EU Referendum Warning Klaxon

After weeks and months of fervent campaigning, the EU Referendum is finally taking place in the UK tomorrow. Will we remain a part of the EU? Or will we vote to leave, stick our collective oars in the English Channel, and paddle furiously out to the Atlantic Ocean whilst flipping off the continent with our remaining digits?

All in all, it's been a worrying campaign throughout- even before the outrageous murder of Jo Cox last week. Naturally, much of the venom has been targeted at immigrants and refugees.

For goodness sake.

The above poster garnered a lot of attention for the Leave campaign. Judged against the old maxim of "No such thing as bad publicity", it's a success. People definitely talked about it. Unfortunately, much of the attention was on the undeniable similarities it shared with genuine Nazi propaganda:

If only we could know the consequences of unfettered nationalism in Europe.

Now, I've written before about the Syrian refugee crisis so I shan't bang on again here. Suffice to say, the UK is already doing relatively little to help. 

D'accord.

Alongside refugees, immigration from the EU is often cited as a major reason for leaving Europe. This strikes me as- and please excuse my French- absolute bollocks. Never mind the fact that immigrants actually make a net contribution to the UK economy, it seems almost hysterically hypocritical of us to deny Europeans the right to live and work in the UK when so many of our citizens do the same on the continent. 

It's almost as if we're massive two-faced weasels who want to have our cake AND eat it...

Not that you would know any of this from our dear and beloved press, of course. If there's one thing that still shifts newsprint in this digital age, it's thick people being told that Muslamic immigrants are coming to steal their jobs/benefits/non-Halal meat products.

'Seems like perfectly sensible coverage', he thought sarcastically

The press coverage has been shockingly biased against both the EU and EU Immigrants- perhaps little wonder, seeing as Boris Johnson himself was one of the most influential journalists in popularising the myth of the 'barmy EU'.

I mean, who wouldn't trust this man? He's like a fat, British Gary Busey.

The trouble with making the decision to leave the European Union because of badly reported and factually flexible stories about immigration is that it's based largely on a spurious notion: Schrodinger's Immigrant.

Can't get a good job? An immigrant probably stole it. Benefits/pension has gone down? That'll be immigrants bleeding the country dry. Can't get a school place for your child? An appointment with your doctor? Roads seem more crowded? Too much rain on the weekend? Blame the immigrants!

Such a notion is comforting to most bigots. It's not your fault- it's the fault of this other person, who conveniently doesn't speak English as well as you and isn't there to defend themselves because they're getting on with their lives.

Of course, such exercises in self-introspection don't shift newspapers. The lack of fair coverage has been such that one guy actually felt the need to buy a full-page ad in the Metro in order to get an alternative message across.

BRAVO

The advert makes an astute point: immigrants are often used as a convenient scapegoat by Conservatives and the right-wing establishment. Is the NHS under massive strain because of hordes of sickly Eastern Europeans swarming into A&E, or because the government is cutting funding? Is there pressure on schools nationwide because classes are full of little Lewandoskis, or is it because the government wants schools to do more and more whilst being provided with less and less? Even if that were the case- what are we supposed to do? Deny foreigners access to healthcare on the basis of their passport- even if they work here and pay their taxes? Should we not educate their children, even though it could integrate them into British society and share our best values with a new, international generation?

LOLZ, WHO DIS JOKER?!?!

Then of course, we face a chilling/interesting conundrum (delete as politically appropriate)- what would the UK look like after a Brexit? The morning after the night before, we'd wake up with a banging hangover and turn on the TV to find a changed country. Imagine the scenes: Lord Farage laughingly uproariously on breakfast news whilst downing his fourth pint of the day, Michael Gove personally welding shut shipping containers full of Europeans in the docks at Dover, and- of course- our new Prime Minister running the entire United Kingdom in his vice-like grip...

RULE BRITANNIA, BRITANNIA RULES THE WAVES

Of course, the whole concept of a "United Kingdom" becomes a little tenuous when we consider that Brexit would deeply divide the country. Scotland narrowly voted to stay part of the UK in 2014, but would it still want to remain part of Great Britain if it meant leaving Europe? Anecdotal evidence suggests not. If Scotland were to leave, Wales might well follow suit. Northern Ireland would presumably stick with the UK to the very end if it meant avoiding being subsumed into Ireland, but it would be a mockery to try and claim that England and Ulster alone constitute a "United Kingdom".

Although the Mail would presumably be thrilled.

Of course, lost in all the frenzy and fury is a very simple face: the EU isn't actually all that bad. It helps our economy, allows us freedom to work and travel, and helps keep us safe. In spite of what the Leave camp claim, we have a vote on our representation. The EU is painted as a faceless dictatorship, when in fact it's probably one of the most benign international groups going, caring more about producing flame-retardant flags than scuttling British industry. It's largely cordial, placid, and a source of optimistic hope for our future. Europe hasn't blown itself apart in more than 50 years; surely that's something?

Perspective

In spite of how frustrating the EU may seem at times (and I'm not arguing that it's perfect), it would make no sense to leave because of spurious half-truths and malicious xenophobia. As ever, John Oliver pretty much says what I think but in a much better way:

Either way, Thursday 23rd June 2016 will be an incredibly important day in modern British history. I hope that we make the right decision.

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