Brexit Has Remained A Talking

Brexit has remained a talking point after the controversial referendum favoured the majority to allow the process, where the United Kingdom would be prepared to withdraw its membership of the European Union. This is a topic on which many people have different views as this will change the lives of millions of people living throughout Europe. More than two and a half years has past since the vote, but arguments of certain aspects of our exit continue to this day.

Most supporters of Brexit argue that leaving the EU would result in the UK saving money. All members of the EU have to pay a ‘membership fee’ where the money contributes to the EU budget for schemes and projects that the EU fund. In 2016, the British Government paid 13.1 billion pounds of taxpayers’ money as a membership fee alone. Many supporters believe that the tax from the public is better invested in Britain, in areas such as the NHS or the education system instead of paying billions to the EU. Leavers have put the NHS in the spotlight, claiming that if the UK leaves the EU, almost 5.2 billion pounds would be available for the NHS budget. However, this is uncertain because some economics experts believe that leaving the EU could trigger economic shock, which could leave the country £20 billion to £40 billion worse by the year 2020.If this prediction is proven to be correct , the government must find a way to pay for essential services, and that might mean that the government have to cut the budget from other areas such as culture, sport and international development.

Some people think that Brexit is wrong and argue that leaving the European Union can be horrendous for our trade partnerships. The European Union is a single market and its members do not need to pay tariffs on exports and imports between other members of the EU. Research conducted by Sky News shows that more than 50 percent of British exports go around the EU, which means businesses around the UK are able to have increased profits which is good for our economy. Also we have a say over how trading rules are applied which could benefit the UK more. The disadvantage of leaving the single market is that British businesses will be hurt as tax will be applied, making it harder for businesses to gain a profit. Many people also fear that Brexit will make the UK lose some of its powers of trade between the EU and around the globe, and as a result, the UK might have a lower, less profitable economy. This can cause a “Trade war” between the UK and the EU, where either side could increase the tariffs of precious items such as steel and aluminium, causing disputes between the two sides and damaging the close relationship between the two and the economies of both.

However, many Eurosceptics believe that Brexit would give more power to Britain. Every member of the European Union must follow the ‘EU Law’, where every member has a say over what type of things should be compulsory . This can cause tension between members of the Union as it involves giving up some controls over their affairs. Many politicians argue this at the House of Lords; one Labour MP, Kate Hoey claims that “… the EU is an attempt to replace the democratic power of the people”. This shows that some politicians believe that the UK is putting the EU rules first, instead of our own laws, and they emphasize the idea that Britain must be able to make up its own law and regulations and the EU is holding them back.

Pro-EU supporters suggests that remaining in the EU would protect the rights for numerous people. One example of rights that would be protected are “workers’ rights”. The European Union has made many basic rights compulsory such as Holiday Pay, Paid Parental Leave, Working Hours and anti-discrimination laws. They think that leaving the EU, it would be up to the Government to either keep or alter these valuable rights which affects not just British people but also immigrants who are in the UK for a better life. Another example might be the right which allows all EU citizens to leave their country and to be able to live in an different countries within the EU without visas or paperwork. This is scarce and special to so many people throughout the EU because without this, they wouldn’t be able to start a new life in the UK.

The immigrant issue is the biggest issue of this whole debate and a considerable amount of people think that immigrants from the EU are abusing this right by coming into this country and claiming benefits. However on the other hand, many people think that the immigrants from the EU can bring skills and fill jobs and that would benefit the British economy. A poll conducted by the BBC, shows that seventy percent of EU immigrants come to the UK either having a definite job or are actively looking for one. Supporters argue this shows an overwhelming majority of immigrants come to the country help to contribute to society by paying taxes instead of “leeching” off the benefits system.

Brexit is a complicated and divisive issue that we must all face today. Brexit will not only change the lives of the British public, but the EU itself as many countries would see the United Kingdom leaving as a start of a “domino effect” which could make other countries who are considering leaving such as Italy make that same choice. In my opinion I think that the UK is better off remaining in the EU as there isn’t a clear plan for Brexit. There are still many complications in the Brexit process where MPs have different opinions about this but overall I think it is wrong to leave a system that favours many people throughout the UK and the EU. In my opinion, leaving the EU has casted a dark cloud of uncertainty over our society as I think Brexit was timed too early as there wasn’t any certain deals or contracts laid out to the public and as a result of this, people voted without knowing the full facts and consequences of leaving the EU and now as we are learning the true cost of things, people are changing their minds and saying we are entitled to have another referendum, and we should as I think Brexit may leave the United Kingdom for worse.