The United Kingdom should leave the European Union

Economics In regards to UK exports to the EU we can agree the percentage is somewhere between 40-50%. Again, I reiterate that this number is nothing to sneeze at, and disrupting this trade will encourage economic loss. Furthermore quoting the credit firm Standard & Poors (S&P), the only major credit firm still giving the EU a AAA investment rating, “the biggest threat to Britain’s rating was not the state of the public finances but the risk of leaving the European Union. … Being a member of the EU bestows the UK with multiple benefits. … If it splits with the EU, it’s not clear what benefits will remain. You cannot be sure what the relationship would look like.” [6]. Let this be clear, my opponent asserts if the UK where to leave it would receive more investment. However, that cannot be said with confidence. The UK would risk taking a hit to its credit rating and thus curbing its prospects for investment. He says that more lax regulation will encourage investment, I quote again from the CER that the UK is the 2nd least regulated market in the Western world behind the Netherlands (an EU member). Furthermore Pro says business favor less regulation yet the CBI as noted in Round 1 favors remaining in the EU. Given that they represent business interests, it’s fair to say they are fine with regulation in exchange for EU profits. And again if the UK leaves the EU it will still have to abide by EU regulation if it wishes to deal in the single market! However, now out of the EU the UK will still have to pay membership dues to be a part of the EEA, just as Norway does. Regulation still remains, membership dues remain, and the only thing lost (besides money) is the UK’s voice within the EU. Britain First Fallacy My opponent again points out that the UK is a net contributor to the EU, while this may be true I think pointing this out is evidence of the UK’s blindness towards it context in the EU. Germany is a greater net contributor, yet we do not see Germany threatening to leave. We see Germany fighting to save the Euro (and by extent the EU) while the UK sits on the sidelines. My opponent says the UK used to be the 3rd poorest nation in the EEC, but now it is the 3rd richest. We can only attribute this and future progress to EU membership. Yet the UK wishes to end this progress for short sited reasons. In the US we have a joke about our conservative party, the Republican Party. It goes something like this: ‘Republicans say that the government is ineffective and can’t help anyone. And when they get into office they prove it!’ To apply this to the EU and UK; David Cameron complains that the UK has lost influence and is not respected in the EU yet he is the fault for UK’s loss of influence! Where once the UK was an influential member, Cameron’s anti-EU attitude has isolated the UK; to quote Jose Barroso, former EU Chief, “But while, with Tony Blair, Britain was really playing a very important role in the European Union, they were at the centre of decisions, today this is no longer the case.” Furthermore “the American president, if he wants to get European countries on board, I think the first call he makes is the chancellor of Germany, no longer to the British prime minister.”[7] If the UK had more influence they could better negotiate with the EU and seek reform rather than exit. However: “Where they are, most or all [reforms] could be achieved within today's EU. At the same time, it is remarkable, and ironic that these intense demands for 'reform' come from a member state that has in recent years been obstructive and critical, with opt-outs that make it a more 'special case' member state than any other, and that has presided over its own collapsing influence, undermining the UK's ability to fight successfully for its interests in the EU as it is, let alone for substantive reforms.” [8] In conclusion, I believe the economics are still on my side in exports, regulation and investment; Pro can only give you a hypothetical chance at prosperity, a rosy assumption in my opinion. If the UK wants to be an important player in the EU then it should stop being a thorn in its side and engaging in self defeating posturing. The UK still has a chance to make its way back into favor and influence within the EU and onto the world stage. If the UK leaves it will abandon its influence and voice while still beholden to EU regulation and membership dues. [6] http://leftfootforward.org... [7] http://www.express.co.uk... [8] https://www.opendemocracy.net...