Brexit
Dear Sir,
I was surprised at your editorial about Brexit and that you do not seem to have a clear idea why the UK voted to leave the EU. There were a number of issues but the most important were among the following.
1. UK citizens do not want to ever become part of a United States of Europe where our vote is equal to Malta, Estonia, Poland or Rumania. The likelihood of the US of E being run by Germany was also pretty much the last straw. We are happy to trade with the EU but no way are we going to be governed by the EU. We will never have the euro and never be part of the Schengen area or drive on the right. We have never fully integrated over more than 40 years and never will.
2. The net population increase from immigration in the UK over the last 10 years has been equal to an increase equivalent to the total population of Palma every single year. An increase of around 4 Million people! Scotland and Wales have not been affected much as not many people want to go there but England has been swamped. As the UK has the most generous non contributory social service system in the EU these services have been strangled to crisis point. They cannot cope financially or in organisational terms with this level of immigration. Everybody, including historic immigrants, have suffered considerably as a result. That group were one of the biggest Brexit group Leave voters. The whole social system is close to collapse. Immigration birth rates have spiralled.
3. We are massive net contributors to the EU coffers. A 1Billion€ surcharge was imposed on us last year I think. At exactly the same time that sum was given to France who had overstated their economy for some reason. Statistically our drug and prostitution industries had been historically underestimated and we owed 1 Billion € and pay up immediately, and we did despite Osborne telling us that he wouldn’t pay, was proof the EU had gone mad. Illegal trades in the UK were valued by the EU! How?
4. The ECHR is not fit for purpose in many peoples’ minds and protects murderers and terrorists rather than the general public using "unqualified judges" from what we can tell. The UK has the most advanced legal system in the world with outstanding judges and we do not need to be second guessed, let alone overruled...
5. The single market and customs union protects the inefficient, punishes low value world trading economies and increases costs for the benefit of a weak euro for the massive benefit of German family manufacturers and French farmers. We are better off out and see how the EU will manage without a 70 Billion € annual trade surplus with us. We will get a trade deal with the USA within a year and every other country outside the EU will queue up to trade with us. We can easily subsidise our own industries if the EU puts up trade barriers. We can protect our car and steel industry and as a free trading nation attract massive overseas investment as is already happening post Brexit. We can determine what is best for US and not what is best for other countries with no similar economic profile. Do not worry about our trade which is only 30% of our economy in any event. 70% is services with the big wide world. They will continue to trade with us.
6. David Cameron and the now resigned chief civil servant negotiated a deal with the EU prior to the referendum. It was beautifully summed up in the House of Commons when a Tory MP asked, "Is that it?"
The EU should have given us something, even if they didn’t care about what they gave us, but they gave us nothing. The people of the UK or rather everywhere except London and parts of Scotland felt slighted.
There are lots of other reasons. Please feel proud of your native country, not ashamed, for our vote was in our best long term interest, even if we knew there should be short term pain.
Regards
Richard
Calvia