If Britons choose to leave the European Union, prepare for the end of the world, as we know it! Not true, of course, but it will hardly come as a surprise if that warning is next on the scare list of high officials desperately trying to claw-in votes for the stay movement and unfortunately, the shrills on the other side sound similarly alarmist.
The politics of fear is alive and well in Britain leaving voters forced to decide for themselves, which scenario is worse than the other. British Prime Minister David Cameron must surely rue the day he acceded to the demands of his party elite to hold a referendum whose far-reaching ripples, according to an array of political and economic pundits could undermine the EU project and negatively impact the global economy if he fails to convince those yet undecided to vote for the status quo.
With just six weeks to go, the country is split down the middle. Polls are so close nobody can safely predict the outcome and it doesn’t help that sections of the media have taken to whipping up nationalist sentiments, instead of setting out the pros and cons to enable voters to make their own judgments.
A sign that the British PM is tearing his hair out was his warning that an exit could increase the risk of a European War and genocide, which was largely received with ridicule. His appeal to President Obama to help save the day with an assertion that Britain’s influence would be diminished and a US-UK trade deal might be pushed to the back of the queue had the opposite effect of that intended. Many UK citizens were outraged at what they perceived to be American interference in their country’s affairs.
The discussion which is becoming more and more heated by the day is now clad in emotion as well as a “them and us” factor with some waxing lyrical on social media that it was Great Britain which delivered Europe from the Nazis during WWII and is, therefore, gutsy enough to go it alone, free of diktats from Brussels. They forget that our world has become an inter-dependent global village, our economies interconnected and modern-day threats require unified responses. Moreover, most countries take the line that big is beautiful taking shelter within economic and defense blocs.
Leading the charge to go is the former slightly eccentric Mayor of London Boris Johnson who has thrown the cat among the pigeons comparing the EU’s aims with those of Napoleon and Hitler. They both “wanted to create a single European power…by force. And the EU is trying to do it by stealth,” he told the BBC, triggering a storm of criticism from prominent personalities in both camps.
My own view is based on the principle of “better the devil you know.” The EU is far from perfect. It is top heavy with bureaucracy, drains the coffers of its wealthier member countries and ties the hands of governments on certain issues. Its recent performance with regard to refugees fleeing conflicts and terrorism has smeared its stated common values. Its hard-line stance on Greece’s economic woes as opposed to its generosity toward non-EU member state Ukraine and its willingness to fall-in with Turkey’s demands to keep asylum seekers from its shores are examples of its double standard and disunited policies.
Yet, while it would be right to dismiss the ranting of hysterics, scaremongers and propagandists of all shades, ignoring warnings from the IMF, the World Bank, and the Bank of England, which have issued dire warnings that Brexit will lead to recession, an increase in unemployment, weakened sterling and a diminished capacity for growth, is extremely foolhardy.
There is also a suggestion that multi-national corporations will see advantages in quitting the City of London in favor of a European capital. The mayor of Paris has joked that she’s putting out the welcome mat for them. There is a belief among the Brexit bunch that the EU will be accommodating toward the UK if it waves goodbye. However, with citizens in at least eight other EU states clamoring for their own referendum, the powers that be may not be disposed to give the UK an easy ride. Potentially, the EU could erect trade barriers and oblige Britons who’ve settled in Europe to apply for residence visas and pay for health care. Spain has already indicated that it would shut down Gibraltar the very next day as prelude to taking control of the Rock.
Another very real concern is security. Britain and the US may be joined at the hip now but there may come a time when the EU’s usefulness to Washington eclipses that of the UK. Five former NATO chiefs wrote that Britain’s exit would “give succor to the West’s enemies.” It’s possible that London would be deprived of European intelligence sharing and almost certain that its diplomatic muscle would suffer.
As a Briton myself, it’s my fervent hope that my compatriots will choose wisely on June 23 because from this messy divorce, there is no going back.
The politics of fear is alive and well in Britain leaving voters forced to decide for themselves, which scenario is worse than the other. British Prime Minister David Cameron must surely rue the day he acceded to the demands of his party elite to hold a referendum whose far-reaching ripples, according to an array of political and economic pundits could undermine the EU project and negatively impact the global economy if he fails to convince those yet undecided to vote for the status quo.
With just six weeks to go, the country is split down the middle. Polls are so close nobody can safely predict the outcome and it doesn’t help that sections of the media have taken to whipping up nationalist sentiments, instead of setting out the pros and cons to enable voters to make their own judgments.
A sign that the British PM is tearing his hair out was his warning that an exit could increase the risk of a European War and genocide, which was largely received with ridicule. His appeal to President Obama to help save the day with an assertion that Britain’s influence would be diminished and a US-UK trade deal might be pushed to the back of the queue had the opposite effect of that intended. Many UK citizens were outraged at what they perceived to be American interference in their country’s affairs.
The discussion which is becoming more and more heated by the day is now clad in emotion as well as a “them and us” factor with some waxing lyrical on social media that it was Great Britain which delivered Europe from the Nazis during WWII and is, therefore, gutsy enough to go it alone, free of diktats from Brussels. They forget that our world has become an inter-dependent global village, our economies interconnected and modern-day threats require unified responses. Moreover, most countries take the line that big is beautiful taking shelter within economic and defense blocs.
Leading the charge to go is the former slightly eccentric Mayor of London Boris Johnson who has thrown the cat among the pigeons comparing the EU’s aims with those of Napoleon and Hitler. They both “wanted to create a single European power…by force. And the EU is trying to do it by stealth,” he told the BBC, triggering a storm of criticism from prominent personalities in both camps.
My own view is based on the principle of “better the devil you know.” The EU is far from perfect. It is top heavy with bureaucracy, drains the coffers of its wealthier member countries and ties the hands of governments on certain issues. Its recent performance with regard to refugees fleeing conflicts and terrorism has smeared its stated common values. Its hard-line stance on Greece’s economic woes as opposed to its generosity toward non-EU member state Ukraine and its willingness to fall-in with Turkey’s demands to keep asylum seekers from its shores are examples of its double standard and disunited policies.
Yet, while it would be right to dismiss the ranting of hysterics, scaremongers and propagandists of all shades, ignoring warnings from the IMF, the World Bank, and the Bank of England, which have issued dire warnings that Brexit will lead to recession, an increase in unemployment, weakened sterling and a diminished capacity for growth, is extremely foolhardy.
There is also a suggestion that multi-national corporations will see advantages in quitting the City of London in favor of a European capital. The mayor of Paris has joked that she’s putting out the welcome mat for them. There is a belief among the Brexit bunch that the EU will be accommodating toward the UK if it waves goodbye. However, with citizens in at least eight other EU states clamoring for their own referendum, the powers that be may not be disposed to give the UK an easy ride. Potentially, the EU could erect trade barriers and oblige Britons who’ve settled in Europe to apply for residence visas and pay for health care. Spain has already indicated that it would shut down Gibraltar the very next day as prelude to taking control of the Rock.
Another very real concern is security. Britain and the US may be joined at the hip now but there may come a time when the EU’s usefulness to Washington eclipses that of the UK. Five former NATO chiefs wrote that Britain’s exit would “give succor to the West’s enemies.” It’s possible that London would be deprived of European intelligence sharing and almost certain that its diplomatic muscle would suffer.
As a Briton myself, it’s my fervent hope that my compatriots will choose wisely on June 23 because from this messy divorce, there is no going back.
