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| Farage might aim to draw in would-be Tory voters with his 'non PC' attitudes and beer banter, but don't be fooled - he still went to public school. www.bbc.co.uk |
In 2015, Nigel Farage made himself known as the world champion for being able to blame pretty much anything on immigration. Feeling a bit under the weather? It's the immigrants. Boyfriend cheated on you? Immigrants. HIV positive? Probably immigrants. Though he did manage to attract voters through his down to earth wit and snappy straight talk, he also clarified that mechanically blurting 'immigration' like a broken record to justify just about every problem this country faces is not a great technique for convincing the public that you're a well-educated, well-rounded leader. But now, one year on, and Brexit campaign has adopted this 'immigration' chant as a sort of mantra, forgetting that this type of ignorance and misinformation was laughed that this time in 2015. EU immigration is by no means a great thing, and it is not beneficial for everyone, however leaving the EU for this simple reason would be a dangerous decision for our country to make on June 23rd.
Statistically speaking, immigration is good for our economy - immigrants pay more in than they take out. However, although this is a fact, it is not a figure that is going to calm a British worker who fears an immigrant is a preferable employee to them because they will accept a lower wage. Those who fear unemployment cannot be expected to relax by studying immigration on a nationwide level - people care for themselves, and this will always be the case. However, the current problem of job security due to EU immigration is minuscule when compared to what will be the case if we decide to vote leave.
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| CEO of easyJet is pointing out the prices of flights and holidays would rise outside the EU http://www.mirror.co.uk/money/goodbye-cheap-flights-easyjet-chief-5683266 |
Presently, three million UK jobs are directly linked just to 'trade' within the EU's single market. There seems to be this false idea that all of our trade is with China and America, but this isn't really correct - in March 2016 51% of our imports came from the EU, tariff free. If we chose a strict agreement to leave the EU and prioritise what seems to be the main agenda now (restricting ourselves from the free movement of people), we would most likely sacrifice this place in the single market, meaning prices would go up significantly and those three million jobs would be put at risk. That would mean individuals who currently don't face the 'downsides' of the EU would start seeing their food bills rising, holidays becoming less affordable and and jobs being put at in peril.
And, on the other hand, if we follow in Norway's footsteps with a looser agreement that maintains our access to the single market, it would most likely mean compromising with the other member states and accepting freedom of movement, like Norway currently does. In short, immigration wouldn't fall at all.
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| There are no guarantees that immigration will be cut after a Brexit vote www.telegraph.co.uk |
Brexiters need to remember that, if we leave, the public will not get a say on what 'type' of agreement we opt for - we won't be able to choose whether free movement stays or goes. Also, that £350m a week we would supposedly save by leaving? If we want access to the single market, it's going to cost - and The Guardian estimates emulating a deal like Norway's would only lose us 6% of the costs we currently pay. Brexiters nationwide should be prepared for a bargain that they did not vote for, and shouldn't be misled by the misconception that Britain will be able to stamp its feet and get what it wants when it comes to making awkward agreements with the 27 other member states upon our grand exit.
Campaign leave has targeted those who fear for their job security with a false promise that EU immigration will be put to a final halt should we choose to leave on June 23rd. There's no guaranteeing that this will be the case. The EU's not perfect, but that doesn't mean we should neglect it here and now. We laughed at Farage in 2015, and I think it's laughable that our nation is now debating whether to leave the world's second largest economy almost purely for a distaste to immigrants that once was considered a joke.
