I, Paul Holland, want the UK to Remain in the EU because…..

Final Infographic I believe in the purpose of the European Union.

It is as noble a concept now as it has always been.

It was set up to ensure peace in Europe by raising the living standards of its people.

It binds formerly warring nations together in peace.

It seeks to eliminate poverty, division and fear. The most common causes of war.

It lends a helping hand to nations emerging from dictatorships and oppression and delivers freedom, prosperity and strength through unity.

It defends us all from extremism and it seeks to show the world that peaceful coexistence is the best way forward for humanity.

But across Europe dark forces are reawakening, extremist populist parties are joining forces to destabilise and destroy this European ideal. The EU has protected us our whole lives.and kept us all safe. Tomorrow I shall vote to protect Europe in its hour of need. I shall vote to remain.

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I, Isabelle Cobourne, want the UK to Remain in the EU because…..

Please vote remain because you are a tolerant and open minded country, because you have always been a international key player, because you have always been there when Europe needed you! Because you ARE European,Final Infographic because the EU project is a worthy dream to pursue, because you have never make us other Europeans feel unwelcome in your country until now, vote remain because Brexit is scary, vote remain because I want to remain here, in the home I have chosen and that I love, the friends I have made and who I love and who thankfully are all voting remain, please don’t close the door and throw away the key, wake up from your nationalist trance and think about the type of country and leaders you will be left with.

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Who Is to Blame for Brexit’s superficial appeal? UK Newspapers – Specifically Boris Johnson

A perceptive piece by Martin Fletcher who witnessed the consequences of Boris Johnson’s “self serving” journalism about the European Union.

LONDON — No one should be surprised that Britain could vote to leave the European Union on Thursday.

For decades, British newspapers have offered their readers an endless stream of biased, misleading and downright fallacious stories about Brussels.

And the journalist who helped set the tone — long before he became the Mayor of London or the face of the pro-Brexit campaign — was Boris Johnson.

You can read the rest of Martin Fletcher’s piece here: Who Is to Blame for Brexit’s Appeal? British Newspapers – The New York Times

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I am worried. Worried about my future and the future of my country .

From David Livingston

A member of one of the SY2E – Remain in the EU groups

Its 4:30 in the morning and I cannot sleep because I am worried. Worried about my future and the future of my country .
Although I am proud to be British I dont live in Britain and yet I am looking at my country in shock and horror at what is going on over the debate about Europe..

On one side of a debate you have over 90 % of businesses , the unions , economists and over 450 members of parliament , a combination agreeing to anything I would have said previously as likely as me being picked to represent England in goal next week .

On the other side we have a group of ideologically driven MPs on the right of the conservative party then UKIP ( further Right) and frankly rightwing nutters and oddballs plus and this is most important, the vast majority of Newspaper Owners.

One side of the debate says yes things are not perfect but we are part of the club , its swings and roundabouts.

The other side says the club is terrible and we should go off by ourselves.

For me its like golf: you need a course to play on and people to play with. Being by yourself would be like paying for a golf club where you’re the only member and only one at the bar.

Both side have told whoppers during the debate but I believe the likes of Gove, Farage and Alexander Boris de Piffle Johnson ( to give him his full name) when they’re asked about what will happen if they win . They reply,”we don’t know” . I believe them, and it’s not good enough, gentlemen! People could be putting their economic future at stake and you don’t know what will happen! You’re asking them to gamble with their jobs , pensions, houses, medical care (and all those things on behalf of your children and grandchildren too) …… AND YOU HAVE NO  F..ing CLUE! It’s not good enough for anyone.

It has been claimed by Gove and others that leaving the EU will enable the UK to spend more on the NHS. However since Gove and Farage want to privatise the NHS, I would take this with a pinch of salt, frankly (to any doubters of this, Google is your friend).

Lastly, major newspaper owners, none of whom pay tax in the UK, think that because they own a newspaper, they have the right to promote hatred. I invite everyone to look at the headlines in the recent past from the Sun , Express , Star , and Daily Mail and just replace the words “Refugee”, “Asylum Seeker” and “Foreigner” with the word “Jew” and see how it feels.

It’s not good is it? My Grandfather fought in WWII was injured and his medals are proudly on the wall at my parents house ,I am proud of what he fought for and the fact that we have had over 70 years of peace in Europe .

Why put our peace, our future and the prosperity we have at risk?

Vote Remain.

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“Please mind the gap between the EU and the platform”

People often call the Remain campaign project Fear, I call it project Get Real.

When somebody gives you advice or a warning you should thank your lucky stars that somebody gives enough of a toss about you to do so, not, as some people do, pile abuse and scorn onto them as if they’d just spat on you.

Leave say that there will be no gap whatsoever between the EU and the platform. Have you looked to see for yourself? What if you just blithely step off the train and fall into that gap? Will it be any consolation that the little Boris Johnson on your shoulder is apologising for the fact that you’re in that hole?

And remember that the train is moving fast, by the time you’ve fallen out, picked yourself up and dusted yourself off, the train has already left the station.

After all when you’re about to get on the underground at Waterloo and the man says “Mind the Gap”, do you hurl abuse at the speaker or do you mind the gap?

So next time someone on the Remain side says “Mind the Gap” take a look at where you’re stepping.

 

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Brexit is like driving off a bridge, it’s a one way ticket. No refunds, no swaps, no nothing.

In this referendum the Remain campaign has often been critisised for being too negative, of trying to scare voters into voting Remain. I can sympathise with that point of view but on the other hand wouldn’t you want somebody to tell you if you were about to make a huge blunder? Or do you respond like this when someone tries to help you?

“Excuse me, you do realise the Severn bridge is out? You shouldn’t use it.”

“Screw you, I’m crossing and you can’t stop me”

“But you’ll die”

“I said I’m going, don’t you tell me what to do! I’m not scared!”

Over the top? Not in my opinion. Remain says that leaving could have grave and lasting (see above) consequences for the UK, be they economical, political, social or military. Leave says you should ignore all advice given by anybody that is not part of the leave campaign, aka experts.

What if they’re wrong? You could kiss goodbye to one or more of these things: your job, your mortgage, your holidays, your promotion, and more.

What if they’re right, you say? Well tomorrow is another day, if the EU does try to privatise the NHS, force us into an EU army or the Euro, accept another member state (Turkey for example) then we can say, “shan’t”, these changes are subject to UK government approval (that is, the UK can veto it). Plus the fact that any transfer of power requires that YOU have a say.

Remember, if you really think it’s a good idea you can drive off a bridge any time you want, you cannot on the other hand un-drive off a bridge, not ever.

But have no fear, while you’re saying hello to the fish at the bottom of the Severn, Boris Johnson will be delivering a public apology for leading you astray. I’m sure your friends and family will take much comfort from this.

 

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I’m voting for hope, all that’s left after they opened Pandora’s Box, so I’m voting to Remain

By Steve Cobham a member of one of the SY2E groups.

Leave…Remain…somebody has to win.

However, in reality, everyone loses no matter what the result.The last few months have seen a creeping division based on attitudes towards immigration, with an MP assassinated by a right wing terrorist and Nazi propaganda used as a template for campaign material.

So, after all the “debate” – and I use that term very loosely – we’re left with a Britain that is rather different to that of only a year ago.

A Britain, that if it remains in the EU, will have to embark on a lengthy and difficult process in order to heal the damage done to our social cohesion.

A Britain, that if it leaves the EU, will grow ever more inward looking and divided within itself, whilst lurching towards the far right.

All this is due, in no small part, to the various parties involved in the Brexit campaign. Blame where blame is due.

To me, it’s clear which way to vote. It’s not an easy decision, but it’s the only one which will stand any chance of detoxifying the poison injected into my birth country by forces which are racist and have the potential to foster fascism.

I also see this toxification of UK public and political life as the key issue – it’s far more important than any economic or immigration concerns – and goes to the very soul of the nation, and will determine how far a country which fought fascism will now turn towards it.

What was once unthinkable now isn’t.

But I’m voting for hope – the one human virtue left after this Pandora’s Box was opened – so I’m voting to stay in.

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Nigel Farage tries to show that all of the EU will arrive in the UK – that doesn’t even pass a basic sanity check.

Nigel Farage proposes that 508 million people ‘could come to the UK’ from other EU countries.

Hang on a moment 65 million of those already LIVE in the UK, while the idea of the entire populations of France, Germany, Austria, Italy or Holland all rushing to come to the UK is completely absurd.

Farage also tries to identify asylum seekers and refugees as ‘EU migrants’, when they do not gain EU citizenship just because they arrive in Europe, and they would have no right of free movement into the UK. On average it takes a minimum of FIVE years to gain local citizenship, including passing language tests and other hurdles, by which time they would be in work, housing and education in the country where they arrived.

Again the idea they would all subsequently go through the total upheaval of moving to Britain and going through the entire process again is laughable.

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What the Quitters are Scared to tell you: Their Antarctica/EU comparison is nonsense.

Boris Johnson & his acolytes opened the Wembley debate with some of their usual nonsense – “Only Antarctica is worse”.

Let’s just examine what this is about, it will take a moment or two and we’ll have to go a little deeper than the headlines.

The claim is that the only continent in the world that has lower growth than Europe is Antarctica.

Agreed Antarctica is a continent BUT it is not a nation state or even a union of nation states, it has no citizens, no manufacturing base or even a service industry, the only people that live there are visiting scientists, somewhere between 1,000 and 4,000 of them.

Antarctica has a GDP of ZERO and grows by ZERO percent. But that is no big surprise.

For a moment let’s be generous and assume that what the Quitters are actually referring to is that most continents have a faster growth rate than Europe.

BUT, we have to make sure we are comparing apples with apples and not apples with oranges.

There are two economically advanced continents: Europe and North America. These continents did all their fast growth becoming developed economies and now have lower rates of growth but on a bigger base. North America and the EU grow at about the same rate.

The other continents are considered to be emerging or developing economies. Emerging economies grow much faster as they seek to become developed economies.

Yes, I know Asia and Oceania have a some individual economically advanced economies but Boris and his crew were talking about continents.

There are also a few emerging economies that are below par; such as Brazil and Russia.

Growth rates are a bad indicator unless you are comparing like for like, back to that fruit basket again. But comparing apples with oranges is one of Boris’s specialities.

Don’t take my word for it, have a look at the International Monetary Fund report – http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2016/update/01/

The rates of growth for emerging economies can be very high, that is why advanced economies want to trade with emerging economies, the opportunities are enormous: have a look at how much trade Germany does with China and India.

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