella under which the UK has the benefits of being part of a larger body of nations. I guess it is much like a shop keeper who is part of a network such as NISA who remains largely independent but who benefits from the buying power that a collective can enjoy. European Union membership brings the following benefits:
1. the freedom to live, work and retire anywhere in Europe (many thousands of UK citizens live, work or retire in Europe)
2. Sustains millions of jobs (the Centre for Economic and Business research suggests that almost 3.1 million jobs in Britain were linked to UK exports to the EU. The EU also provides considerable subsidies to UK farmers which provide stability to this sector
3. Safer travel is afforded being part of the EU as the majority of us holiday to EU destinations and benefit from access to emergency healthcare, consular protection from any EU embassy if there is no UK embassy. We also benefit from safer air travel and greater access to compensation for flight delays and cancellations.
4. Consumer protection - as a part of the EU we can buy goods and services from Europe safe in the knowledge that our consumer rights are equal to those we benefit from in the UK. Mobile phone operators now have to cap roaming charges in Europe as a direct result of EU regulation.
5. Protection from terrorists and organised crime due to cross border cooperation and the sharing of information.
6. Trade benefits such that the CBI estimates the net benefit of EU membership at between £62bn to £78bn a year!!! That is almost 5% of UK GDP.
7. Larger voice in both political and economical policy. If you consider the size of the U.K. It is clear we are no longer a worldwide leader in terms of our economy, the days of the Empire have long since passed and by being part of the EU we have a greater presence on a global scale and retain our voice on global affairs.
Now this is just a brief summary of the benefits we enjoy as part of the EU. Sadly the main gripe is that the EU has evolved from and economic union into a political Union and this impinges on our right to be governed independently. Indeed EU directives are legally binding and must be implemented by all member states, these directives therefore become part of our laws and leaves the UK with less independence.
If we vote to leave the EU then this could result in the following benefits.
1. we currently pay £13bn a year to the EU budget and receive £4.5bn in payments. Thus the net gain would £8.5bn which could be directly used by the UK government to provide better healthcare or indeed education.
2. The freedoms to negotiate our own trade agreements, much like Norway has, although as no other EU member has ever left it is an intangible part of the Exit argument as we have no idea how the remaining EU members would treat us.
3. We could restyle our country to be a financial hub of the world, much like Singapore.
4. We could regain control of immigration, as under current EU laws we cannot prevent anyone from a member state coming to live or work in the UK. There are currently 942,000 Eastern Europeans working in the UK (source office for national statistics) 791,000 Western Europeans and 2.91m workers from outside the EU. If we leave the EU we can take back control of immigration and actually revert back ta more selective immigration programme much like Australia or Canada, where we only accept those immigrants who will have a positive impact on the UK.
5. Britain would regain its independent identity on the world stage and start to forge its own relations without being tied to the EU.
6. There would be more jobs and increased wages as migrant worker numbers are reduced.
7. Security is currently compromised by being part of the Eu as we have to have open borders. If we leave we can strengthen our borders stop terrorists entering the UK.
Of course whatever happens on 23rd June and the subsequent outcome one thing is for sure. If we leave the EU there is no way anybody can truly quantify the impact or indeed whether there would be any benefit to the UK. Leaving would definitely create an air of uncertainty however we should not be afraid of either outcome. We are historically and culturally a very resilient nation and us Asians are well versed in having to survive, and indeed flourish in uncertain times. The vote will have a very defining impact of not only the UK, not only us but indeed the rest of Europe and future generations. I urge you all to discuss this vote with your family and friends and try and engage in the whole process. This is the UKs chance to voice it's opinion on the EU, so use it wisely.
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Nishit Patel has worked in the Financial Services Industry for over 15 years and is based out of London as Head of Paraplanning. He is also a committee member of Dharmaj Society of London and a representative on the Chha Gam Nagrik Mandal.
