Bring on the Brexit revolution!
AS A baby boomer, I remember in the Sixties we used to march about, chanting the slogan ‘Come the Revolution’.
Well, that revolution will happen if we vote for Brexit. I, for one, will vote for it.
The Remain campaign has been all about what we will lose if we come out of the European Union. I think the Prime Minister and his pals are afraid that if we do come out, they will have to do the work that we pay them for, running the country, instead of letting Brussels do it.
It’s time to take our destiny back into our own hands and forge a bright, new future guided by decent, upright captains of industry and politicians who believe we are a great nation. If we vote for Brexit, I shall dine out on Welsh lamb, then walk a few yards to my local to down a pint of English beer followed by a good Scotch whisky.
MIKE ELLIOTT, Leigh-on-Mendip, Somerset.
Nuclear disaster
I AM of the opinion that Brexit would be disastrous, not from an economic point of view but from a world peace point of view. We need each other in this nuclear age. I believe unity in the EU is essential.
JaMES KanE, airdrie, Lanarkshire.
Uncertain future — either way
THE one certainty in this debate is that no one knows whether we’ll be better off inside or outside the EU.
We’re faced with intelligent, educated, experienced people from all walks of life, divided in their certainty of the outcome. How can we make up our minds? There are a few things, however, of which we can be certain. We are better off now than when we joined the EU. Would we have been even better off had we not joined? No one can know, but our affluence and prosperity has improved massively in the 40 years during which we’ve been members.
Would it have happened without the EU? We’ll never know.
Several poorer European countries have improved their lots since joining. Would it have happened had they not been EU members? Probably not — and I’m happy to have contributed to improving the prosperity of poorer Europeans.
The Leavers are indignant about the budget contribution Britain makes to the EU. They say we can use that money more efficiently if we get out. But will we? Where will that few billion a year end up? Will any of it end up in the NHS?
As for the Leave argument about sovereignty, the idea that we’ll be able to do exactly as we like is an illusion. To survive in a global economy, we have to compromise.
Our laws and regulations have to take account of the needs of the wider world. The days of Empire are gone.
Things aren’t bad at the moment. If we leave, we may precipitate uncertainty and disruption across Europe. Should our attitude really be: I’m doing what’s best for me and damn the rest of you? RICHaRD aBRaHaMS,
Winscombe, Somerset.
Britain can’t go it alone
I AM a German, married to a British subject, and have lived and paid taxes in this country for 50 years.
When Churchill contemplated a closer relationship between European nations, he was influenced by recent memories of a terrible war and the communist dictatorship in Eastern Europe. Both, he felt, had to be avoided in future.
The European Union is a project — not completed and not perfect — requiring reforms, patience and positive contributions from all its member states.
Bringing 28 countries with very different historical and cultural backgrounds together to achieve lasting peace and prosperity is a tough challenge. Many member states need support to build themselves into modern, competitive, law-abiding societies. Achieving such aims cannot be measured in the short timespans of our politicians, looking from one election to the next.
Britain has great political experience, high ethical values, solid institutions and an educated population. Its contribution to a better Europe could be powerful and would be largely welcomed by other member states. But for the past 50 years Britain has chosen to take a back seat.
Her refusal to become more involved is due largely to politicians’ personal interests, a negative Press and business people looking for a fast, low-risk buck rather than entering the potentially most prosperous open market on the planet.
Where is the British Aldi or Lidl, competitors to Siemens and Bosch, BMW and VW, DHL and Hermes? What are UK companies afraid of?
The argument that Europe hinders international trade is absolutely wrong — it welcomes active trading with all countries not on the embargoed list. We live in a globalised world that is divided into major economic and political blocs, whether one likes it or not.
Individual nation states have little clout any more. So what is the choice for Britain? Living in a glorious past, trying to drive forward by looking in the rear-view mirror?
The challenges of the future know no national borders and can only be addressed by participation in a community of strength — the EU.
RaInER PREIS, Barton on Sea, Hants.
Criminal dustbin
ANGELA Merkel, aided by the submission of cowardly politicians such as David Cameron, has achieved the domination of Europe.
Let’s not kid ourselves as to who ‘rules the roost’. This ‘one-size-fitsall nonsense’ in the shape of the euro has ruined countries.
Chancellor Merkel’s immigrant policy has been a disaster, yet politicians are too cowed to challenge her.
The EU would miss Britain more than the reverse. Without the UK’s excessive contributions, the euro is a dead duck, followed by the EU itself. We have become a dustbin for European criminals, whom we are powerless to deport.
Exiting the EU and adopting a sensible immigration policy based on skills would appear to be the obvious answer.
R. BanKS, Galashiels, Selkirkshire.
The Swiss conundrum
HOW can our country function outside the EU when no other country has agreed trading links without first agreeing to the free movement of labour? Neither Norway nor Switzerland has managed this, despite prolonged negotiations.
We ‘suffer’ from the success of our economy, making the UK more attractive to find work in and less attractive to emigrate from.
TED REYnOLDS, Bisley, Surrey.
They won’t let us leave
NO MATTER how the public votes in the referendum, Britain quite simply will not be allowed to leave.
David Cameron has been told to persuade the British public to vote to stay in the EU at all costs. It has been a cringeworthy spectacle.
If Britain remains, unelected EU bureaucrats dictating what we can and can’t do inside our borders will seem insignificant compared with what will follow.
Rather than a slow tiptoe forward of the planned agenda, we’ll see the EU on steroids. PaUL CaRPEnTER, Bartestree, Herefordshire.
No going back
If this referendum is won by the EU supporters, then they will curse the loudest in future, regardless of their political preference.
There will be no going back to our fine British law and corruption will become an everyday occurrence. Worst of all, financial interference and an overload of heavy taxes will be completely normal.
So before such an awful time can arrive, this letter is among the last warnings to every thinking man and woman to vote Brexit.
D. COLES, Glasgow.
Look to the future
I ASKED my 20-year-old grandson about the referendum and he told me about a conversation he’d had with his friends.
They are working, at university or doing apprenticeships. He said they wanted to stay in the EU, as they feel British and European.
Do we have the right to jeopardise their future GRaHaM KIDDLE, Maidenhead, Berks.
The China crisis
I SPENT 20 years working outside Britain, mostly in Hong Kong. My last position was with a Chinese firm, marketing other people’s products there.
In meetings, some clients mentioned they had their European headquarters in the UK, many with manufacturing facilities.
When I asked, ‘Why the UK?’ most pointed to easy access into Europe, ease of communication and good terms from the UK Government.
When I asked what they would do if Britain wasn’t in the EU, most said they would find another country, with similar ‘corporate benefits’, to serve Europe from within the EU.
I believe if we were to leave the EU, there could be a large exit of bigname firms, which would lead to thousands of job losses.
D.F. WHaRTOn, West Kirby, Wirral.