So in the next few weeks the UK will decide whether or not
it remains in the EU. Personally I tend to agree with David
Mitchell on the referendum because it is SUCH an important decision that I
believe it should be made by the people we voted in to LEAD our country. There
is also the worrying undercurrent with this particular subject that many people
will vote to leave on one small matter (to stem immigration) when there are SO
MANY other issues that will be massively affected by a Brexit.
I worked for 7 years in a role which engaged with and
managed projects which could only operate due to being part (or in some cases
fully) funded by the EU. These funds were apportioned to those areas of the UK
most in need, those with high levels of unemployment, poverty and depravation.
We were made to record the postcodes of businesses and individuals we helped so
that the EU could monitor that the funds were really getting to the areas they
were intended for – yes, EU funding administration is bureaucratic but it has
to be that way to ensure the money is spent how and where it should be. Having
also worked with non-EU government funds, it will probably come as no surprise
to find out that they are far less stringent with their evidence of eligibility
in spend.
I have heard NOTHING from the government to suggest that
these vital sources of funding will be bridged by them if the UK leaves the EU.
In the current economy do you really believe that the current, swingeing, Tory
government will step in to fund these schemes? No, me either.
During my time working with these projects I saw many (as in
HUNDREDS) of businesses get a real, tangible boost from their engagement with
them. I saw EU funds support and engage with struggling SMEs (who could not
access assistance anywhere else). Part of my job was to collate evidence of
created and safeguarded sales that the EU funds had created – it was standard
to get an 8:1 return on investment from these projects, an impressive success
by any measure. This is worth bearing in mind when you go on like a broken
record about how much the EU costs us.
I also worked first hand on a project which used EU funds to
get graduates into SME jobs. Without the subsidy provided by this funding the
companies would never be able to afford a graduate in such a role, the graduate
would also struggle to find work – this project solved two major economic
issues with deft use of the available funds. This was no mean feat. The admin
required to pull this off was huge but it was SO worth it when we could clearly
see (and report on) the jobs created, the graduates who were being assisted
into these roles, the long term impact this had both on the companies and on
the graduates was nothing short of stellar.
The UK benefits greatly from these tranches of funding which
are ploughed into supporting our SMEs and graduates and there is nothing to
replace it if the plug is pulled by an exit from the EU. I have tried to
understand the viewpoint around leaving but struggle massively to see anything
within the literature I have scoured which, at its heart, is anything other than
racism disguised as politics.
It is sadly the case that a lot of people will vote in this
referendum without reading up on the facts, they will vote with their heart,
not their head and they will be swayed by sensationalist headlines about people
from Romania invading our shores and milking our benefits (even though the
facts very easily refute this nonsense). It is also quite telling that the
amount of misguided rants about immigration and how this negatively impacts
upon the UK economy are, without exception, by people who want to leave Europe.
Coincidence? I think not.
I have seen a number of
interesting posts (again, designed to stir up sentiment and resentment
against the EU without considering any objective elements or impact) about how
so many UK industries and businesses have moved their operations outside of the
UK “because of the EU”. This is stunningly blinkered and a great example of
positioning irrelevant information to foster an emotional (and therefore angry)
response.
Whether we were in the EU or not, it is highly likely that
many of our manufacturing giants (Mini – which is owned by German BMW anyway –
Ford Transit, Cadbury) would have shipped out of UK based production anyway
because in the current GLOBAL market it makes more sense to run your production
plants in an economy where the minimum wage is lower and the profit margins
higher. Ironically, that is just as likely (if not more likely) to mean India,
China, Malaysia or any of the South East Asia region. And they would have done
it regardless of EU loans.
Like it or not, the UK is not a manufacturing dependent country
anymore and it never will be again. Our strengths lie in technology,
high-skilled workers and service industries (a great article on this can be
found here).
I also fear for UK farmers who may well be financially
crippled again if the UK votes to leave. Do you fancy an increase in tax to
replace the subsidies they currently rely on? Has the government outlined a
plan to cover it?
I do not believe the EU is perfect, I understand that it has
its faults, but I fully believe in 2016 the UK would be both short sighted and
bloody minded to step away from the benefits, protection and opportunities that
being a member affords us.
Yes, I choose to live in Australia at the moment and will
likely become an Australian citizen in the next few years. However, I will
retain my UK citizenship and hold both simultaneously so yes, I do believe I
have a right to a say in all this and I have cast my postal vote to remain accordingly.
I feel obliged to say this because I have been the recipient of a few barbed
remarks about my views on the Brexit over recent weeks. I am certain that more
will be aimed at me after this blog post is published. Oh well.
One of the delights of modern life is freedom of speech. I
respect everyone’s right to their opinion and if the UK votes leave then I will
sigh, roll my eyes and watch the fall out (just like I did when the UK
inexplicably voted in a Tory government at the last election). On the Brexit
debate, I find myself agreeing with Dishface for the first time ever. I guess
the fact that it has come to that underlines the weight of the risks involved
with a Leave vote for me (hence the blog).
Cast your vote and have your say. Just ensure you have truly
read around both sides of the argument first and don't base your vote on scaremongering immigration rants alone.
