Britain is about to vote on the most important referendum the country has ever faced. On June 23rd, the British will vote on whether or not to stay in the European Union. With a recent Ipsos MORI poll showing 53 percent of British plan on voting to leave the EU, there is obviously a large possibility this referendum will pass.
Why do people want to leave the EU? The Union provides many benefits, such as simplified trading blocs between member nations, citizens are able to move their businesses anywhere within the Union and most importantly, the EU provides a unified currency for all members, the Euro. In fact, over 50 percent of all trading Britain partakes in is with Germany.
On the other side of the fence, the EU places restrictions on the market and creates laws that can supersede British law. Although the EU provides simplified trading between member nations, the pact also restricts trading from outside the partnership. More importantly however, the overarching power the EU lawmakers have is what frightens British citizens.
The EU has become a federalist system, where member nations sign onto a political pact. All member nations are like states within the U.S. Member countries can create legislation within their own countries, but laws the EU passes overrule member nation laws.
What’s even scarier to British citizens is the fact that the parliament of the Union does not have any hand in the EU’s legislation process. Although these are the officials elected by people of the member nations, they cannot create, pass or repeal any legislation.
The parliament only has the power to amend laws already enacted by the executive branch of the EU, the European Commission. This is a 28-member council voted in by the European Parliament. This group has the power to create, introduce, pass and reject bills.
The Commission does not discuss legislation in front of the parliament, nor does it allow the Parliament to have any say in legislation. This group of appointed officials is what creates uneasiness within Britain. This system creates an undemocratic form of overruling government, which controls the member nations and places regulation across the pseudo-confederation.
The EU started as a trading block between a small group of nations. In 1950, the EU was first born as a common market laid out in the Schuman plan. The Schuman plan was first written by French political philosopher and federalist, Jean Monnet, then Prime Minister of France, Robert Schumann pushed the plan forward in an attempt to control the coal and steel industries of West Germany after World War II.
The plan created a European Coal and Steel Community, which unified specific countries in Europe to primarily make war less likely and to create a coal and steel community. Over time, the coalition became the European Economic Community, and provided more benefits in conjunction with forming the coalition into a political union between member nations.
In 1975, 52.1 percent of British voted on a referendum to stay in the union, under the promise of creating a better economic environment. Over time, more countries joined the community and provided further ground to change the community into a union. In February of 1992, member countries signed the Maastricht Treaty, ultimately defining the three branches of EU government and forming the national power it has today.
Since 1992, the EU has stood as a judicial and legislative power over its member nations; therefore, partially taking away each nations individual sovereignty. If Britain wants to keep its independence, it is necessary to leave the EU as soon as possible. With possible additions to the Union, such as an army, the direction the Union is taking has dangerously leaned towards federalism and creating the United States of Europe.
