It is a day of democracy, for which we should all be thankful and in which we can take pride.
Whatever the outcome, what matters is that Britain strives to be the best it can be, for its own citizens and for the world, working with the other peoples of Europe, and elsewhere, to counter the great shared challenges of our time. At the end of the day, we will always be a European country.
I would like to offer a word of thanks to the BBC for a coverage which I perceive to have been an honest attempt to be objective and to inform.
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FR - Aujourd'hui est une fête de la démocratie pour laquelle nous devrions de la reconnaissance et dont nous pouvons être justement fiers.
Quel que soit le résultat, ce qui est important est que la Grande Bretagne s'efforce à être le meilleur possible, vis à vis ses propres citoyens et le reste du monde, en travaillant avec les autres peuples de l'Europe et d'autres parts, pour combattre les défis communs formidables de notre époque. Après tout, nous serons toujours Européens.
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IT - Oggi è una festa della democrazia, per cui dovremmo essere riconoscenti ed in quale possiamo essere fieri.
Comunque vada, l'importante è che la Gran Bretagna si sforzi ad essere il meglio che possa, per i suoi cittadini e il mondo, collaborando con gli altri popoli dell'Europa e oltre, ad opporsi alle grandi sfide comuni del nostro evo. Infine saremo sempre una nazione dell'Europa.
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I would like to very briefly summarise the main areas in which I think each side has the upper hand in the argument. Most of those which I leave out are those where I think neither side really has much of an advantage, for example due to the uncertainty of the future (e.g. the direction of travel of the EU: there seems to be a consensus that the eurozone must integrate, but does that necessarily mean Britain must join or be marginalised? and what is the truth of talk about a European army, etc? I feel this area probably on balance lends itself to the leave case, but the level of uncertainty surrounding it make me feel it is not conclusive.)
Leave
1) Sovereignty.
One can talk about the value or indeed necessity of sharing sovereignty and the vanity of national identity as much as one likes; but at the end of the day, Britain as a state would be more independent if it were outside the EU, with full control over its own laws and all the other policy areas currently overseen by Brussels. Whether this would be better or worse is a separate matter.
2) Democracy and accountability.
This is closely connected to sovereignty. For better or worse the EU is not really a very democratic vehicle for decision-making; if you value democracy, then restoring full sovereignty to the British Parliament would straightforwardly be more democratic. It would prevent Parliament from being able to blame the EU for things, and the electorate would be able to vote out their lawmakers. In my view a vote to leave would be better for British democracy and make it healthier. (It would also resolve the European question once and for all, while staying will not make the leave movement go away.)
3) Immigration.
While leaving the EU would not necessarily automatically result in a drop in immigration, it would make it possible for a party to be elected that could actually bring this about. In all likelihood I think immigration would go down for a variety of reasons, not all of them good. If we remain however, freedom of movement is non-negotiable, and no immigration target can ever be guaranteed. However - see also emigration...
Remain
1) The economy.
There will probably be at least a short-term negative economic fall-out from a leave vote, of which nobody can be sure of the severity. We cannot be confident of a swift outcome from negotiations for a trade deal with the rEU, or of one that will be at least as good as that which we currently have. Being a member of the EU probably makes Britain a significantly more desirable place to invest. The leave argument for the economy focuses on regulation; I would be very unwilling to part with much of this, as "red tape" is in fact in many cases safeguards for things like the environment and workers' rights. The other argument is that we could pivot away from a declining Europe to growth markets elsewhere, but Europe is surely always going to be a very major market by dint of sheer proximity, and being in the EU by no means prevents trade with other countries.
2) International relations.
Clearly a leave vote will insult our geographically nearest allies, which might contribute to greater confrontationalism and illwill in our relations with the EU. It would probably weaken our soft power and influence in the world. Additionally, if it weakens Europe's economy or stability that presents an indirect but substantial threat to British interests.
3) Emigration.
The flip-side of immigration: free movement works in Britons' interests as well, with hundreds of thousands of Britons living and working abroad in Europe.
4) Regulation.
I think most EU regulation on businesses is probably good and progressive, and some parties with a very real chance of future government would not necessarily keep those safeguards.
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I think that there are very powerful arguments on both sides and that voting either way is perfectly rational and defensible. I hope that in the aftermath we will as a country come to an acceptance of the result either way and a greater understanding and appreciation of both sides' reasoning; although I greatly fear that this will not be the case.
Rule Britannia, and floreat Europa!
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