Tuesday 21 June 2016

I'm no Little Englander (I come from Wales) - But I'm Voting Brexit....

With the EU referendum only days away, I thought now was the time to throw my hat into the ring.

But first I'd like to ask you 4 simple questions:

1.  Why was Northern Ireland allowed to have a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty but GB was not?
2.  Why did Northern Ireland block the treaty?
3.  How was the treaty finally ratified?
4.  Name 3 of the 40 Vetoes the Lisbon Treaty removed from the UK?

If you can't answer one or more of these questions I urge you not to vote until you can.

This loss of power for the UK happened less than 8 years ago and lays out exactly which direction the EU has and continues to go. It is in essence the very reason most Brexiters I know want out of the EU (not by the way Europe we will still be a European country).

If you were able to answer all four questions, congratulations, you already know considerably more than most in London.

Sadly the truth of the matter is the debate on both sides has been totally abhorrent and lacking in substance.

I've actually had educated friends say they're not going to vote LEAVE because they dislike the personalities who support it (Donald Trump, Nigel Farrage, Boris Johnson etc.)


The most important vote in their lifetimes and they are basing their decisions purely on the right celebrity endorsement.


And these are the bright, Russell Group, degree educated friends, who know how to academically research, I pity the rest of the UK voting public, who've been asked to make such an important decision with so few facts.


I have been a BREXITER since 1993, having read the Maastricht treaty in its entirety the moment it was ratified (the first ever document I printed off the new fangled internet invention Wednesday 18th May 1993 - I was a geek, shoot me).  The EEC made sense, combining Countries into a Trading Block to compete with Russia and America.


But the EU, that was insanity. Countries with no shared language, culture, economies or work ethics all forced under a single banner to be run from two of the smallest countries in Europe, no way that was going to work (Humour reflecting reality BBC Yes Minister - The Devil You Know - first 6 minutes).


And if ever evidence was needed less than a year earlier having been forced into the ERM (Exchange Rate Mechanism for the single currency then the ECU) we watched Britain almost fall into oblivion with interest rates running at 12% raising to 17% in a single day and George Sorros taking a cool £1 Billion profit from Sterling (for the Millenials who have lived their entire adult life under an almost 0% interest economy this would be an inconceivable situation, the equivalent of trying to comprehend Quantum Physics for a layman - Investopedia - How did George Soros "break the Bank of England"?).


And that is why on Thursday, I'm voting Brexit.


Not because I'm anti-immigration (nobody who lives in Central London is, if you wanted that kind of immigrant free world you'd move to Surrey or Kent - The Independent 2013 - White Britons 'in retreat' from racially mixed areas, reveals study by think tank Demos).


Not because I'm a little Englander (I was born in Wales and the EU doesn't even know where that is - BBC News 2004 - Eurocrats Leave Wales off Map & The Telegraph 2004 - Wales is wiped off the map by the EU)


Not because I want a return to Empire (It's corporations, not countries who rule the world in the 21st Century anyway The Guardian 2014 - Who's in Control Nation States or Global Corporations?).


But because I don't want my laws made by companies, am keen to re-establish politics to the hands of the people and want a country that works for the benefits of the populace and not for a Bureaucracy which exists for it's own sake.


You see:


Immigration is essential for both culture and economic growth but the UK being in the EU has meant it has undermined workers rights and wages by allowing unfettered and unchecked immigration from the EU but not being so gracious to those further afield to counter act it (The Guardian 2016 The Non-Eu Workers who'll be deported for earning less than £35,000)


SME's in the UK are the largest employers (Not the Multi-Nationals who are all obviously keen for the UK to remain) yet many complain of over zealous regulation in Europe and impacts of EU decisions on trade. (Daily Telegraph 2016 Eu Referendum 200 small firm bosses and entrepreneurs tell Britons to vote for Brexit & FT 2005 UK Dismay as Greeks win Feta cheese rights after EU decision)

And

TTIP would essentially allow us to be run by Monsanto, McDonalds & Marlborough (The Guardian 2016 - What is TTIP and why should we be angry about it?)


Why else do you think the likes of Barrack Obama are so keen for us to stay in?


And finally, and most importantly,

There's not been a single piece of evidence that supports that our entrance in the EU has been beneficial (in any true measurable terms - it's all guessed at) - NOT ONE! (FullFacts.org EU Facts behind the claims: economic costs and benefits)


Everyone said we'd be sideline when Cameron Vetoed the Franco/German Eurozone - We weren't (The Guardian 2011 David Cameron Blocks EU Treaty with Veto)


Everyone of the so called experts (OECD, IMF, LSE) said there would be economic failure if we didn't enter the Euro - there wasn't (The Guardian 2000 Britain Told: Economy is Ripe for Euro by OECD, in fact it was the exact opposite - BBC News 2015 Greek Debt Crisis Where do other Eurozone countries stand?)


Everyone of the so called experts are also claiming they can predict the future of the markets, if you haven't learnt the stupidity of that foresight after the Bank Bail-outs... well?


So ignore the speculation, the sooth sayers, the self-interested organisation (always ask how much EU funding a body saying they want to stay in the EU gets) and focus instead on those great JFK lines,


"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country"


If you vote BREXIT though, remember it's a start, not an end.  If we vote to leave we will have greater responsibilities to bring our governments to account, educate our young with knowledge not work skills and dispel the myths of economy. 


(If you vote remain of course you won't have to worry about such things as they won't be in your authority - I can never see a Jarrow or Poll Tax March on the halls of Brussels, can you?)

Whilst not being a Colonialist I did love the passion of Queen Victoria to bring education to the masses here in London, The Great Exhibition was a showcase of why immigration was so important to Britain (now on display at the V&A). The Science Museum & Natural History Museum gave access to generations to the wonders of the Natural & Modern world and still remain free today. And one of the world's most famous auditorium's The Royal Albert Hall is still filled by the greatest creators of music the world has ever produced and all for as little as £6 can still be seen there.

So our history makes us and continues to have influence on how we behave today.

Britain is great and if the EU Referendum has taught us anything, it is, that when every vote counts, everyone of us takes an interest.

Now think if that were true for British politics too.

Isn't that worth voting LEAVE for?


Answers to Lisbon Treaty Questions