WRITTEN BY ANTHONY JAMES
CATEGORY: BLOG

CREATED: TUESDAY, 10 MAY 2016 10:28
The world is on the edge, if Britain exits the EU there will be uproar and chaos for sure. The question is will the chaos be productive? As a believer in creativity as a way of life I cannot but express the view that leaving the EU would be good not only for Britain but also for Europe.

Why do I say this? My reasons are as follows:

1 The Euro currency is doomed to failure – it has been the most misguided of political initiatives. The poorer southern PIGS have no chance and France also teeters on the brink of economic ruin. Unless the eurozone is unscrambles – and soon, i believe the EU will collapse in the foreseeable future.

2 The Schengen area is an ideal that clearly does not work in much the same way that the eurozone doesn’t work i.e. poorer country populations will on balance export their aspirational workers to richer countries. The consequence is obvious, and twofold; The migration of the best will impoverish already poorer countries and the migration will put stresses and strains on the better off economies.

3 Despite the theoretical democratic systems of sovereign states deciding on principle initiatives which then are filtered through the European Parliament too much power resides in the European Commission where political rhetoric and United States of Europe aspiration is still a strong and unbridled force. Whilst the Commission should be answerable to The European Parliament in practice it doesn’t appear to be at all.

4 Where does it all stop? Ukraine, Turkey, Albania and so it rolls on. An ideal with no finite strategy.

Of course there will be risks and exposures when Uk exits, the UK is after all the fifth biggest economy in the world. The world however is a big place and the EU area is presently not growing. Anyone looking into shop windows will also be aware that goods from China, the Indian sub continent, predominate, Meat from new Zealand, and Australia, vegetables from East Africa, metals from South America and Australasia, IT technology from India and the USA, and so it goes on.

The Uk imports a good deal from the EU and that income is vital to those countries. Cars from germany, Spain, france, Food and wine from France, Coal from Poland. These countries will Iam sure want to continue their trade with the UK, the issues of taxes will need to be formulated anew but since the issues are more or less balanced the long term balance will be retained as it is clearly in everyone’s interest to do so.

On the issue of defence the UK has been and remains the principal driver alongside the USA in Nato. Many of our European colleagues do little or nothing to contribute to NATO and leave the heavy lifting to the US and the UK (less and less). The UK’s commitment to a fixed ratio of GDP to defence embeds us absolutely into the NATO alliance and Brexit or no there will be a continuity of Uk involvement and leadership.

The European record in Foreign affairs has so far been poor (Kosovo), slow cumbersome and lacking in leadership. Nato remains the principal instrument where UK will continue to play its part. On intelligence and anti terrorism activities the Uk will remain an important hub in not only European intelligence gathering but also in cahoots with the Australian and American Agencies on a global scale.

Diplomatically it will be interesting to see where the UK wants to travel. Do we want to retreat into an isolationist self centred nation? Some would say so. Some on the other hand see the Uk as a force for good with a huge experience of enterprise, innovation and excellent armed forces. Surely the Uk will continue to contribute on the world’s stage.

Weaker outside the EU or stronger? What is virtually certain is that if the Uk does exit the EU it will be the beginning of the end of the Eu as we now know it.

It’s your vote you decide.
he world is on the edge, if Britain exits the EU there will be uproar and chaos for sure. The question is will the chaos be productive? As a believer in creativity as a way of life I cannot but express the view that leaving the EU would be good not only for Britain but also for Europe.

Why do I say this? My reasons are as follows:

1 The Euro currency is doomed to failure – it has been the most misguided of political initiatives. The poorer southern PIGS have no chance and France also teeters on the brink of economic ruin. Unless the eurozone is unscrambles – and soon, i believe the EU will collapse in the foreseeable future.

2 The Schengen area is an ideal that clearly does not work in much the same way that the eurozone doesn’t work i.e. poorer country populations will on balance export their aspirational workers to richer countries. The consequence is obvious, and twofold; The migration of the best will impoverish already poorer countries and the migration will put stresses and strains on the better off economies.

3 Despite the theoretical democratic systems of sovereign states deciding on principle initiatives which then are filtered through the European Parliament too much power resides in the European Commission where political rhetoric and United States of Europe aspiration is still a strong and unbridled force. Whilst the Commission should be answerable to The European Parliament in practice it doesn’t appear to be at all.

4 Where does it all stop? Ukraine, Turkey, Albania and so it rolls on. An ideal with no finite strategy.

Of course there will be risks and exposures when Uk exits, the UK is after all the fifth biggest economy in the world. The world however is a big place and the EU area is presently not growing. Anyone looking into shop windows will also be aware that goods from China, the Indian sub continent, predominate, Meat from new Zealand, and Australia, vegetables from East Africa, metals from South America and Australasia, IT technology from India and the USA, and so it goes on.

The Uk imports a good deal from the EU and that income is vital to those countries. Cars from germany, Spain, france, Food and wine from France, Coal from Poland. These countries will Iam sure want to continue their trade with the UK, the issues of taxes will need to be formulated anew but since the issues are more or less balanced the long term balance will be retained as it is clearly in everyone’s interest to do so.

On the issue of defence the UK has been and remains the principal driver alongside the USA in Nato. Many of our European colleagues do little or nothing to contribute to NATO and leave the heavy lifting to the US and the UK (less and less). The UK’s commitment to a fixed ratio of GDP to defence embeds us absolutely into the NATO alliance and Brexit or no there will be a continuity of Uk involvement and leadership.

The European record in Foreign affairs has so far been poor (Kosovo), slow cumbersome and lacking in leadership. Nato remains the principal instrument where UK will continue to play its part. On intelligence and anti terrorism activities the Uk will remain an important hub in not only European intelligence gathering but also in cahoots with the Australian and American Agencies on a global scale.

Diplomatically it will be interesting to see where the UK wants to travel. Do we want to retreat into an isolationist self centred nation? Some would say so. Some on the other hand see the Uk as a force for good with a huge experience of enterprise, innovation and excellent armed forces. Surely the Uk will continue to contribute on the world’s stage.

Weaker outside the EU or stronger? What is virtually certain is that if the Uk does exit the EU it will be the beginning of the end of the Eu as we now know it.

It’s your vote you decide.