Let’s hope we don’t regret leaving the EU

“REMAINERS” seldom refer to EU integration because of concerns about elephants in the room, not imaginary mole-hills magnified into Himalayan Mountains.

H Thomas (WM letters, October 23) reminds me of runners asking short questions, requiring long answers, when approaching inclines.

Without supporting evidence, he asserts that Brexit will harm Europeans more than Britons.

Monthly UK exports to the EU are £300 per citizen. Monthly EU exports to the UK are £57 per EU27 citizen. A 15% trade reduction post a no-deal Brexit would depress UK monthly exports by £45 per head. EU losses would be £8.50 per head.

A 15% loss of EU sales equals 8.25% of the UK car industry’s income and 102.5% of profits. French and German car producers would lose 1.29% of revenue and 15% of profits.

The evidence is clear – Brexit losses will impact individual UK citizens and businesses far more than their EU counterparts. No EU business is considering relocating into Britain. Several UK businesses are considering quitting Britain.

Who will welcome new trade deals? Foreign firms generate most of Britain’s exports. With productivity double that of UK businesses, they already supply nonEU markets from existing facilities elsewhere.

Why are we so poor? The UK lies second to Lithuania in the EU/ OECD table of income inequality.

Inequality has been rising in the UK since 1979. It is the result of deliberate UK government policy, and those who financed the leave campaign have been amongst its main beneficiaries.

For 12 years UK interest rates exceeded German ones by 55%, thereby stifling investment in the UK, as successive governments force-fed the greed of banks to the detriment of the rest of Britain. Is it any wonder that UK productivity lags other countries?

“Undemocratic EU.” Every member of the EU Parliament is democratically elected. It, together with the council of ministers, and not the commission, passes laws. There are 158 democracies on this planet. Only one appoints more Parliamentarians than it elects – the UK (750 lords 650 MPs).

“No one votes on ground of race.” Really? Three Indian and three Celtic candidates contested a two-member local government ward. The Indian candidates received 24% fewer votes than their Celtic running partners.

We leave the EU on Friday, March 29th. Let’s hope we don’t all feel foolish the following Monday.

JP Williams

Tregaron