Why I’m voting to Stay in the EU

In response to any who've said we're not hearing enough positive non-reactive reasons to stay in the EU, let me try and explain the reasons I'll be voting to stay in.

In response to any who've said we're not hearing enough positive non-reactive reasons to stay in the EU, let me try and explain the reasons I'll be voting to stay in.

  1. We are stronger in, with large common market we can trade. Almost half of everything we sell to the rest of the world we sell to Europe.  Theres a reason so many large business leaders have spoken out to stay in; Marks and Spencer, BT, EasyJet, Aviva and Vodaphone amongst them.   We get an average of £24 billion of investment into Britain per year from Europe. Together too we negotiating with the larger markets,  US and China, stronger as one than the UK alone. Like many in Swindon I have concerns that our large local employers such as Honda might chose to move to be within the EU rather than be outside a common market. Smaller local employers such as Los Gatos are concerned too.
  2. We are stronger in defence wise. With recent terrorist attacks in Paris and our own previous attacks in London, the fact that we are within the EU with agreements on information sharing and we benefit from the European Arrest Warrant has got to be good.
  3. Europe has given us improved rights for people at work. This is important to me as a active union member, paid holiday, equal rights for agency workers, parental leave and a 48 hour maximum working week. With our present government who have chipped away at our rights as workers making it harder to take things to employment tribunals,  I'm pleased we have EU protection.

It's worth remembering that defending the status quo is always going to be harder than offering a bright new tomorrow. The Brexit campaign have had that advantage, they suggest that they will spend money available if we leave, on the NHS. This forgets of course all the money we have coming in from the EU, it's a two way process.  The fact too that the NHS is being used in this way is for me is one of the most distasteful parts of the Brexit campaign. These are the very Tories who have seen NHS  struggle with the now debt it has. That our NHS is poorly funded is down to the present government not the EU. Other European countries spend a higher percentage on health, it's not dictated by the EU:http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/projects/nhs-in-a-nutshell/health-care-spending-compared

I'm not saying I am totally happy with the EU, for sure there are things I'd change if I was in charge. But let's stay within, work together around the table and make the most of the strengths that we have.