Usually
it’s a good idea to follow my wife’s advice, but here is one occasion when I am
choosing a different way, by clarifying some of my thought processes in
arriving at a decision on how to vote in the EU Referendum. I am rather wary of doing so, because I have
friends in both the Remain and Leave camps, and I know that whatever decision I
take, some of my friends will feel disappointed. I ought also to confess that I am a fairly
simple person at heart, so cannot claim to have grasped all the finer points of
the debate. I simply make some
observations. I apologise in advance if
they seem a bit rambling and disjointed at times (and raise more questions than
answers), but the process of making a decision on the Referendum issue has
seemed rather like that! I am not trying
to create an argument for either side, and I am certainly not stating that what follows
is perfect, so please don’t get cross with any bits which you feel are rubbish!
A
Tough Decision
The
first thing I want to say is that arriving at a decision has been one of the hardest
issues I have ever had to wrestle with.
Some of my friends (on both sides) passionately believe that their
perspective is right, and probably struggle to understand why it has been so
difficult for me to make up my mind which way to vote. Two or three weeks ago I filled in a Facebook
questionnaire which asked various questions pertaining to the Referendum
debate; based on my answers, the result was that I was apparently at that time
58% in favour of Leave and 42% in favour of Remain. In the period since then I have found myself
changing sides on several occasions!
An
Open Mind
I
did my best to approach the matter with an open mind, trying to listen to both
sides of the argument, and coming to a conclusion based on what I had
learned. I have to say that, on the
whole, I have been bitterly disappointed with both the tone and the quality of
the debate. Both sides have come out
with some ridiculous statements, seemingly plucking figures and statistics out
of thin air, and have at times seemed more intent on verbally attacking those
on the other side than presenting positive arguments for their cause. Thankfully, in the midst of the dross there
have been a few sane voices worth listening to.
Let me make a few points.
Project
Fear
The
Remain camp have sought to emphasise the tremendous risks involved in a Brexit
vote, claiming that Brexit could lead to everything from World War III to the
loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs, a dramatic cut in pensions and a descent
into recession. Such claims have led to
the coining of the phrase ‘Project Fear’, which implies that elements of the
Remain side wish to frighten people into an anti-Brexit vote. The same accusation could probably be laid at
the door of some prominent Brexiteers, maybe especially with regard to the
thorny issue of immigration. I believe
that all those who have resorted to the fear tactic have done their side no
favours at all. The truth is, of course,
that there are risks whichever way the vote goes. It could be said that Brexit is the riskier option,
but in reality none of us knows for sure how things will work out.
Working
Together
One
of the compelling arguments which the Remain campaign has put forward is that
it is better for the UK to work together with fellow EU member states than to
try to go it alone. Anyone who knows me
will understand that I have a passion for unity, and have always made it a
priority to work together with others where possible, whether that be in the
context of inter-church relationships or otherwise. Striving for unity and reconciliation lies at
the heart of the Christian gospel. But
is remaining in the EU the only way to work together? Can we not work out mutually agreeable and
cooperative relationships without being so closely tied together and in “The
Club”? Indeed, has our membership of the
EU hindered efforts to create closer ties with non-EU countries? And how is the much lauded cooperation within
the EU actually working out in practice?
Finance
Even
though I was trained as a Chartered Accountant, I cannot claim to understand
the intricacies of national and international finance. It is rightly claimed that the majority of
economists believe that the UK would be worse off financially outside the EU,
at least initially. Yet, as has been
pointed out, some of those economists claimed that the UK should push ahead
with Economic and Monetary Union within the EU and adopt the Euro. What a disaster that appears to have been for
some of the weaker countries, with Spanish youth unemployment, for example,
currently running at over 50%. If I was
an unemployed young person in Spain I might not be all that impressed with the
EU! Perhaps some of the claims about the
EU in terms of helping out weaker members aren’t always seen in practice, with
the apparent pushing of the Austerity programme, for example, causing
considerable pain in some of the weaker economies in the EU. Admittedly there is a danger that if the UK’s
finances are adversely affected by Brexit then that would affect how much we
could afford to put into essential services.
It could be that leaving the EU would have serious negative financial effects
in a number of ways, though obviously the Leave campaigners deny this.
Immigration
There
have undoubtedly been some elements of the Leave camp whose rhetoric and
posters have been, to say the least, in extremely bad taste, and have created
fear in the hearts of those who feel that we have “too many people” in the UK
and are “in danger of being overrun.” There
is absolutely no doubt that immigration has proved to be of enormous benefit to
the UK in lots of ways, and there have been few, if any, who have argued that
we should have no immigration. On the
other hand, there are those who argue that uncontrolled immigration can have negative
effects, both in terms of keeping wages low and of putting additional strains
on public services. Jeremy Corbyn himself
has stated that we are unable to limit migration from the EU if we remain
within the EU. Perhaps that is ok, or is
it reasonable to say that it would be best if the UK was in the position of
being able to have some control in this area?
Self
interest
In
a recent discussion on the Referendum issue in one of our church home groups I
highlighted a verse from one of St Paul’s letters, when he wrote, ‘Do not
merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of
others.’ That sentiment lies at the
heart of how we are expected to live out our lives as followers of Jesus, and
it is regrettably true that some of the arguments promulgated, especially by
elements of the Leave side, appear to have been motivated by narrow self-interest. To think only of ourselves is wrong; we must
try and see the bigger picture. Some of
those on the Remain side have stated that a decision to Leave is a decision to abandon
our current EU partners as if we have no care for their wellbeing. That is clearly a danger, but again I might ask, does it have to be so? Can we not
be a genuine, caring, compassionate nation even if we are outside the EU? And just maybe being outside the EU would
encourage us to have a more global perspective?
Rights
and protections
There
are those who fear that if we leave the EU there would be a danger that some of
the hard fought-for workers’ rights would be lost, as well as other benefits
which membership of the EU has brought us.
Of course that is a legitimate concern, although the reality is that
there are some rights which are greater in Britain than in the EU generally. But why do we assume that as soon as we leave
the EU the government of the day would take these benefits away? Surely there would be uproar at such eventuality,
and we seem to live in times of small Parliamentary majorities which perhaps tend
to make Governments more responsive to the voters.
Democracy
& Sovereignty
The
Leave campaign characterises the EU as a giant, mainly unelected, bureaucratic body
which is far removed from our lives, largely undemocratic and
unaccountable. To what extent that image
is representative of reality I leave it to others to judge, but I wonder
whether there is at least some truth in there.
I appreciate the fact that as a nation we elect a Government every 5
years, and if we feel that it has failed to honour its mandate we can chose to
remove it via the ballot box.
The
EU itself
The
EU of today is far removed from the E.E.C. (Common Market) which we joined in
the 1970s. This is where I do have some
doubts, because although I know that the EU has tremendous potential for doing
good, I’m not convinced that it can ever fulfil that potential. Some say that it’s better to stay within the
EU and work for change in that way, but what real success have we had in working
for reformation over the years? I wonder
who really holds the EU’s reins of power, and what their motivation is. Are those who reportedly dream of a European
Empire in danger of creating a Frankenstein-like monster which might in some
respects work for evil rather than good?
Perhaps that thought seems altogether too fanciful, but I do have a
lurking concern about the direction the EU might be heading in the future.
The
future
There
are many other aspects of the debate which I could mention, but I’ve rambled on
long enough. So what about the
future? If only we had a crystal ball
which would reveal to us how things will work out with either option, but we
don’t. And even when we’ve made the
decision, we won’t know what would have happened if we’d gone the other way. There are so many uncertainties. Yet this is a massive decision which will
affect generations to come. Whatever
happens, my hope and prayer is for healing in our nation, that we would once
again have a spirit of reconciliation and cooperation, of care and compassion
for the most vulnerable in society, and a recognition of the call to serve one
another.
If
we vote Remain, I pray that the UK will play a full and positive part, both in
the EU and in the world at large, and be a force for good, and that we will see
real reformation within the EU so that it can fulfill its true potential. If we vote Leave, I pray that we will not
become a self-centred and isolationist nation, but will instead be
generous-hearted and cooperative, with a global perspective. In either case I pray for leaders of
integrity, wisdom and compassion to govern our country. Most of all, I pray for God’s hand of
blessing on our nation, and that more and more people will acknowledge that we
cannot successfully navigate the way forward without God’s guiding hand.
The
decision
If
you’ve managed to plough your way through all those words,
congratulations! You may be wondering
what my final decision was. Sue and I
have spent many hours watching debates, talking with one another and with other
people, and praying for wisdom. We
decided, ultimately, that one of us would vote Remain and one of us would vote
Leave (which was which was decided by the toss of a coin!) Our postal votes are in the post box. Is that a cop-out? Maybe, but we feel at ease with our decision,
and we will continue to pray for our nation as we move to Thursday’s vote and
beyond. If you haven’t yet made up your
mind, may God bless you as you do so, and may God bless the UK and the EU, and
this whole amazing world which he has made for us to enjoy. Better together, whether inside or outside
the EU!
