EU Referendum – Why I’m voting Remain – Bob Earll
First things first – Vote The most important commitment for all of us is to encourage as many people to vote as possible. This isn’t a general election. We’ll have to live with the outcome of this decision for years to come.
It wouldn’t have taken you too long to spot my editorial bias in favour of the Remain camp. Much of my career has been devoted to promoting to a rational – science based – management of the marine environment where national boundaries make no difference to the species, natural resources and pollutants. Many of the same arguments apply to land and freshwater resources.
Sustainability and Environmental thinking is extremely unlikely to play much part in the way the referendum vote goes, that’s just a sad reality. There is however, another reality; virtually everyone who subscribes to CMS News and works in the sector will have been heavily influenced by policies that have a wider European dimension. Climate change, pollution, air quality, water and marine management policies have all influenced our environment in UK for the better, and the UK has played a unique part in developing these directives. Boris Johnson’s father helped draft the Nature directives, and both Water Framework and Floods Directive were originally fashioned from UK approaches, similarly the Marine Strategy Directive. I’ve not seen any reports suggesting that the sustainability and environment agenda would be better out than in and these have been extensively covered by CMS News.
Europe moderates more extreme views. It generally leads the way on sustainability, environmental and climate change legislation building ideas e.g. the Circular Economy. One example, collectively on climate change it is moving in the right direction and providing leadership as the UK goes backward under this Government.
Fishing & the Common Fisheries Policy The CFP has not been a triumph of policy making but given the inherent complexities of the geographic distribution of the stocks and long standing historic agreements it has moved us on considerably from past regimes. The last CFP reforms were a really positive step in the right direction. The fact that the UK Government has allowed a small number of foreign owned companies to control large parts of the UK quota and their management of this, despite the spotlight Greenpeace have put on this, won’t go away even if we leave. This has left smaller coastal fishers at a major disadvantage. Another reality is the long standing relationships between different fleets from UK and Europe fishing in each other’s territorial waters. These arrangements pre-date the EU and will be still be key if we leave. Over capacity and overfishing have blighted our seas for generations and this will not change if we pull out.
Economics A few points:
- The weight of evidence, despite the more hysterical claims, seems to be firmly on the side of remain.
- Since the leave camp have not told us what economic model – Norway, Switzerland or Albanian trading model – they are aiming for we have no idea what we’ll end up with. In any of these scenarios trading with Europe requires that the countries concerned pay Europe, have to accept Europe wide rules, including freedom of movement. They have no say in the very organisation making those rules. So we are better ‘in’ trying to change them than ‘out’ where we have no say.
- TTIP and the like George Monbiot has outlined the alternative rather starkly including having to buy into the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership TTIP. Now you might think George a little extreme but you only have to look at the recent interviews of BHS boss Philip Green, or Mike Ashley (Sports Direct) or the asset stripping of Thames water (Sold down the river) to see the sort of system our current policies enable.
- There is also the reality of major investors and manufacturers who have moved to UK to have access to the European markets. That investment seems likely to be a casualty if we leave. Why have a factory in UK, when France or Germany are really ‘in’ Europe?
Immigration Population growth, little discussed, has and will be a major challenge to finding sustainable solutions to issues in the UK and internationally for years to come. We also know that migration induced by war, climate change and economic imperatives is posing enormous threats to us all and that Europe’s response has been slow but is gathering pace. Do we address this by turning our back on it? A few points on UK’s position:
- The growth of UK’s population over the last decade has been huge and has been a deliberate policy decision by successive Governments to help our economy. The response to the leave campaign can be seen as a case of chickens coming home to roost. Nor has any recent Government, Labour or Tory, planned or spent to manage this growth.
- There is no doubt that it is easier to work here than in other European countries where all sorts of restrictions are placed on getting work. Over half of the latest 300K + net increase came from outside Europe and again Government have ducked controlling this. When pressed, Gove and Co can’t say what the numbers they will allow because we need huge numbers in the care, health and agricultural sectors.
- There is the reality of trading with Europe that free movement is a condition of trade, as Norway and Switzerland have found, with no say on the rules that Govern this.
- Whilst the people of Dover might not like their position currently, when the border controls start in Dover – rather than Calais as they do now – they will like the consequences even less. Immigration is not easy and won’t be any easier to solve by Gove & Co.
Security I count myself very lucky not to have lived through a European war. Clearly NATO is very important, but the economic and societal glue provided by European organisations has played a massive part in helping this process. We need look no further than the Ukraine to see that the threats are still present and President Putin will be delighted if we vote to leave.
Political I have no love for Cameron and Osborne or Austerity, but there is little concealing the political ambition of Boris and Gove; just how the Tory Party will see it’s leadership in the short term is a big uncertainty. They can be a spiteful lot. Boris and Gove pandering to the UKIP voters would take the Conservative Government even further to the right. Ian Duncan Smith who likes to appear saintly in his concern for the less well-off has presided over the social benefit reforms / cuts. Look at this article if you want to see just one of the impacts of Smith’s actions; thousands of disabled people loosing their mobility vehicles.
Prepare for the next election Whatever the result with the Tory Party split down the middle, governing will become increasingly problematic. With a majority of only 12, any group of annoyed Tories, on either side can effectively stall the legislative process. Think of the decision on London’s next runway. Juggling this, as John Major discovered, will be a challenge, and there may well have to be an election very quickly.
Concluding thought This is a massive decision with huge consequences for all. So, vote and encourage others to as well.
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