EU Referendum: The Arguments

We are just over a week away from one of the most important votes the UK electorate has made in 30 years. Do we stay in the EU or do we leave and go it alone?

Both the Remain and Leave campaigns have been criticised for scaremongering and negative campaigning in the last few weeks and many are at a loss to see what the actual ramifications of their vote may be. So, here at UnCOVered, we’re going to try and break it down as succinctly as possible.

Vote Remain

According to the Vote Remain campaign, staying in the EU would mean:

  • Remaining a member of the single market allowing easy trade with other European nations
  • Remaining subject to the European Court of Human Rights
  • Freedom of movement for all UK citizens to other EU countries – without the need for visas etc.
  • The chance for the UK to become a leader in European affairs
  • Safeguard 3 million jobs directly linked with our involvement with the EU
  • Continue to receive £66m EVERY DAY in investment from the EU
  • Continuing to save £350 per household per year due to lower prices thanks to being in the EU
  • Continuing to receive funding for medical research into diseases like Parkinsons and Alzheimers.
  • Continuing to enjoy higher wages thanks to EU membership

   

Vote Leave

According to the Vote Leave campaign, voting to leave the EU would mean:

  • The UK regains autonomy over immigration from other EU countries. This means the UK would be able to place stricter restrictions on people entering the country. There are plans to introduce an Australian style points system to ensure all those entering the country have the skills and attributes to add to society.
  • The UK would be able to negotiate other trade agreements with countries from around the world (i.e. China and India) and no longer be subject to EU trade agreements.
  • The UK could save the money it pays annually to the EU. In 2014 that amount was £12.9 BILLION (after receiving the annual rebate but not including other funding the UK receives from EU). The campaign have said this money could be spent on improving the NHS. (See video below)
  • Placing greater restrictions on immigration from EU countries will help ease the strain on the NHS
  • We won’t be subject to bailing out Eurozone countries whose economies fail
  • We’ll have more of a say in the laws we abide by. Currently we are bound by a number of laws passed by the unelected EU commission and we are always outvoted by the Eurozone countries if the UK opposed a law changes 
  • We’ll only be subject to laws made by the members of parliament we voted for.

On a final note, it’s worth mentioning that while this is an important vote, the results are non-binding. That means that whatever the result of the referendum on June 23rd, the government is in no way legally obliged to follow it. However, it’s hard to see how the government could justify ignoring the voice of the people if the result is overwhelming in favour of leaving the EU. But as we are trying to present the facts here, this is an important one to keep in mind.

Join the debate by letting us know what you think in the comments below or on social media.

unCOVer more:

Comments

comments