Its an interesting debate in the UK but central to everything is are we part of Europe or not? I feel part of Europe, I love the camino, the international community that comes together and talks from the heart and listens with the head.
I love the freedom to traverse the borders from the French Pyrenees to the Spanish atlantic coast and I get confused when I hear the debate being dragged into talk about Brussels politicians.
Lets face it, most of them are in Strasborg, but thats the level of debate.
I havent heard a single argument that makes me sit up and think. I've listened and listened but its all nonsense. Its about people upset that from the 1960's to the present more and more wealth is created and less and less of it is making it into the hands of the people who need.
I've always thought that I hate being governed by London, broadcast to by London and generally advised what to think and read by Wapping. I dont really have much choice as politics in the UK is governed by the 100 marginal seats that decide which right wing party gets the chauffeur driven cars.
If the politicians in this country could spend sometime helping resolve some of our issues like allowing small coffee shops to pay taxes and preventing large international coffee chains from paying them. They need to stop exporting our earnings. Tell the Premier League no more wage rises without tax. Supporters pay for their season ticket out of earnings that have been taxed, just so the players they pay to see can have the income tax free. Its clearly an issue that all parties agree is not an issue as they do nothing about it.
The economic argument to remain has been banged on and on about, lets face it, If we leave Europe the odds are £1 = 1euro, which means the chance of restoring my karma on Camino is reduced.
The issues are really about an international refugee crisis and migrant labour from 3rd world countries wanting to come to Europe to earn money to alleviate problems at home. This is direct aid. Every third world migrant keeps 30 people back home. Its ok if you are a capitalist thief, you can come over and expatriate funds in exchange for debt instruments that are worthless. How many pension funds lost out during the financial crisis and how much did 'we' lose? More than it would've cost to solve the crisis we created by reducing developmental aid. Countries like Botswana have been lucky as the diamonds have been well controlled and its helped them out but elsewhere international companies have been allowed to ransack running with corrupt regimes but I digress, we, the global community are in a hole and we need to help arrive at a better solution for displaced people. For hundreds of years Europe including the UK were the source of the migrants that arrived in North America and Australia, those doors seem closed now but to be fair, if some of them knew just how bad living could be in the USA, they'd never try to get there.
The second issue is whisky or fisheries. In Scotland we cant have both. Our fisheries are hit hard by our membership but our Whisky industry has never had it so good. Sadly it is about choice in this instance, although we could do with some alternative thinking involving our Norwegian cousins.
And finally it comes down to whether you lock your house door or leave it open.
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