Skip to main content

Great Britain & European Union – Do You Want Britain To Be Part of The EU?

By Sikander Hayat

Britain has always defined itself as the “other” in Europe. Throughout its history, it has feared and guarded against an invasion from the mainland Europe. It has fought for influence with its neighbours in the other parts of the world.  It is too much to ask that just after 60 years of peace that the country changes its mindset completely. Constant Europe bashing by the British press does not help either. Every single day, newspapers are full of stories on how “idiots” in Brussels have come up with some ridiculous rule.
You will have to work really hard to find any positive news about Britain’s association with Europe. I personally believe that both sides of the argument are overstating their case. There are good arguments on both sides and if the country decided to go one way or the other, it will do well.

Following are the reasons why Britain can easily hold its own outside of the EU:

With current growth rates, Britain is going to become the largest population in Europe in next couple of decades.
Due to the same reason, UK will have the largest economy in Europe in next couple of decades.
Britain as an Island has been very open to the world outside Europe with strong association with South Asia, Arabian Gulf, Australasia and North America.
Due to a strong bond of common language, there is more mutual understanding between UK, United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and India/Pakistan than between UK & any of her European partners.
European Union project was devised to stop future wars by pooling of resources. UK wants to keep it to that and not turn it into a political union.


Following are the reasons why Britain will do equally well inside European Union.

First reason is the same, population gives UK clout that will make it one of the leaders of EU, more seats in European parliament; more say on the big tables.
Arguably, UK is the least xenophobic country in Europe and in its ethnic mix, it looks more like United States of America than Germany or other parts of mainland Europe. This cultural mix and dynamism gives UK the chance to be a shining example within EU being part of a club but in the front row.
EU has a population of 500 million and that gives UK unrestricted access to this market and in principle should create some jobs in this country.
More businesses which are looking to locate themselves in Europe will come to Britain if they knew that UK was part of wider European project.
European Union legal harmonization helps global businesses in their decision to make UK home, creating jobs in the process.

Related Posts: 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Siege - A Poem By Ahmad Faraz Against The Dictatorship Of Zia Ul Haq

Related Posts: 1.  Did Muhammad Ali Jinnah Want Pakistan To Be A Theocracy Or A Secular State? 2. The Relationship Between Khadim & Makhdoom In Pakistan 3. Battle for God; Battleground Pakistan - a time has finally come to call a spade a spade 4. Pakistan - Facing Contradictory Strategic Choices In An Uncertain Region 5. Pakistan, Islamic Terror & General Zia-Ul-Haq 6. Why Pakistan Army Must Allow The Democracy To Flourish In Pakistan & Why Pakistanis Must Give Democracy A Chance? 7. A new social contract in Pakistan between the Pakistani Federation and its components 8. Birth of Bangladesh / Secession of East Pakistan & The Sins of Our Fathers 9. Pakistan Army Must Not Intervene In The Current Crisis - Who To Blame For the Present Crisis in Pakistan ? 10. Balochistan - Troubles Of A Demographic Nature

India: The Terrorists Within

A day after major Indian cities were placed on high alert following blasts in the IT city of Bangalore, as many as 17 blasts ripped through Ahmedabad, capital of the affluent western Indian state of Gujarat . Some 30 people were killed, some at hospitals where bombs were timed to go off when the injured from other blasts were being brought in. (Later, in Surat, a center for the world's diamond industry, a bomb was defused near a hospital and two cars packed with explosives were found in in the city's outskirts.) Investigators pointed fingers at the usual Islamist suspects: Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Bangladesh- based Harkat-ul Jihadi Islami (HUJI) and the indigenous Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). But even as the police searched for clues, the Ahmedabad attacks were owned up by a group calling itself the " Indian Mujahideen. " Several TV news stations received an email five minutes before the first blasts in Ahmedabad. The message repo

Pakistan Army Must Not Intervene In The Current Crisis - Who To Blame For the Present Crisis in Pakistan ?

By Sikander Hayat Another day of agony and despair as Pakistanis live through a period of uncertainty but still I believe that army must not intervene in this crisis. These are the kind of circumstances when army need to show their resolve of not meddling in the political sphere of the country. No doubt that there will be people in the corridors of power and beyond who will be urging the army to step in and ‘save’ the country but let me tell you that country will only be saved if army stays away and let the politicians decide the future of the country, even if it means that there will be clashes on the streets of Islamabad. With free media in place, people are watching with open eyes the parts being played by each and every individual in this current saga. They know who is right and who is wrong and they will eventually decide who stays in power when the next general election comes. Who said that democracy was and orderly and pretty business ; it is anything but. Democracy