Bamber on the "Brexit"

I wanted to write something about Brexit and give you my opinion on whether we should vote to stay in or leave. It’s difficult to understand the full picture from inside prison because my only input comes from my experience as a prisoner in recent years and from the T.V. I am 100% certain we must, must, must stay in the European Union (E.U.).

The Conservative Prime Minister, Edward Heath, took the UK into the predecessor of the E.U, the European Economic Community (EEC) in January 1973 after President de Gaulle of France, on the grounds of a U.K deficit, had blocked UK membership twice previously in 1961 and 1969. The reason the UK joined the EEC was in part to ensure our economy would thrive and not fall into decline. The first referendum on this issue was in 1975 where we were asked to make a decision as to whether our nation would remain a member of the EEC. The outcome of the vote was that we should remain as a member of the EEC.

Our problem as people is we forget so quickly our history lessons. By some coincidence I have been obtaining the service records of my mum and dad and my granddad on my dad’s side. My mum and dad were on active service during the Second World War and my granddad was active during the First World War. The First World War 1914-1918,– was just the most tragic, awful, heart-breaking loss of life man had ever seen. The war to end all wars we were told. Twenty five years later we were at it again – people in Europe including our great nation, our neighbours and our friends were at war again fighting and doing the most dreadful things to each other and over 60 million people died.

So now we are all mates we have the E.U., where we discuss all our Nations problems and iron out disputes around the table, and pretty much it’s happy, and fair and reasonable. In the E.U we never need to fight our neighbours, we simply talk our problems through. Without these types of negotiations like those in the E.U, things don’t work. Recent history tells us, we’ve had the IRA, Bader Meinhoff, Basque separatists and others, and yet it only works out when we stop fighting and start talking.

Cameron was laughed at when he mentioned world war three, that’s because such a big war really does seem very unlikely, but little wars can start if people stop talking to each other. Who could have predicted the Falklands War, the war in Bosnia, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq or South Sudan – they just seem to happen – but we’ve not raised our hand in anger at anyone in the E.U. since it was created – and we never will. The E.U. are our mates, and with the E.U. we make new mates. We don’t lose our identity because of the friends we have, we share and learn and enjoy the things our friends bring to the table. We do not have to be best friends with everyone in the E.U, but the way to go is to have strong representation in the EU parliament – make sure our MEP’s stick up for us, keep to a solid British agenda.

But do not forget how it can go so wrong when we stop talking and start fighting and given half a chance people seem to love fighting each other. The bottom line is we must never go to war with our European neighbours not ever – to guarantee that you have to stay at the top table in the E.U. and ensure we get our fair share of the spoils. Of course we would do great if we came out just as the pro-Brexit people say we would, but how do we sort out disputes that will arise over the coming years?

For me it is so easy to decide – we have insurance being in the E.U. that we will never fight with any E.U. member. Come out of the E.U. and history shows us that given time we would end up fighting – saying we won’t was said just prior to every conflict we have had during the last few hundred years. Stay in the E.U. and we are with our mates, and we do get along for the most part – the best thing is knowing with certainty that we will never go to war again with anyone in the E.U. That’s not the only argument for staying in the E.U. but when you think how bad it was. Is worrying about not being able to buy overly curved bananas because we are in the E.U. a reason to leave?

So on the 23^rd June when you have your opportunity to vote in the referendum my advice would be to stay in, stay in, stay in, as it is rock solid insurance we will be at peace with one another.

Jeremy.