Anonymous X wrote:
Edit: I'd like Leavers such as Kern to attempt to explain why Brexit is worth sacrificing the economy for.
What makes you think I'm a leaver? I might be playing devil's advocate, or just advancing a debate. But then I might not be. I like to keep things ambiguous. Heck, the only position I do hold is that anyone who doesn't cheer for the Dark Blues on Boat Race day is just plain wrong.
But, since you ask, the most convincing arguments I have against the EU relate to its distance and general lack of accountability, opaqueness, and transparency. I don't feel a connection to the Commission as the executive or view the Council, composed of the heads of the various governments, as a body I have influence over. Part of this is my/our general lack of interest in its operations, but part of it seems to stem from its origins as a technocratic project to keep the mass away. I knew about the Spitzenkandidat process, but very few of my friends did. I am also of the opinion that whilst a federal Europe is an entirely noble goal, I believe federations are inherently unstable without a demos - a people - and the trend has been to splinter into smaller states rather than combine and move powers upwards.
All this has to be weighed in my head against the fact that I think being in it and helping steer it is better for us and the EU, that the economy might tank and really hurt the poorest sectors in society, and the fact that I believe strongly in the free movement of goods and people (and think it should be widened).
I do, however, appreciate the argument that sometimes you have to sacrifice Good Things to preserve other Good Things that you value as more important. Whether I believe that EU has progressed to a situation where we have to say 'no' and face the consequences is for me to decide.