Title: Should the UK stay in the European Union? - Economics Help
Headings: Should the UK stay in the European Union?
Should the UK stay in the European Union?
Should we stay in the EU?
The Ideal of European unity
Free Trade
Free Movement of labour and capital
Ease of Studying Abroad
Economic Strength of the EU
Cost of Membership
Democracy in a global economy
Personal View
Related

Content: Increasingly issues will have to be decided by Qualified Majority Voting, which means that the UK may have to accept rules and regulations we didn’t support. Personal View
My personal view is instinctively to support attempts at European union and integration. Even if there are some costs, like inefficient agricultural policies, the hope is that the net benefits outweigh this. In particular, I don’t feel that the UK can go it alone. The nature of globalisation is that we are increasingly integrated and interdependent on our European neighbours (whether we like or not). However, I can also see the attraction of the viewpoint which says – why not have the benefits of European membership (free trade, acceptance of qualifications, free movement of capital) without all the unnecessary political integration and economic policies which are damaging the EU. You can often find yourself agreeing with people, even if you don’t share their motives. In particular, the attitude of the EU towards the Single currency and unemployment is a real cause for concern. In my view, the Single currency is structurally unsound, and rather than bringing European nations together is causing a rise in extremist political activity, because of the high social costs surrounding the consequences of austerity and high unemployment. The management of the EU crisis makes you wonder at the direction of the European Union and whether they are losing sight of the best way to promote European integration.