Yes, the UK has been a damaging force in the EU in the past couple of decades. The concept of the EU as solely (or mainly) a trade agreement has spread as a cancer and has in the UK one of the most active supporters. Furthermore, the UK has continuously complained for the troubles created by the rule of unanimous decisions, but has eagerly exploited the same rule to protect its interests, against the common interests of the entire Union (think about the regulation of finance).
Yet, the risk of spiralling down and destroy the EU is too high.
In a normal condition, before the crisis, the idea of destroying this egoistic, marketist, cruel and conservative-minded EU might also have seemed appealing. But let’s be honest. The damage to the society the left is correctly pointing out is caused by the strength of the capital, the class warfare carried out by the rich and the corporations, with the EU as an intermediary which for a while even slowed down this course of action (labour is still protected in the EU zone way more than it is in the US!). Pushing for the collapse of the EU today would not make these problems magically disappear. We would find ourself without the only tool that -despite being used today against us, the people- we could effectively use in our favour, if we started joining our forces across the borders.
These are interesting and dangerous times and the path we take in these years is going to affect the next decades. It is not impossible for the entire continent to go backwards and find itself again in a thirties-like scenario. History does repeat itself. So we have to pick a side, forget fear, and root for internationalism, the only way forward.
PS these I am sharing are Wolfgang Tillmans’ posters.
PPS I am aware this short post has a continental perspective. Here a nice list of good reasons for the leftist brits to vote STAY. https://www.byline.com/column/11/article/1062
