In or out of the EU, Britain is part of Europe – like it or not
Kevin Rafferty says having voted to leave, Britain risks even more dire consequences if it rushes its exit from the European Union
What folly of British Prime Minister David Cameron pandering to the demands of his Conservative Party right wing to allow a simple “in or out” referendum on whether the UK should leave the European Union. The country will be haunted forever by the decision, if it survives. Instead, Cameron should have asked a bright young video gamer to devise a thriller fantasy, The Deadly Curse of Brexit , in which players would dare to enter the dark caves of life inside and outside the EU. They would grapple with lying politicians, overreaching bureaucrats and greedy business executives, struggling with the evil forces of war and hatred, dreams of a better world, nationalism, recession and depression, unemployment and refugees. They would chase unicorns beckoning to a brave new world of peace that would dissolve upon touching. Players would quickly realise there is no simple “yes or no” solution to any decisions, and certainly not to the larger question of whether the UK is better off in or out of the EU.
With the world economy on the brink, Brexit negotiations aren’t the place to settle political scores
Too late, the voters decided and the UK is going out of the EU. Or is it? Given the obvious flaws, and the destructive force of the result, influential politicians and business leaders have called for a new referendum or for the result to be ignored. There is force to their arguments. The UK is a parliamentary democracy and Parliament is sovereign. The referendum has no binding legal force. Many countries which use referendums set tough conditions, for example a 75 per cent turnout or a two-thirds majority, before the result can be binding. In the case of the UK, the turnout was 72.2 per cent, but the narrow result – 51.9 per cent for leave and 48.1 per cent to stay – masks divisions.
‘Little England’ made a wise choice to leave the pompous, crumbling EU
Given that much of the campaigning was based on exaggeration, if not lies, there is surely a case for having a second look at the implications of a hasty retreat. Having seen sterling plunge and markets shaken, some remorse has already set in. More than four million people have signed a petition calling for the referendum to be rerun.
Two main claims of Brexit leaders have already been shown to be false. The cash-strapped National Health Service is not going to get the £350 million (HK$3.5 billion) a week promised after coming out of the EU. Justice Minister and failed prime ministerial candidate Michael Gove said it would be only £100 million. And he drew back from pre-referendum promises to reduce immigration to 100,000 a year. If the UK wants a trade deal with the EU, it will have to accept the EU’s policies on migration and free movement of labour.
