Why I Think The EU Was Good For Britain And Will Continue To Be

I haven't really kept this blog up through the twists and turns of Brexit.  I have quite a few unposted ones, and even more that I have posted but which now seem not particularly interesting. But the process has at least been educational.  I feel I know a lot more about recent European history, the way the EU works and about myself and my country than I did before the issue came up.


Here are some things I have learned.

First off, I am a romantic pro-European.  I don't really care that much about what the economic and practical consequences of joining, remaining and leaving are.  I just feel that if the club is there we need to be part of it.  I also think that we really are a part of it.  Britain is in Europe and we share so much with our neighbours that we can't divorce ourselves from them.  You are a member of your family whether you like them or not.  As it is I like both my family and Europe, but I couldn't get away from either if I didn't.

Secondly, I had no idea just how beneficial Europe was economically.  This is one of those things that you don't really notice on a day to day basis, but which are obvious when you stand back.  Of course being able to trade freely with any company on the continent is a good thing.   How could it not be?  And yet somehow it never really occurred to me.  And I certainly never appreciated it.  I do now.  In fact I don't think all the benefits will vanish when we leave, so that is good.

The FT have a very good article that covers the basic issues.

https://www.ft.com/content/0260242c-370b-11e6-9a05-82a9b15a8ee7

The take home message is that the economy is about 10% bigger than it would have been had we remained outside.

I have also realised just how well UK political institutions work. I don't like Brexit.  I want it reversed as soon as possible and hopefully we won't be outside the EU for very long.  But it is rather remarkable just how well parliament has represented the nation's views.   So it turns out that a small majority want to leave.  And so they are getting their wish.  But the way it is happening is being slowed down and made much less dramatic than it might have been.  We look a bit indecisive, but that is because we really haven't really come to a firm decision.

Another thing that is obvious but which I hadn't really noticed is just how powerful Rupert Murdoch is.  I suppose owning a lot of newspapers would be expected to give you a lot of influence, but I hadn't really joined up the dots. I think it was when Michael Gove got back into the cabinet that the penny dropped.  Why else after all, was he there?

So Brexit has been good for more general awareness of the way things work in the real world that I live in and for understanding how my own brain works.  I ought to be very depressed.  We are leaving which is both unappealing emotionally and damaging financially.  But somehow I think that when we get back in we'll have a very different viewpoint and we'll make much more of our membership than we have so far.  So bizarrely, I think things will work out fine.