Seriously. What are the choices? I’m as genuinely confused as the next guy*
So my natural, progressive inclination is to be all for Remain. I see myself as a European - I’ve lived (albeit briefly) in Europe, I like the people I’ve met from various parts of Europe and I appreciate the freedom (admittedly only theoretical) that being part of the EU affords me.
On a rational level I see the sense in being part of the bigger entity. China, the US and India are very much bigger than us. Countries like Indonesia, Brazil and, gulp, Russia, have much larger populations than us. One day they may possess similar levels of economic clout. Being a mid-sized nation on its own may not seem quite so attractive.
I also see the economic arguments for Remain. I remember when the UK car industry was in the doldrums and various car manufacturers were being enticed to come and set up factories here. The crux was that being part of the EU meant our skilled workers were able to compete and it was better for the likes of Nissan or Honda to be building here and not elsewhere. As for the influence of the City - arguably its position in the EU has strengthened. You can say what you like about its moral position, but its value to the UK in economic terms is undeniable. While I’d like to see its relative influence diminished,I can’t help but think it would be better to do that in a controlled way, and not because it’s being routed by Paris or Frankfurt post-Brexit.
And I see the arguments about “EU bureaucracy” for what they are too - frankly utter bollocks. We have one of the least regulated advanced economies. Many of the claimed rules (bananas) are nonsense and where they do exist (hair dryers), they exist for good reasons.
The European dream is inspiring too - the idea that a group of nations could come together in a democratic way and forge a new kind of state is a good thing, right? Shared laws, ideals, currency, borders and a history that includes Athens, Rome (distant so not that important) and the FUCKING ENLIGHTENMENT is just incredible. We should build on it, not knock it down. That’s positively Utopian. Sets a great example. I want some of that.
Oh, and the arguments that a group of states couldn’t possibly come together and share sovereignty is also cock. The clue to the US is in that very title. Okay, so they share a common language, so that works. Wouldn’t work where the local tongues are different. Also bullshit - just see how the world’s largest democracy, India, works (ie, just about) interestingly also taking English as it’s lingua franca, as will Europe if we, the English, leave. Okay, so India does have a single economy, but it’s just as imbalanced as the economies of Europe are.
When the EU speaks in tandem with its greatest partner, the US, the rest of the world has to listen. Economic sanctions are our greatest weapon - we literally mean business to other countries. When the EU says it will stop selling you luxury cars, you’re going to be hard pushed to find anything quite as good (sorry, Toyota might argue with that) and likewise
And finally, who on earth would want to align themselves with the likes of Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson and Micheal Gove - three more odious men you would struggle to find wandering the corridors of power. The moment that Boris went full-Donald and started spouting conspiracy theories about secret deals being cooked up by Cameron with leaders of Big Business to win their support is not just bad for the referendum campaign, it’s a mortal blow to the very functioning of democracy - it undermines the ability of anyone to lay claim to “truth” in any meaningful sense. It’s a total fucking disaster equivalent in seriousness to the damage done by Hillsborough or Saville. Seriously, it’s in the same bracket.
TTIP. Everything I read about this sets my fairness sense a-tingling. Someone, somewhere is going to do something frankly AWFUL with it.
Erdogan. Cozying up to this awful waste of body parts who crushes dissent and locks up journalists is a dark moment.
Strasbourg. This spunking waste of time and money just to appease the fucking French. This is precisely the kind of guff that Farage goes on about. Incredible.
The migration crisis. Personally I think we can accommodate people. The majority of credible sources on this tell us that migration is a net boost to the economy - certainly the long period of GDP growth in the late-90s to early-00s was built on our growing population. We should be helping the poor Syrians too, since ultimately it was the very dream of freedom that inspires me about Europe that was the proximate cause of their current distress and “our” dicking about with their neighbourhood that was the distal. But let’s also be honest, I’m part of a club that isn’t really too threatened by migration (white, educated middle-class, white-collar, male). But accepting so many new folks only works if you take the existing people with you, and we’re failing there. You have to accept human nature and acknowledge it. Sometimes too much change can cause people to freak out. And a big freak out would not be pleasant. The EU is not covering itself in glory in trying to resolve this.
So how to vote? You know what? I thought I knew. But as I think about it, I really struggle to say.
* the next guy is my friend James who seems to be the only person I know who is actively taking an interest.
