When deciding whether or not to leave the EU, the first question should be if there are any viable options for this to occur. Many believe that there are viable options, as Britain could negotiate an “amicable divorce” whilst maintaining it’s strong trading links with other EU nations.
The leader of UKIP, Nigel Farage, used examples of countries such as Norway and Switzerland as countries that have flourished whilst not being part of the EU. They are able to access the single market, but are not bound by EU laws. However is an “amicable divorce” really realistic? The leading EU nations would not realistically allow Britain to choose which EU rules they would want to follow.
Those in favour of Britain leaving the EU say that there would be a significant increase in available jobs. This is because only less than 10% of the UK economy is involved in trade with the EU, but the rest still must obey EU regulation. Therefore leaving the EU say that when small firms are free from this EU regulation, 1 million British jobs can be created. However although this may happen, more millions of jobs could be lost due to global manufacturers moving to EU countries where costs are lower. For example, the Britain’s large car industry, which is foreign-owned, would shift into the EU.
A key issue that many of the population question is whether Britain would save money by leaving the EU. UKIP suggests that billions would be saved through the lack of necessity to pay membership fees to the EU, and through the end of the tariff that UK taxpayers pay when goods are exported to the EU. UKIP have stated that the total amount of money that Britain would save through leaving the EU would be £65.7 billion a year. However this amount of money is minimal compared to the benefits of being in the single market. UK exporters would have to pay much more when facing EU legal arguments against the UK standards. The UK could also lose their tax revenue if banks move to the EU from the City.
."Is an 'amicable divorce' realistic?"