Brexit

I’m going to say it, I will be extremely disappointed if Britain votes to leave Europe.  I think Britain for the most part has the best of both worlds at the moment – not quite fully integrated into Europe – so I don’t see why we would to change that.  And from a strictly selfish point of view, I think an exit would hit the worldwide financial markets hard – and that would negatively impact my net worth.  So I would prefer the stability of Britain staying where it is.  There are obviously pros and cons both ways.  Generally, and historically, immigration has had an extremely positive effect on British society and well-being – but I can see how the recent wave of predominantly East European migration maybe viewed in a less positive light.  And yes, I do think that in some aspects EU policies have undermined British interests and national sovereignty.  However, I think the potential risks of Britain leaving Europe – in particular the likely loss of influence, loss of foreign investment, loss of trade, loss of relevance on the world stage – could have a really devastating impact on Britain in the short and long term.  I also think Britain needs the EU, and the EU needs Britain, in order to best address the big concerns of our time – terrorism, the environment, conflict, the economy, poverty, etc.  Therefore, if I could, I would vote to stay.