Want to take back control? Stay in the EU
"Take back control" - that was one of the slogans used by the Vote Leave campaign in the EU Referendum. It has been taken up by Brexiteers insisting that Britain voted to "take control" of various bits of UK policy and that under no circumstances can concessions be made in these areas in order to secure a better deal with the EU.
The truth, however, is that being part of the EU gives us far more control than being outside of it. Brexiteer nationalists say that we must divorce from the EU in order to determine our own laws. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. Globalisation means that all countries adapt to the global standards set by the Big 3 economies; the US, EU and China. Countries that are specifically in the region of one of those three countries and that trade heavily with them are even more prone to signing up to those rules and standards wholesale. The UK is one such country, given its geographic location. If the UK leaves the EU, the idea of setting our own laws will be an illusion. What will happen is the EU will continue to set the standards and regulatory norms in Europe and the UK will swallow them.
Some Brexiteers might object here and say that the UK is the fifth biggest economy in the world and as such has more than enough clout to carve its own path, maybe even getting other European countries to adapt to its standards. Here's the hard truth: no one cares if you're the fifth biggest economy, it essentially doesn't matter. In terms of economic size, there are two categories, the Big 3 are in the first category and are economic superpowers, capable of using their size to shape global standards and often dominate the regulatory landscape of their region. The second category is everyone else, they adapt to the Big 3. To put it another way, Tuvalu is a small island nation in the Pacific ocean. They were ranked 191st in 2016 in terms of GDP. Nonetheless, the gap between the size of Tuvalu's economy and the UK's is more than three times smaller than the gap between the UK and China. In a world of mostly semi-detached houses, some feel the UK is doing rather well with its detached house. That shouldn't lead them to believe that the UK comes close to matching up to the 3 skyscrapers nearby.
Having understood this reality, it becomes clearer that there is no path out of the EU's power and influence. It will be there and will direct UK politics and economics regardless of what form Brexit takes. By giving up the ability to debate, influence and shape the EU's laws, the UK is giving up power to advance its idea of what regulations should look like. Far from taking control, Brexit will push the UK into being a satellite of EU power.
But what about borders? Surely leaving the EU is essential for the UK to "take back control" of its borders? This is a point even more important than vague notions of regulatory sovereignty given how anti-migrant sentiment was used to power the Brexit campaign. There are two aspects to this point. The first is that the UK never really lost control of its borders in the first place. There have always been checks at all UK borders and while EU citizens have the right to come to the UK, just as UK citizens have the right to go live anywhere else in the EU, this is conditional on having sufficient means to support oneself or having a job. If UK border control has ever been lacking it has been the result of UK government cuts to the UK Border Agency, not the EU policy of all citizens having the right to move freely, a policy that fundamentally empowers EU citizens, including UK citizens.
The second aspect to consider is the fact that discussions on "control" of borders are nothing of the sort. These are simply a smokescreen for the real objective: keeping out more foreigners. While some Brexiteers protest at this suggestion, they give it away time and time again with implicit or explicit statements that leaving the EU will result in fewer immigrants coming to the UK. The fact that they rarely single-out EU citizens and often lump all immigrants together shows that this really has very little to do with the specific policy of EU Freedom of Movement. This xenophobia must be called out and challenged at every turn.
Leaving the EU won't give more control over our borders than we already have and the argument of control should not be allowed to act as a cover for much darker motivations.
The modern world has left many people feeling like they do not have much control over their destiny, over their place in the world. Nationalism has sought to give them an answer to that feeling. Yet it is a cruel lie. Far from giving them more control, nationalism will leave these citizens far more vulnerable to the shifting currents of globalisation and unable to make their voice and interests heard in the world.
It is only through being a confident member of the EU that these citizens will be able to have more control over the world they live in. By being part of one of the Big 3 that sets the global standards. By speaking with the same voice as the rest of Europe, the UK can amplify its interests and assert its values at the global level, values shared with other Europeans, something that is simply impossible if the UK tries to go it alone. If the UK wants to have a stable economic environment, it needs a voice in how the EU directs its economic policies. If the UK wants a secure neighbourhood, it needs to get involved in EU defence integration and directing that power. If the UK wants to reduce concerns around migration, it needs to provide resources and support policies that allow the EU to better manage its external borders. If the British people want to have more control in a globalised world then the EU and the support of the other member states and their people are vital in doing so.
The truth, however, is that being part of the EU gives us far more control than being outside of it. Brexiteer nationalists say that we must divorce from the EU in order to determine our own laws. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. Globalisation means that all countries adapt to the global standards set by the Big 3 economies; the US, EU and China. Countries that are specifically in the region of one of those three countries and that trade heavily with them are even more prone to signing up to those rules and standards wholesale. The UK is one such country, given its geographic location. If the UK leaves the EU, the idea of setting our own laws will be an illusion. What will happen is the EU will continue to set the standards and regulatory norms in Europe and the UK will swallow them.
Some Brexiteers might object here and say that the UK is the fifth biggest economy in the world and as such has more than enough clout to carve its own path, maybe even getting other European countries to adapt to its standards. Here's the hard truth: no one cares if you're the fifth biggest economy, it essentially doesn't matter. In terms of economic size, there are two categories, the Big 3 are in the first category and are economic superpowers, capable of using their size to shape global standards and often dominate the regulatory landscape of their region. The second category is everyone else, they adapt to the Big 3. To put it another way, Tuvalu is a small island nation in the Pacific ocean. They were ranked 191st in 2016 in terms of GDP. Nonetheless, the gap between the size of Tuvalu's economy and the UK's is more than three times smaller than the gap between the UK and China. In a world of mostly semi-detached houses, some feel the UK is doing rather well with its detached house. That shouldn't lead them to believe that the UK comes close to matching up to the 3 skyscrapers nearby.
Having understood this reality, it becomes clearer that there is no path out of the EU's power and influence. It will be there and will direct UK politics and economics regardless of what form Brexit takes. By giving up the ability to debate, influence and shape the EU's laws, the UK is giving up power to advance its idea of what regulations should look like. Far from taking control, Brexit will push the UK into being a satellite of EU power.
But what about borders? Surely leaving the EU is essential for the UK to "take back control" of its borders? This is a point even more important than vague notions of regulatory sovereignty given how anti-migrant sentiment was used to power the Brexit campaign. There are two aspects to this point. The first is that the UK never really lost control of its borders in the first place. There have always been checks at all UK borders and while EU citizens have the right to come to the UK, just as UK citizens have the right to go live anywhere else in the EU, this is conditional on having sufficient means to support oneself or having a job. If UK border control has ever been lacking it has been the result of UK government cuts to the UK Border Agency, not the EU policy of all citizens having the right to move freely, a policy that fundamentally empowers EU citizens, including UK citizens.
The second aspect to consider is the fact that discussions on "control" of borders are nothing of the sort. These are simply a smokescreen for the real objective: keeping out more foreigners. While some Brexiteers protest at this suggestion, they give it away time and time again with implicit or explicit statements that leaving the EU will result in fewer immigrants coming to the UK. The fact that they rarely single-out EU citizens and often lump all immigrants together shows that this really has very little to do with the specific policy of EU Freedom of Movement. This xenophobia must be called out and challenged at every turn.
Leaving the EU won't give more control over our borders than we already have and the argument of control should not be allowed to act as a cover for much darker motivations.
The modern world has left many people feeling like they do not have much control over their destiny, over their place in the world. Nationalism has sought to give them an answer to that feeling. Yet it is a cruel lie. Far from giving them more control, nationalism will leave these citizens far more vulnerable to the shifting currents of globalisation and unable to make their voice and interests heard in the world.
It is only through being a confident member of the EU that these citizens will be able to have more control over the world they live in. By being part of one of the Big 3 that sets the global standards. By speaking with the same voice as the rest of Europe, the UK can amplify its interests and assert its values at the global level, values shared with other Europeans, something that is simply impossible if the UK tries to go it alone. If the UK wants to have a stable economic environment, it needs a voice in how the EU directs its economic policies. If the UK wants a secure neighbourhood, it needs to get involved in EU defence integration and directing that power. If the UK wants to reduce concerns around migration, it needs to provide resources and support policies that allow the EU to better manage its external borders. If the British people want to have more control in a globalised world then the EU and the support of the other member states and their people are vital in doing so.
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