The UK should leave the EU for it's own benefit

The question of this debate is should the UK leave the EU for its own benefit? I hope to be able to present multiple reasons why I personally think this proposition will be for the greater good of the UK. I thank my opponent for offering this interesting and challenging question up for this debate, and may the best European win ;) Before we start the debate, I would like to point out a completely void (yet interesting) analysis. There has never been a referendum conducted by the UK government to ask its citizens if they want to be part of the EU. One would think this would be an important question considering it influences a whole country. How a referendum result would turn out, we cannot know for sure. The poll numbers have generally been in favor of leaving the EU (until recently).(1) However, this is a big question that should be asked on a large scale as no citizens of any country should ever be forced to be involved in something that they do not think is beneficial for their country. Now, let me point out the reasons why the UK should leave the EU. In effect my argument can be broken down into three major arguments. 1. Financial Benefits This point will probably form the backbone of both my opponents and my arguments. The question surely arises, is there any financial benefits to the UK as a country leaving the EU. In fact this is such a hotly debated topic that there are great resources already written about this.(2) 1.1. Markets, markets and more markets This will probably be a shocking statement, however I think it is something to think about in terms of the broadening of markets. Countries (eg. China) which are more abusive with respect to workers rights will be happy to accept trade agreement from countries that are not going to impose sanctions on them when they step out of line. The EU has many members, this translates into more chances of rapping a country over the knuckles when said country transgresses against something a specific union country may find wrong as it goes against their personal sensitivities. For example, if the French don't like the way the Thai government tolerates child labor (I used child labor as I could not think of a better example, I don't promote child labor). Then even if most EU countries don't care that child labor is been used, if the French bring up the issue in Parliament, it could lead to trade sanctions which can hurt certain economies. We just need to consider the sanctions that the EU has imposed on Russia.(3) These sanctions in fact are affecting the UK already as British Petroleum shares have fallen by 2.5 % due to parts of their company in Russia not been able to get financing. Is this fair, especially considering it all started over an election in Crimea who decided to succeed. Granted what has happened since then is anyone's guess but that's not what started the sanctions. 1.2. Jobs There are claims that if the UK leaves the EU it will lead to a major UK job loss estimated at 3.3. million.(4) This claim is in my opinion an absurd claim, as the UK is an employer of multiple EU citizens. As such if the UK had to leave the EU, then surely it should be expected that these EU citizens would lose their jobs if the EU had to play hardball with the UK. In fact there is the belief that if the UK actually leaves the EU it would result in the creation of a million jobs in the UK and not a loss of 3 million.(5) Either, way I do not see it at all possible that the UK would lose out in the job market if they had to withdraw from the EU. This is especially true when they are already employing 3.85 million foreign workers.(6) All the government would need to do is curb the amount of foreign workers to have more jobs available for its citizens. In fact, looking at the numbers and applying simple arithmetic we see that either way (job loss or creation) the UK will still be hiring foreign workers if they leave the EU. This just shows what a major player the UK is in the EU and the world markets. 1.3. Welfare for non-UK citizens A fact about the UK is that multiple foreign workers are getting benefits from the UK government when they are not even citizens of the country. It is believed that this number is over 400, 000 and the cost is upwards of 1.8 billion Sterling to the UK citizens.(7) This effectively means that by not having to worry about non-UK citizens the UK can save 1.8 Billion Sterling a year. That money with the additional money that they no longer would have to pay to the EU in subscriptions would go a long way in cutting the budget deficits. Additionally, I would like to elaborate here. This is not foreign workers receiving benefits, these are people that have come to the UK on EU passports or other means and are staying on the tax payers dime. I am in no way saying that all foreign laborers should get kicked out, I am saying people that do not want to work and are not citizens should be sent packing. 2. Politics and self identity. Britain is, like most countries, extremely proud of its heritage. This is prominent in their military history and the role they have played in the worlds major wars such as both World War I and II, and the defeats dealt to the Spanish Armada and Napoleon. Additionally, while we do not like to think about conquest in this day and age, Britain brought itself and its political systems to multiple countries around the world. In fact the Sun has not set on the British Empire since (at a bare minimum) the late 19th century.(8) In fact it seems the only time the sun will set on the British empire is in 2432 and that will be due to a solar eclipse and not an actual night. Additionally, as hinted at before, if the UK is truly free from the EU it can choose its trade partners and follow its own identity as an independent country. It will no longer be obliged to jump to the tune of Brussels while paying billions to these same people in membership fees to be told what to do.(9) I would also like to remind readers here that the citizens of the UK have never been allowed to vote on the simple question "Do you want to be part of the EU?" Should we be allowing a European identity to be pushed down the UK citizens throat when they are separated from the EU by an actual physical barrier. The fact that I bring the physical barrier up is important, as evolution shows us that populations separated by barriers tend to evolve differently. I am talking about evolution here in the cultural sense and not the biological sense. 3. Will the UK get hurt if it withdraws from the EU? If the UK withdraws from the EU, the doomsday prophets all come out to explain how Britain will collapse. So lets ask the question, will Britain collapse or commit international suicide if it withdraws from the EU? The obvious answer is no. The EU is not going to stop trading with the UK if they withdraw, in simple terms the UK is too big of a market. If anything, the EU is going to want to sign fair-trade agreements similar to those it has with the other "rogue" EU states Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. Additionally, the UK is not going to get kicked out of its permanent seat on the UN security council. To think they would get kicked out of the G8 is laughable, as the UK will remain one of the top economies in the world. We just need to think logically to see that the UK was strong before the EU and it will be strong after the EU. Least we forget they still deal in Sterling in the UK and not the Euro. This is plainly because their currency is stronger than the Euro and so to convert would be a colossal fail on their part. Here, I have presented reasons why an independent and self identifying nation like Britain should separate itself from the EU. There really seems to be no drawbacks to leaving the EU for Britain, and if anything it seems like a huge benefit to the UK. I now hand the debate back to my opponent for their opening arguments. (1) http://www.ukrep.be... (2) http://www.independent.co.uk... (3) http://edition.cnn.com... (4) http://www.dailymail.co.uk... (5) http://www.bbc.com...(6) http://www.express.co.uk... (7) http://www.theguardian.com... (8) https://what-if.xkcd.com... (9) http://www.theguardian.com...