This week we will be going to polling stations to make the biggest decision the UK has faced for a long time. A decision which will determine our future and that of our children and grandchildren.
No doubt you have all heard arguments for and against staying or leaving the European Union and as most of you will know, I am voting to leave on Thursday 23rd June. I know that many residents who I have spoken to will be doing the same.
Although there are many different issues that have been raised, I think there are two key elements to the debate that have really come to the fore. Firstly, the economy and what impact staying in or leaving the EU will have. Secondly, immigration and its sustainability in the UK.
If we look at the economic situation of the UK, we are currently the 5th largest economy in the world and we actually do more trade with the rest of the world than we do with the EU, yet we contribute a net £10bn per year to be a member. Just think about that figure for a moment: £10,000,000,000. That is a huge amount of money to be part of a club where we have dwindling influence of and a figure that could be reinvested in our country. We also need to remember that only 5% of our businesses trade in the EU, yet 100% are caught up in their rules and red tape.
In contrast to the great strides we have made in our economy over the last six years, the European Union is nowhere near in as healthy a position.
The situation in Greece is the perfect example of the problem of linking substantially differing economies together. Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy are other examples of countries who have or are experiencing economic turbulence; even France isn’t looking so good right now. As long as we are part of the EU, the British taxpayer will be at risk in paying towards bailouts and emergency funds to other EU countries.
Youth unemployment is at an all-time high in the Eurozone and many young people are moving to the UK to find work – and you can understand why, as for as long as we have freedom of movement within the EU, citizens of less well-off countries will come to the UK for a better life. However, current rates of migration are simply unsustainable.
Net migration now stands at a near record 330,000 (a record net figure of 180,000 from the EU alone) which puts a huge strain on our NHS, schools, local services, housing, transport and even prisons. The Government wants to reduce net-migration to the tens of thousands – the level to before New Labour and their open door immigration policy. It seems clear that right now, only by coming out of the EU will we begin to have any control over our borders. We need to be able to choose who comes to Britain in a sustainable and sensible way – for example prioritising those who offer key skills or work experience that we need, such as surgeons or nurses.
A report out last week has shown that there are 5,789 offenders from overseas who are currently free to walk Britain’s streets. The Home Affairs Select Committee found that the top three countries foreign criminals hailed from were all within the EU - 983 Polish offenders, 764 from Ireland, and 635 from Romania. Dominc Raab MP said that: “This damning report shows that the EU is making it more difficult to remove dangerous criminals, which puts us at risk. It also costs UK taxpayers huge sums of money to keep these people in our prisons rather than sending them home."
On Thursday 23rd June the decision is yours. You need to weigh up the pro’s and con’s for leaving and for remaining. Whatever way you are leaning towards I urge you to make your voice heard and vote, the polls suggest it is going to be close.
Whatever the result I believe it is in everyone’s interests that the EU reforms itself and perhaps this debate will be the wake-up call it needs.