Parliament Street’s Clare George-Hilley on why we shouldn’t let the Remain Campaign scare stories spook us
Scaring isn’t caring, and the tactics being deployed by the Remain campaign to frighten the British people into voting to stay in the European Union (EU) demonstrates how desperate their cause has become.
Yet the celebrity endorsements and signed letters from big business leaders will continue apace. As will the ‘independent’ data and insights warning that a departure from the EU will trigger our country’s financial collapse, costing jobs and livelihoods.
Bombarding the British people with scare stories will trigger doubt, but it is through grassroots organisations like Vote Leave that the battle for our country’s future will be won. Our message offers so much more than simple scare stories and it paints a future of a country in control of its future and its long-term economic prosperity.
Under our plan, our country will no longer have to fork out £12billion every year to the EU and our businesses will be free from the tangled regulations that cost us £33.3bn last year. That will mean more jobs and a brighter future for the next generation of entrepreneurs, a boost for our small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and an economy built to last.
Freeing ourselves from the EU will also mean the opportunity to trade openly with other nations around the world. We don’t have to be a member of the EU to trade with it, so what’s to stop us building agreements with emerging markets in other parts of the world? China, Brazil or our Commonwealth partners like Australia have so much to offer, yet we side-line them in favour of this bloated European framework.
Our independence would also mean that Brussels would no longer have a direct say over UK law, the European Court of Justice would cease to have absolute authority over the UK government. This will mean we can control our borders, kick-out extremists who wish to destroy our way of life and ensure a better quality of life and justice for our society.
What we also need for our country’s borders is good management. As an EU member, Britain must keep its borders open to EU citizens, and to be clear there are 503 million of them. This isn’t about blocking people who want to come to the country to work, but it is about having our say on who comes and how long they stay for.
Independent analysis by various groups have indicated that the average British household would be better off outside of the EU. This includes reduction in costs on food, living costs and of course our multi-billion pound membership fee.
So let’s get out there and paint a picture of the benefits of a Brexit, not just for businesses but for hardworking families across the country. Let’s turn the fear instilled into voters by the Remain campaign into a message hope if they vote to leave and take control of their country again.
Our country has such an exciting bright future ahead once it steps forward into a new era of international trade. We can only get there by setting out a positive vision for the British people, so let’s get going.
Clare George-Hilley is Parliament Street’s Director of Communities and Social Justice
