A speech about why the EU is iconic

The Brexit vote is often the topic of many discussions. It was a referendum that has the potential to make history. Even those who campaigned for a leave vote such as Nigel Farage had ‘absolutely no idea’ what would happen. It has been almost eight months since the vote on the UK’s status in the European Union, at which the country were in favour of leaving by 52% to 48% - but why did 48% of the voting population vote to stay?

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The most commonly touched on reason to leave is that of immigration, as many people were fearful that jobs would be stolen and the terror threat level would increase. The truth is: allowing a free movement of people allows for a richer and more diverse culture. People that come from the continent are very important to public services. Many people do not take away from the UK but simply add to it. For example, More than 60% of new migrants from western and southern Europe, who account for 900,000 of the 2 million who work here, are now university graduates. People have been lied to about the motives of these people, which has seen them be linked to terrorism. What’s sad is that these people do make an effort to learn the language and do try to integrate themselves into communities; it is the growing fear from our country’s population which has been triggered by the leave campaign which has seen the rejection of these people. It has led to a growing intolerance of people from mainland Europe and elsewhere.

People had been lied to by the leave campaign, meaning that they looked over the fact that 3.5 million jobs are directly linked to Britain being a part of the EU. That is 1 in 10 jobs – if we removed all these people from our country, we would be weaker and more unstable. Leaving the EU affects everyone; those who are employed and have a job linked to the EU may become unemployed, but this affects the average person too, as their wages could drop by six per cent. The Trades Union Congress says the average wage would fall by £38 a week.

Staying in the EU has so many benefits. The EU has been crucial is securing peace among nations which were previously at war. It has seen democracy come about in Spain, Portugal, Greece and former Soviet countries. It is enshrined in EU law to ban discrimination over age, race or sexual orientation; to protect those taking paid time off to look after a child and for those who work part-time. These apply to those working in Britain and abroad. Who knows what difficulties minorities will face because of leaving the European Union? The EU plays a pivotal role in preventing conflict and protecting peace – we should not throw it away so easily.

With 28 democracies working together, we are the world’s biggest market. Alone, Britain would not have even half the influence that it does when in the EU. Leaving the EU would see us with a weakened role on the world stage. World leaders including Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and Justin Trudeau say our world influence would be diminished if we left. We would lose our say on climate change regulations, trade regulations, the economy and security, meaning less influence on the world that we live in.

Simple luxuries which British families can enjoy could be under threat; this includes lower mobile phone roaming charges, lower credit card fees, cheaper flights and proper compensations when flights are delayed or cancelled. These sorts of benefits have come about due to the UK being a member of the EU and it is highly likely we would not have the same perks without it. Being in the EU means you pay less for your mobile roaming charges, but also your weekly food shop, petrol, and energy bills. The London School of Economics estimates that it that saves families like yours £350 a year through lower prices, meaning more money in your pocket, which means more security also. 

Is leaving the European Union really worth it? You and your family would feel the impact in higher prices on everything from supermarket shopping to fuel – even holidays abroad would be much more expensive. We would lose vital EU funding for the farming, scientific and medical research and programmes that make a real difference in our local community, including job-creation schemes for young people to infrastructure projects that improve our everyday lives, including broadband networks, better roads and new bridges. In a recession, our government would not be able to replace these grants even if they wanted to.

Because when it comes to deciding upon whether the UK should leave or remain in the EU, it’s clear. We have become a country that is shifting towards equality, one that is attractive to American and Asian firms because we are in the single market. We have become a greener country due to improvements to the quality of air, rivers and beaches – the EU has been able to challenge multinational giants like Microsoft, Samsung and Toshiba for unfair competition. Would the UK alone really be able to achieve this? I think that it is clear that we really are stronger, safer and better in the European Union.