UK Declares Independence From The EU!

[davidbfpo]

I wrote the below in response to a SWC member's question, what did I think today? Today I have read several good commentaries and may in time answer some of the points made here.

Greetings from a slightly bewildered UK, everyone expresses surprise at the referendum result. A friend in the Labour Party was at the count in Birmingham, they were all astounded and realise lots of re-thinking is needed.

I did not stay up through the night, but watched one hour of reporting at 0730hrs and watched David Cameron's statement.

What is really odd is that last night, after the polls had closed, Nigel Farage (UKIP) stated Remain had won by 4%. I did not watch the polls during the campaign.

I have for weeks thought that the Remain campaign could backfire. One, the electorate could use the referendum to bash all the politicians and the interventions of outsiders, big business and others was counter-productive. Then the Remain campaign stupidly relied on a mix of dire threats, notably economic forecasts and simply "trust us".

It was clear two weeks ago that the Labour Party, who had IMHO conducted a lacklustre campaign, were finding their supporters on the doorstep strongly opposed to Remain. Yes, immigration was one issue and more so in areas where there was little diversity or where recent immigration was concentrated.

Personally I wanted to Exit, even if those campaigning did not appeal to me. I have regretted for many years voting Yes in the 1975 Referendum, on remaining a member of the EEC.

Put simply I did not want to be part of a European super-state, which is the EU's over-riding objective. The EEC morphed into the EU and simply marched on-wards minus any democratic mandate, let alone accountability to the people. Nor has the EU been that successful, including in the security field - where it should not have ventured - and NATO is more than adequate, with faults.

My reasons are political, not economic, but it is quite clear the Euro has been destroying the economies of several Southern / Mediterranean members. There remains the prospect of one or more defaulting on loans, on a scale far greater than Greece.

Yes there will be a long-term price to pay. One that is not very clear; will the EU "play ball" or be hostile?

Domestically I am not convinced Scotland really wants to exit the UK. That could alter if the negotiations with the EU are painful. Northern Ireland is in far weaker position, in part due its precarious economy and the strength of the Unionist vote.

Who will be the next Conservative leader? I have no idea. A lot will depend on who the MPs think can win the next General Election, which now could be sooner rather than the scheduled 2020.

Finally I do rather like David Betz's (Kings War Studies) recent WoTR column and this passage in particular:

The European Union is a kind of Titanic. In the minds of its designers it was supposed to be impregnable to icebergs — in fact they reckoned that the striking of icebergs and ensuing moments of crisis were vital inflection points in which further steps towards political integration might be achieved. Most Remainers proclaim they want to stay in it to reform it, which they cannot do. Some seem genuinely to think everything is a-okay, which it is certainly not. The debate in Britain is essentially about whether it is better to stay on the sinking ship until it sinks or to jump before it sinks. Either way it is sunk.

Link: http://warontherocks.com/2016/06/why...it-i-cant-say/

Best wishes and thanks for reading.