By: Matthew Cowley. Read more on Matt's blog
The arguments I have encountered from many In campaigners in
recent weeks could, at my most generous, be described as misguided and
ill-informed. This is something that deeply troubles me, as this referendum,
where we are making a decision which is so crucial in defining our futures, is
being fought on the basis of misinformation and deception. I have thus decided
to take a break from my usual issue-specific Musings on Europe for the next few
weeks, and instead engage in some myth busting.
Myth: ‘Je suis Européen’
The most common myth perpetuated by the In camp is about
identity. Yes, the notions of Europe and the EU are used interchangeably as
short hand (most notably from my perspective in the name of this blog series),
and yes, there is a place for questions about identity in this referendum, but
it is not, and should not be, the ‘I am European therefore I must vote In’ line
espoused by the Inners.
Conflating ‘Europe’ and ‘the European Union’ in this regard
is an underhand tactic. Europe is a continent. It is a great continent. The
continent of Da Vinci, of Mozart, of the European Championships. I am, and
always will be, proud to be European, but membership of ‘Europe’ is not what we
are voting on (for a start I should imagine the equipment required to drag
ourselves out into the Atlantic would be quite pricey)!
What we are voting on is membership of an undemocratic
political union, a bankrupt economic union, and (with its future direction) a
dangerous security union.
So to the Inners (and particularly to James of Southampton
Students for Europe, whose blog title this is aimed at), I say: Oui, je suis
Européen, mais ce n’est pas pertinente!
Myth: ‘We don’t know what Leave looks like, we’re safer In’
This is a statement I often see, which requires both a
rebuff and a rebuttal. I shall begin with the rebuff.
When In campaigners say this, it is to put forth the fear of
going against the status quo to the electorate. Here is the truth: we know
exactly what Leave looks like. When Britain wakes up on the 24th June, having
voted Leave, the Cotswolds will still be standing, the Channel Tunnel will
still be running, and the UK will still be a member of the European Union.
What changes then? Well, a government that you elected will
begin a two year long process of departure from the European Union. Two years
in which we can decide whether our departure will be to EFTA or some other
deal. Two years in which we can secure not the Canadian Option, not the
Norwegian Option, not the Swiss Option, but the British Option. What does that
look like? Whatever we want. On the 24th June 2016 we will begin a transition
to a new, a free, and a great Britain. That is what Leave looks like.
Now to the rebuttal. In 1975 the United Kingdom voted to
join a common market and got a political union. Our politicians promised us
then, that ‘we’re safer In’ and that what we saw on polling day was what we
would get. They lied. This time around, they tell us that we are voting for the
existing Union, the status quo, that the EU we see is the EU we get. It isn’t.
The only certainty on June 24th is that if we voted In, we
give the EU freedom to change, safe in the knowledge that we are tied in for
another generation. We don’t know what the EU will look like in two years, in
five years, in ten years, but from past experience we have a rough idea. The
quote then should really be, ‘We don’t know what Stay looks like, we’re safer
Out’.
Myth: ‘Leaving the EU will put our rights at risk’
A common misconception spouted by In campaigners is that
Brexit would have an effect on our human rights. This is plainly untrue. Our
human rights are guaranteed in the Human Rights Act, which is based on, and
linked to, the European Convention on Human Rights, set down by the Council of
Europe. The Council of Europe being an entity of which we are a founder member
of, and which we joined in 1949, some 24 years before we joined the Common
Market. The Council of Europe, of course, being an entirely separate
organisation to the European Union, and the ECHR (and our adherence to it) not
being linked to this referendum in any way.
As for workers’ rights, here I will concede that there may
be some effects. After all, our workers’ rights presently do far outstrip
minimum EU levels, and I do fear that (with the increased funding we could pour
into constantly and consistently improving these) our workers’ rights could
indeed change after we vote Leave!
‘Je suis Européen’ and Other Pro-EU Myths
Reviewed by Student Voices
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Reviewed by Student Voices
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