Joe Issa Tips Britain to Remain in EU: “They Need Each Other!”

As Britons contemplate whether or not to leave the European Union (EU), former student of the renowned London School of Economics and Political Science, Joe Issa, has tipped Britain to stay in the 28-member bloc come the referendum on June 23 this year.

“When I came to study in the UK things were already changing in Europe. The Single Market treaty had just been signed (in 1986), paving the way for unencumbered free-flow of trade across EU borders.

 

“The change was also happening on British streets. It was no longer just fish & chips and savaloy, a popular, highly seasoned smoked sausage made from salted pork, which I enjoyed. There were Greek, Spanish, Turkish and many other nationality restaurants, which enriched the city with their cuisine and cultural activities,” Issa said, as he reacted to news that exit from the bloc would hurt Britain badly.

 

Noting that by the time he had left London the EU was solidifying the bloc, Issa said, “Soon after I left, the Berlin Wall came down (on November 9, 1989) and East and West Germany were reunited (in October 1990) after nearly 30 years of cold war. Since then, peace and economic prosperity has prevailed across Europe.”

 

This was led by the completion of the Single Market, which made Europeans free to trade and invest with and travel to one another’s country. It opened up communication and Europeans really started to use mobile phones and the internet, bringing the region into the modern era, Issa said.

 

According to him, two things happened in the new Millennium which brought Europeans even closer and led to more countries joining the grouping: one is the fear of terrorism, after September 11, and the other is the 2008 global financial crisis, which gave rise to greater economic cooperation. In fact, by the end of the decade provisions were being made to provide the EU with modern institutions and efficient methods.

 

But over the past six years, Issa said while there have been opportunities, there have also been challenges, particularly by member countries experiencing fiscal difficulties and requiring a bailout, with suggestions emerging that the rest of the EU was dragging Britain down.

 

Also, the huge influx of other European citizens into Britain is said to have taken away opportunities and benefits once enjoyed by the British, and has changed the country’s landscape, to the extent that what is British could soon disappear, making them foreigners in their own country.

 

“However, despite their emotions, I believe the British people will wake up on June 23 and vote to stay in the union, realizing that they need the EU just as much as the EU needs then, and bearing in mind the gloom and doom which have been forecasted for them if they leave the bloc,” Issa said.

 

In a recent Sky article, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that there would be consequences for Britain, ranging from “pretty bad to very, very bad” if it quits the EU.

 

The Head of IMF, Christine Lagarde, said a sharp rise in interest rates were among the negative impacts, while echoing the Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, who said a vote to leave “could potentially lead to a technical recession,”

The IMF report said quitting EU would lead to a "protracted period of heightened uncertainty" for the UK with a hit to output and ‘sizeable’ long-term losses in income.

 Other findings point to “a sharp drop in house prices, increased borrowing costs for households and businesses, and a sudden halt to inward investment,” the article said.