Reddit is now full blown discussing the issue. Saw a good point list of why the UK wants to leave by user SweatyBadgers.
- We don't need to be in a political union in order to trade with other countries, nor to be friendly with them and work together. We should leave and negotiate a simple free trade agreement tailored to our needs. We're the fifth biggest economy in the world, the financial capital of the planet, and the EU's biggest export market. If Mexico is capable of negotiating a free trade deal, we certainly are.
- Leaving the EU would allow us to regain the power to create our own trade deals, rather than having to have the EU do it for us so that it suits 28 different countries with different economies instead of just one.
- We are one of the top three net contributors to the EU budget, meaning we get less from it than we put in. What's more, the better our economy does, the more we are expected to contribute, despite the EU trying to impose measures that damage our biggest industries such as the Financial Transaction Tax. We're even expected to contribute to things that have nothing to do with us, such as Greece's third bailout.
- The EU is pushing for the UK and France to give up their UNSC seats so that the EU can have one. It's already established what is effectively a foreign minister, and Juncker the Commission President is pushing for an EU army.
- This one I accept not everyone will agree with, but the EU's obsession with expansion is creating a more unstable world. If the EU was truly interested in peace, it would have recognised that reaching out to Ukraine and welcoming the idea that it join the EU would provoke Russia into action. The last thing Russia wants is an expansionist pseudo-super power encroaching on its border. Yes I know there are entirely valid arguments for self-determination, but from a peace perspective these titans of the political scene should have recognised the consequences of their actions.
- The nature of the EU's protectionist customs union means we impose tariffs on goods from other areas of the world, which is morally questionable when you think of the impact it has on poorer countries like those in Africa which could thrive through increased trade.
- The EU is heading in one direction, and that is toward a federal Europe. The Euro is a disaster, but rather than admit it Europhiles are doing all they can to keep the dream of a federal Europe alive, even if it means ruining the lives of its citizens, or stealing directly from their bank accounts. See: Greece and Cyprus. The UK is never going to join a federal EU, so what's the point in us being a part of it?
- The EU has a worrying distaste for democracy when it goes against the 'correct' result. The constitution was rejected by referenda in multiple countries, so it was re-branded the Lisbon Treaty (it is essentially the exact same document, I believe a study showed it had 94% of the same content) so that it could circumvent national referenda (See: Valery Giscard d'estaing's comments on the matter), and when Ireland who did have a referendum on it rejected it, they were forced to vote again until they gave the 'correct' answer.
- We have 8% of the vote in EU decision-making, a share which gets smaller every time the EU admits a new member. When we vote against decisions that negatively impact us, we are outvoted nearly 90% of the time.
- Constantly demands an increase in its budget, yet hasn't had its spending audited for the last 19 years. There is no such thing as EU money, it is taxpayer money from the nation states that make up its membership, so how does it justify spending hundreds of thousands of tax payer money on blatant propaganda?
The second to last point is similar to my question asked way back on page 20 something. How small would our proportional vote be when Turkey joins? That alone is enough to make me want to vote out.
Before Datalol-jack or one of the other proficient wikipedia linkers reply I agree with points 1, 2, 3, 7 and 9.
