Brexit Synopsis

Tanner Morrison

APEC 1101

Mock Trial #2

Brexit Synopsis

Complaint Research group

Brexit is a term that has been used to explain the idea of the United Kingdom leaving what is known as the European Union or “EU”. The European Union consists of 28 nations including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and of course, the United Kingdom (Gov.UK).

The EU is a market in which the participating nations that are listed above are allowed free movement of goods, capital, services, and people (Gov.UK). The EU essentially regulates and controls economic decisions of participating nations. This means that if for example, the United Kingdom wishes to conduct trade with a country that is not a part of the EU, they would be bound to the rules of trade set in place by the EU. Essentially, what the United Kingdom wishes to accomplish or get out of, by leaving the EU would be some form of independence. By leaving the EU, the United Kingdom would become more independent and be able to set their own rules, standards, and regulations when it comes to economic policy and decision making.

There are a few areas in which by leaving the EU, the United Kingdom will benefit from. One such area is trade. About 28% of what the United Kingdom produces is exported (Walker). Under current EU regulations, trade barriers such as tariffs have been eliminated. This makes it relatively easy for nations that are a part of the EU to trade amongst one another, but it poses problems for these countries if they wish to trade with other countries around the world that are not a part of the EU. The United Kingdom is third behind only the United States and China when it comes to foreign investment (Walker). This means that trade is an important and big part of their economy. By being bound to the EU’s rules of trade, the United Kingdom isn’t getting the most bang for their buck so to speak. For example, under current EU rules, when an EU nation like the United Kingdom wants to conduct trade with a foreign nation outside the EU, they do not get to set their own tariffs. Member states of the EU are bound to what is known as a “Common External Tariff” which is set in place by the European Commission (Walker). Like previously mentioned, by leaving the EU, the United Kingdom would become more independent and be able to conduct trade deals with their own set of rules that would help expand their economy.

Another area that would benefit the United Kingdom by leaving the EU would be in immigration. Currently under EU rules and regulations, any individual from a nation that is part of the EU can freely move into a differing member country. Not only can they move into these countries, but they can decide to permanently live there and hold jobs (Lee). This poses problems for the United Kingdom. According to vox.com, in the year 2015, the United Kingdom “absorbed 333,000 new people.” What this influx of people coming into the country does is that it puts a burden on the citizens who were born into or are currently living in the United Kingdom. More people means less availability of public services and resources. According to Nigel Farage, “the flood of immigrants has depressed the wages of native-born British workers.” If the United Kingdom were to leave the EU, they could adopt their own immigration system. Under current EU rules, the United Kingdom has to let in any and all EU citizens who wish to move to Britain regardless of their job or speaking skills (Lee). Many people in support of Brexit have mentioned when it comes to immigration, adopting a point based system which in essence, rates potential migrants based on what they bring to the table or have to offer. Basically, how they would contribute to Britain’s economy in a positive way. Many “leave” advocates are in favor of this idea because they feel it would allow the United Kingdom to admit more doctors and engineers and English speaking citizens and fewer unskilled workers that currently are being let in under the conditions of the EU (Lee).