I just don't believe that, Cologne. I won't believe people outside the UK are so stupid as to believe that a country that has traditionally welcomed incomers from every corner of the world, is suddenly turning on all foreigners just because it wants to take back power to govern itself, from a post-war experiment that is failing badly. If it comforts you, I still think Remain will win, and the bookies favour that strongly too. But this kind of hysteria, the claims of xenophobia, from Remain supporters will live long in the memory.
The positives of the EU. are IMO. : We have the freedom to live, work or retire anywhere in Europe (and nearly 2 million have done that). It sustains millions of jobs. Holidays are much easier, and much safer ie. we have the right to emergency health care and also can ask for consulate protection from any EU. embassy, anywhere in the World. We have better consumer protection. We are part of an economic block with a GDP. last year of 18.6 trillion dollars - more than the USA, and we divide the wealth from it better than the USA. We have better environmental rules and workers rights. We have cross country coordination and cooperation in the fight against crime . And....the CBI estimates that the net benefit of EU. membership is in the region of 62-78 Billion pounds per year. I could go on, or is that enough ? Balanced against that we have an argument with few facts behind it and very little analysis - which uses the theme of immigration as its strongest weapon. Can Europeans take this seriously when the actual number of EU. citizens in Britain is actually less, proportionally, than 10 other European states - can they take the demand for an emergency break seriously ? In 10 years time the EU will either have broken up (in which case we will be out anyway) or it will have re transformed itself into what it really is ie. a highly successfull economic unit - in which case living standards in Eastern Europe will have risen, which is the only really effective break on emigration. I have been in Germany for 26 years and during that time I have had 2 short periods of unemployment - and it was absolutely clear that I could not claim unless I had been paying in. In order to get a job of any description in Germany it is necessary to be registered as living at a certain address, have a bank account, and to be covoured by paying into a German health insurance. You will find that on all those counts Germany abides by the letter of EU. law - if Britain is doing things differently to that then it is a purely internal affair for them. If Britain really wants to control immigration it is perfectly possible within EU. law. The added argument that 'the boat is full' (population density and so on) doesn't bear weight - maybe you should start with sex education ie. with the proverbial Tracy Sharon Smith, the 15 year old mother of 5 in Luton ! Seriously though Britain has 3 times more teenage pregnancies than any other country in Europe...maybe you should start there.
If the Remain leadership had focussed on the first bit of your post the whole tone of the campaign could have been different. You could add that the gap in average family income between Poland and the U.K. has halved in the last ten years, and is still narrowing, which is precisely what the EU should be about in my view - creating affluent countries which help each other to become more affluent and provide a civilised place for their citizens to live in. A more positive campaign would have painted Brexit into the negative corner. But instead we have lots of the second part of your post and the stuff about tourism etc dominating, either criticism of the way things have been done in the UK or threats about the consequences of leaving. Both may turn out to be absolutely true, but it's no way to win hearts and minds. You may not think the UK is 'full' and you may have stats to back it up, but the fact is for many people living here it feels full and they don't like it. Their perception is the only important thing. Your teenage pregnancy rates stuff is unworthy. For your information, rates have been falling for decades now, though they are still high. Oh, and 27% of the births were to mothers born outside the UK, a demographic I am certain makes up much less than 25% of the total number of teenage girls. So it's an argument for Brexit and reduced immigration. Again, I will vote remain, but I am a helpless contrarian. Light and shade.
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The thing which disturbs me SB. is that the Brexit case is based on mythology or vague supposition. Here are a few. Myth: Britain will be overrun by EU. migrants, placing pressure on our social services and on wage levels. Fact: Nobody can actually say how many are in Britain because, in contrast to many others countries, there is no effective registration system - the estimate is 3.3 million. Britain has the lowest unemployment in years and has the jobs to integrate such a number, not only that, every seventh new business in the UK. is started by an immigrant, which is responsible for 14% of all new jobs created. Myth: Britain pays too much into the EU. the 350 million per week story. Fact: Half of all money paid in by Britain is reinvested there in the form of agricultural subventions, EU financed projects or research money (25% of all EU. research money goes to the UK). In terms of what Britain actually pays in (minus all of these) in relation to GDP it is no longer third on the list of payers in but drops to 10th place. Myth: Overestimation of Britain's trading power. Fact A union of 28 states has more negotiating power, internationally, than one nation alone. Obama is not joking when he says that Britain will go to the back of the queue. Myth: Criticism of a rule crazy unelected bureaucracy in Brussels, which lacks all transparency. Fact: Bureaucracy does get on many people's nerves, and not just the British, but, this serves the internal market of the EU. and, decisions are made exclusively from representatives of the national governments and elected politicians (including British - the only reason why they have lost a bit of influence is because so many of them are from Ukip, and do nothing there other than run up their expense bills). In 90% of all cases laws were made which the British voted for - and that is one of the highest ratios. Myth: The banks will stay. Fact: Investments are already being relocated. But to be honest SB. the real reason I'm miffed is because I can't vote - so if I can influence one persons vote then I can compensate for that.
Just watched Corbin on the box. Expected to agree with many of his views, but was very pleasantly surprised to hear such a human, genuine, and eloquent politician for a change.Really impressed.
Corbin reminds me of some old statesman from an era that is long gone. I cannot comment on his interview as i am yet to watch it. I would expect him to be eloquent especially after the last few days. Fair play to him for not wanting to share a stand with Cameron. It is well known that he actually wants to exit the EU as it is Boris wanting to stay.
there was two outstanding tributes to Jo Cox. One was from a Tory and another from Labour. Neither were from the leaders of the parties
Just one point on employment. A more telling figure is the amount of people who can work are not working. As in the US the amount of people who have given up looking for work or are living on the doleis high. This screws up the "employment" fig.
Surely that's what the unemployment rate is? Those who are eligible to work but currently aren't? Unemployment is at its lowest since 2005 and there is hundreds of thousands of job vacancies, so much for Eastern Europeans stealing jobs!
When was the last time an Englishman ( or woman) served you in a pub or coffee house, ****ing never and I'm in both a lot. I know you're in NYC Durbar, that's to the wider group that live in London. That's not the fault of the people that want to work is it
That surprises me Tooting. Just spent about 7 weeks in England and Wales. Went into countless pubs but cant recall anybody working in one who seemed other than British. We avoided the Cities mostly, but spent about a week in London and Liverpool. Even in parts of London with a lot of immigrants the people working in the Pubs seemed of Brirish origin.
Bloody Hell things must be getting desperate now as they have dragged out David Beckham for a customary appearance. He cannot keep out of the limelight can he? Problem is why is he even interested when he lives and earns all his dosh in the land of the free?
In my village...there are mostly UK (sounding English), one SA and a lady who I can't understand , which I take to be rural Bucks. Pub in Aylesbury over weekend ....UK youngsters manning the bar (3 of whom I know through my daughters) run by an older Irish guy In oxford this morning (coffee bar, not pub)...surly spotty teenager probably UK national, matriarcal matron definately English and a guy from the Indian subcontinent. Not sure you are right Toots
Out here in Rural Berkshire a lot of the pubs and coffee outlets have either polish or another eastern European working in them. I am not complaining because the ones that have served me of late have been pretty and pleasant, however, it does make me wonder why no Young English are working in these jobs? Is it because they don't want to or look at this work as demining, I don't have the answers.
TOP 10 GLOBAL DESTINATIONS FOR UK JOB-HUNTERS 1. USA 36.5% 2. France 11.2% 3. UAE 9.4% 4. Canada 8.5% 5. Ireland 7.5% 6. Australia 6.5% 7. Germany 6% 8. South Africa 5.9% 9. Italy 4.4% 10. Netherlands 4%
