The European Union, what a splendid concept. Back in 1975 it was the first thing I had ever voted on, well to be fair I was asked if I was in favour of joining the common market. To that young mind back then, the idea of the common market made perfect sense - it still does. However, the common market has evolved way beyond what was then on the table.
The goal it seems is for ever closer union, yet in that there is a problem because not everyone wants ever closer union. I know diversity is desired, but the EU has 28 different countries in the "club" and that means 28 different major cultures to deal with. Each country also has different cultures within it too. Of course everyone thinks their way of doing things is the right way, but the 28 are not exactly pulling in the same direction. Each is pulling in a slightly different direction which both slows progress toward the goal, and annoys those who are pulling their weight.
We, the citizens of the UK, are being asked if we wish to LEAVE or REMAIN in the EU. Naturally the media is dominated by discussions from both sides and we are being bombarded with reasons to vote in or out. However, all the time we are being asked to make a decision based on what I see as the minutiae whilst all along both sides are ignoring the big picture. Is it any wonder that the general public as so split on the issue.
What is this bigger picture? It seems to me this is our unwillingness to engage with the EU without fighting it tooth and nail. Why be in a club if you constantly fight its rules every step of the way? I personally can't see the point. OK so we are trying to mould the EU to our ideal, but that isn't going to happen because the other 27 are busy doing the same.
The common market I voted for has largely come to pass, but it isn't there by any stretch of the imagination. You would think by now there would be a single agreed standard for my industry which is water fittings that was accepted across the EU, but this is not the case. It is necessary still, after all these years, for me to have my products tested in the UK, Denmark, Germany so they can be fitted. Without these test certificates, it closes the market to us - some common market eh? This has long been a personal gripe and an excellent example of why the EU is failing to work.
I'm a member of a few clubs. I belong to them because I identify with their raison d'être. I get much from them because I actively participate. I don't say that I want all the benefits, but can I also have some of my subscription back please? I wouldn't be a member of the club very long if I tried that. No if you want to be in a club, be in the club and work toward its goal. Fighting it every step of the way is not a recipe for progress.
So on June 23rd I will be voting to leave because I do not feel our governments, past present and future have the desire to really make it work in the interest of all 26, just for 1/26th of the membership. I don't believe that the 25 other nations are any more prepared than the UK to give up their way of doing things either. For those who vote to remain they should be prepared to get stuck in properly. Adopt the Euro for a start, and be ready for the pressure that will come from the other 26 to tow the line. They will beat us with the result again and again thus removing any leg the Government thinks it has to stand upon.
The EU desperately needs reform. It needs to be the institution that allows the 26 members to retain their individuality, nay celebrate that fact, and concentrate on the common areas that together will make it strong. It needs a complete rewrite, not just fiddling around at the edges. It can never be a European version of America, although like almost everything in this world it is the striving for power that drives and shapes the world as we know it. It is greedy power hungry men that is the root of the issue.
