Why am I voting Remain?

So, It's been a while since I wrote, But I was prompted to write a post after being asked by a colleague, "Why are you voting Remain?!?" earlier today. Being the dyspraxic fool that I am, when I am put on the spot, my mind goes blank. I have many, many reasons for voting remain, but at that moment, I couldn't think of a single one.

However, I am lucky enough to be extremely good at communicating non-verbally, so, Dave, this is for you - my reasons (the important ones!) for voting remain - 

1) Economic stability

Everyone, on both sides of the debate, agrees that if we leave, there will be a recession. The debate is about how long there will be a recession for. A recession will affect everyone. Food prices will rise, wages will go down and jobs will become harder to get and harder to keep. The poor will become poorer and people will suffer. There is no guarantee how long it will last, and personally, I don't feel it is worth the risk.

2) Border Control

Border Control will be SRTONGER in the EU. If we leave, we will still have to have an open border police with the EU, just as Norway does, in order to maintain a trading agreement with the EU. We need the EU's trade - they are the people who trade with us most and if we lose that we will be even worse off.

3) EU Legislation

As I have previously mentioned, we will have to stick by the EU's rules in order to maintain a trading agreement - necessary for our economic wellbeing. This means that we will still have to abide by the EU's laws. the only difference is that we will no longer have a say in what rules and regulations are passed. Additionallly, in the eventuality that Turkey finally manages to pass all 35 conditions they need to enter into the EU (They've only passed ONE since 1987!) we will no longer be able to veto them. Just FYI, if we were to veto Turkey, that means that they cannot join the EU. all we would have to say is no. If we're not in the EU, we can't say no to Turkey, but we would still have to have open borders... See the problem?

4) Worker's Rights


The EU's laws protect things like holiday pay, sick pay, pensions, Maternity and Paternity pay, etc etc. While we are in the EU, our government cannot touch those things. The EU has raised our holiday allowance, raised our maternity leave allowance. The EU protects us, the workers.

5) The NHS

Currently the EU injects a huge number of workers into our NHS system. Without the EU we would not have enough Nurses, enough doctors, enough surgeons and consultants. Our own countrymen are not attracted to the profession due to poor wages and horrendous working hours. That shortage is filled by immigrants, immigrants that would leave if we were to leave the EU. This would result in a massive shortage and no one to fill the gaps.
On a side note, as EU citizens, we have the right to go to a specialist anywhere in the EU and be treated free of charge if our own country is unable to help us. Another thing that the EU provides us with.

6) Terrorism

Although we are not a weak and feeble little country with no friends, to leave a big group of strong countries while we are facing such a massive threat from so-called "Islamic State" is madness. It's like in a horror movie when the stupid blonde goes off on her own to explore the cellar.

7) Jobs

Over 3,000,000 jobs in the UK depend upon the EU. need I say more?

8) Holidays

Who the hell wants to apply for a Visa every time they go on a trip to France to grab some booze?!?

9) Immigration

No economy can survive without immigration. It fuels growth, creates jobs and feeds money into our society. Ever noticed that those people complaining that people "come over here and steal our jobs!" are those people with no education, a criminal record, and have been on benefits because of a "fall" they had 23 years ago? There's a reason they don't have a job, and it's not because of immigration.

10)  Lies

The Brexit's campaign of massive porkies make me feel that if we leave the EU and put our country into the hands of these imbeciles, we are dooming ourselves to failure. It only takes a quick google search to discredit the whole "£350,000,000 a week" lie, or "half-truth" and another to discredit the lie that Turkey are about to join the EU. In order to join the EU a country has to fulfill 35 "EU Points", as I call them. Turkey has been trying to join since 1987, the year I was born. Since 1987 they have only managed to fulfill ONE point. One point in 29 years. Sure Turkey is trying to join the EU, but at this rate, it will be 3031 before they are successful, and even then we can Veto them so they can't join anyway.

11) Morals

I strongly believe that we, as a country, are far, far better off than many others on this planet. We have the NHS, benefits, pensions, free speech, a right to marry whomever we want, votes for women, the right to choose a religion, hell, I'm even allowed to go to work without my husband's permission!
I believe we should be part of a group that protects human rights - a group WE set up. I believe we should be using our power, our strength and our influence to be helping others - freeing those who are trapped, saving those who need saving. Protecting the weak and innocent. The EU gives us the ability to do that on a far larger scale than we could do on our own. We can do more for the benefit of others. We can do so much to improve this world, but we can do more, together

So there you have it. my list of reasons for voting remain. I don't expect people to agree. I don't expect people to even understand or pay attention. I expect you to do only one thing - Vote. People died to give you that right, use it. Use the information that you have been given by both sides to choose the option that you feel most suits you. This is one of the most important decisions in this countries recent history - be a part of it, and be proud.

Being British is Harder Than it Looks

 

I am one of those people who is as insanely patriotic as your average American (no offence, but you guys are CRAZY when it comes to patriotism). The problem with being British and being patriotic is that it is an immensely complicated thing to do, as the correct way for a Brit to be patriotic is to complain like hell about EVERYTHING. Whilst doing this you must also remember that no matter how bad we've got it, we’re incredibly lucky. We could have it so, so much worse. We could be French.

Additionally, while WE are allowed to complain about everything, if someone who is not British DARES to comment, even if they have lived here for the past 15 years, they are out of order. They are practically trying to start a war.

As we Brits are well aware, our Government is crap. We have an idiot who got into power by riding a bike to work in control, a man who looks like he is wearing a ridiculous blond wig and does nothing but mess everything up as mayor of our capital, and a monarch (God bless her, I love the woman) who does nothing but sit around looking pretty on the backs of our world famous pound coins.

We spend our hard earned money buying second homes for members of parliament - paying tax on what we earn, tax on what we spend it on, and tax on it when it sits in the bank. We pay tax on transporting what we have bought (and just paid tax for) home (both for fuel AND the vehicle itself). We pay tax on storing it in our fridges and then we pay tax on throwing it away.

Yet we still somehow feel that we have got it better than every other country in the world. We still believe that we own Australia, Canada, America, India, and every other scrap of land in between (except Russia. For two reasons, a) you’d have to be nuts to take on those guys and b) who would want to live there anyway? It’s bloody cold!).

I think that the fact that we no longer own these countries is part of the reason for Britain’s lack of faith in our Government. We had it all – wealth, power, land – we were the best of the best. And then for some weird reason, we decided to be nice and give it all back.

Who DOES that?!?! America wouldn't do that. China wouldn't do that. All the other super powers would just use the international rule of “Finders Keepers!” But for some extremely weird reason, us Brits find that we need to be liked by everyone. We have some kind of mass personality flaw that requires counselling.

That’s one of the reasons we were so peeved with that big-eared idiot, Tony Blair, when he decided it would be a good idea to go to war just because the Americans told us to. He was so busy trying to get them to like us that he forgot about making sure the others liked us too. And we know that no one else likes us - hardly anyone votes for us on the Eurovision Song Contest (talent show my arse. I've seen more talented dog leavings than some of the acts on that show).

The only people who MIGHT like us are the Aussies, and let’s face it, a) they’re all bloody mental and b) they’re such a long way away it’s OK for them to like us because they don’t have to deal with us. Kind of like a distant cousin locked up in an institution. They can’t get at you, and you can’t get at them. Also, they don’t help us at all with the Eurovision, what with them not being in Europe.

The French still haven’t forgiven us for that 100 years where we argued a bit. The Germans think we’re idiots and they can’t stand stupidity (which I think is a bit rich considering certain events). The Irish haven’t gotten over the potato incident. Or the Protestant thing. The Spanish think we’re all easy, the Italians think we’re rude, the Russians think we’re trying to steal their oil (they’d be right about that) and the millions of little eastern European countries see us as a meal ticket.

Even the Americans laugh behind their hands at us, their “sidekick”, because if they said “go jump under a bus” we’d ask if they wanted us to use Stagecoach or First, or maybe they’re prefer to use one of their Greyhounds?

We’d be OK if we were a bit more like the Irish – lovable, friendly, chatty, drunk and a bit dim; but everyone’s favourite, slightly backward, drunk cousin. But we Brits, we don’t have that charm. We’ll beat you to death with politeness, we’re kind but we won’t show it, we’re clever but we don’t boast, we always try to do our best but have a habit of getting it horrendously wrong and most of all, we’re good, but never good enough.

So it is hard to be British. It is hard to know that we’re a country led by idiots, who are in turn led by even bigger idiots. It is hard to know that none of the “intelligent countries”, as I like to call them, like you. It is hard to know that every year, for the next 100 years we are going to lose the Eurovision. Every year we are going to have to deal with the shame. It is hard to know that we ARE good at some stuff, but because we’re British we aren't able to TELL anyone about it - that would be rude. And it’s hard to know that our best doesn't quite cut the mustard.

But the HARDEST thing about being British is dealing with the weather.

On the plus side though, we've got the Queen.