Why I am voting #Remain - my positive case
I think more than enough vile and false information has been splashed about with regards to issues around immigration in this campaign and anybody who has believed some of the the most horrible rhetoric is not going to be swayed in any way by me so I'm not going there. Instead I have decided to lay out MY POSITIVE REASONS for voting to REMAIN A MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN UNION.
We have all benefited from some aspect of EU
membership over the years
Business and jobs from free trade – Just in our little business I would say about 1.5 of the 12 full time jobs our business
supports is down to the turnover and PROFIT from our sales into the EU. We do
not concentrate on export but nevertheless it has become a valuable income stream and is growing. If the terms of trading into the EU change and it affects
profitability of this business we would be left with no choice but to make some
changes to protect our core business activities. Or put it another way have been able to create 1.5 more jobs than we would have done otherwise thanks to our EU sales.
EU funding of social/ cultural/community
projects – Lots of parts of the UK have amazing resources thanks to EU
funding. Parts of Wales have really benefited
from this and I believe Wales is a net beneficiary.
Infrastructure that would not otherwise be
built due to limited resources from Westminster/local authorities – see my
last point
It is easy for every single one of us as EU
citizens to travel study work and invest throughout the EU and this has broadened
minds & enhanced cultural and employment opportunities for young and old
alike.
EU structures have enabled more funding and more
importantly information sharing and cooperation in the vital areas of science,
the environment and security.
Consumer
protections and employment protections have been enhanced for each and every
one of us. Whether you buy a product in Britain or France or Germany you have
the same consumer legislation to protect you. For example I have to give exactly the same returns rights to our British French German or Spanish customers. Vice verse if you buy from a French retailer.
Yes
regulations can be a pain and there should be a constant revision of removal of
regulation that has not achieved the intended aim (apparently this does actually happen in the EU) but in the main the original
intentions are to help EU citizens. Do you really particularly want to choose
to buy a hoover with an inefficient motor or would you prefer there is
legislation which ensures that manufacturers continue to invest in the
technology which drives their designs forward and makes their products more
efficient and effective? Maybe some of those regulations are a means to getting
us in the right travel of direction towards a worthy goal.
On a final and personal note re regulation, people (both politicians and other folk) who have never in their lives run a
business or created ONE single job have spent the last few weeks telling me solemnly that small business in particular is hampered by EU regulation. I have been running a small business for 26
years and we have created an amount of employment over the years which has generated much tax income for the UK that I think
we can be quietly proud of. I can say
hand on heart I have never had any EU regulation hamper my business activities noticeably and any business problems we have experienced over the years have ABSOLUTELY
NOTHING to do with EU regulations and more to do with how well the economy is
doing combined with our decisions. I
cannot speak for others in business but in my company we believe in taking responsibility for
the quality of our own work, decisions and judgement. We try and deal with trading conditions as
they are presented to us we do our best we don’t always get it right but we won’t
blame anybody or anything else when we get it wrong.
So that's where I am - that's why I sent my postal vote in a week ago and proudly voted to #remain. I hope you find something useful in my humble opinions.