UK referendum – The pains outweigh the gains by Abiola Akintunde

Today, the results of the United Kingdom(UK) polls on deciding the fate of its membership in the European Union(EU) which have lasted over four decades, shocked the world. Like every other relationship, there are benefits to gain, pains to suffer and times when the relationship will be reviewed for continuity or divorce depending on which weigh the most; gain or pain.


The UK-EU relationship review is a review that was popularly expected to favour remaining in the EU. Britons had carefully weigh the troubles EU membership have brought to their shore and the opportunities created and have concluded on which weigh the most, defying the call of their government to vote remain.

To give both parties involved in the review a justified opportunity to convince the British public which weigh the most, the government had declared the campaign open four months ago. A struggle that revealed the benefits of remaining and leaving the EU, a struggle that convinced the working class of an assured future with either EU or an independent UK.

The campaign that has dominated the public domain since four months ago when it was declared open, have seen experts discussed much about what the European Union will look like after a British Exit(Brexit) from the Union. The party which favored remaining in the EU; the remain party, have argued to remind Britons of thousands of jobs that would be lost and an economy that would shrink considerably in case of Brexit.

The panic in London over a Brexit from the EU has forced the UK government to discourage Britons from voting leave through its influence over mainstream media and financial institutions which decided to be economical with the benefits of voting leave and have been generous with consequences of voting leave, an attitude that was directly opposite when it was about voting remain.

With much to remember from the past before the UK surrendered its sovereignty to European Economic Community, the predecessor of EU, in 1973, the party which favored leaving the EU; the leave party, have much to say considering the erosion of UK’s sovereignty, and lack of authority on laws that govern foreign and domestic policy of the UK government. These two reasons costituted the foundation of the pains EU membership has caused UK.

Pre-1973 witnessed UK as the world’s first industrialised country; the greatest empire in history with almost a quarter of the world land mass, a courageous country that came out victorious during the first and second world wars, a country that ensured it’s national security and economic buoyancy without outside help, a member of the founding four( Soviet Union, United States, United Kingdom and China) that founded the United Nations(UN).

Post-1973 witnessed UK as a country which imports from the EU outweigh its exports to the EU, a country which can no longer guarantee it’s national security independently and have to depend on US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) for its security, a country which can no longer meets domestic demand locally and have to depend on its European neighbors to meet its internal demand, a country which have no say over who enters it’s territory and how many will be allowed to cross into its borders.

UK became weaker and it is getting weaker as Brussels become stronger, a phenomenon that put the fate of the majority in the hand of an unelected few. The welfare programmes are fading away as housing and healthcare services are destined for privatisation. The influence of UK in the international community is diminishing and the ability to defend it’s national interest is being given away in the name of EU membership.

These are what the leave party campaigned to encourage Britons to vote leave, a vote that might restore the sovereignty of UK, and restore the power to make law over what Britons want and not what some unelected few want if the government will be committed to rebuilding UK as a sovereign country independent of others economically and militarily. The UK referendum was about the United Kingdom becoming stronger as a sovereign and independent country or surrendering it’s sovereignty to empower the enelected few in Brussels.

The hectoring, the bullying, the scare-stories failed to dent the resolve of Britons to leave the European Union in favour of building a country where prosperity will not become the privilege of the upper class alone but a feat attainable for all who will work diligently, failed. Though the financial markets have certainly taken the view that the decision to leave the European Union is bad news for the United Kingdom in the near term at least, the benefits in the long term surely outweighs the loss in the near term.

The task now is to unite the country, to rebuild the country to a status that both Leavers and Remainers can accept. The Prime Minister; David Cameron, have decided to leave Number 10 Downing Street in the next three months after more than half of the country’s voters have defied him on the biggest political decision for a generation. Irrespective of who occupies Number 10, a new slate will be ready to write a new history upon.

The last time a referendum was held on EU membership by UK was in 1975 and 67% of voters voted to remain in the European Economic Community; the predecessor of European Union.