7 reasons why no-deal Brexit is a left-wing movement

• In simple terms: the EU single market = more capitalism.

The European Union is a customs union. This means that all member states have removed customs barriers (tariffs, levies, duties and embargoes) on all other member states. This is to ensure that, within this union, there are normal conditions of capitalist competition.

If a no-deal situation were to occur, the UK would leave this customs union and we would be forced to fall back on WTO rules. Every WTO member has a list of tariffs and quotas on certain goods that are applied to other member states. So, just as an example, under WTO rules, the tariffs on dairy products crossing from the EU to the UK would be 35% higher than they are now.

So, let me just spell that out for you in case you aren’t quite seeing it. Dairy that has been produced somewhere in Europe is put into a container and transported to the UK where it is then distributed, put into plastic packaging and then bought by us in the supermarket. Haven’t we all been realising that Dairy is bad for the environment anyway, without these added steps? Isn’t that why all the lefties are Vegan?

So, what will happen to the imported dairy? It will be approximately 35% more expensive and so British consumers will probably just say no. For those of you who are worried about milk prices, only 10% of British dairy is imported and most of that is from Ireland so don’t worry about it too much. And that leads me on to my next point.

• No-deal Brexit, or any Brexit, will make Irish unification more likely.

Border disputes are some of the most complicated issues in global politics. Both World Wars were essentially border disputes and there are countless ongoing hostilities around the world with border disputes at the forefront of the issue. However, I would argue that there are certain places in the world where border disputes should simply not occur: islands.

Especially islands that have an extremely homogenous culture and, to some degree, people. There is literally nothing to the west of Ireland for miles and miles yet still, in recent memory, it was one of the most hotly contested borders on the global stage. It baffles me. The island of Ireland is one country, I will always believe that.

According to Dr. Paul Nolan, Catholics could outnumber Protestants in Northern Ireland by the year 2021. This would be a symbolic change in the relationship between North and South. However, Nolan argues that it is wrong to assume that every Catholic person in Northern Ireland would support a united Ireland. This may be true but what about those who are neither Catholic nor Protestant, those voters who will not vote based on allegiance but will instead vote on a different political motive. Indeed, they may see a united Ireland as a more viable possibility in a post-Brexit world.

• New environmentally friendly trade deals that will occur in the future.

After the dust has settled after a No-deal Brexit, the UK will experience the biggest political upheaval it has experienced since the post-war era, when Labour took power for the first time. Trade is how modern nation states wage war, and Brexit is a trade war like no other. The aftermath of this war will be a drastic political upheaval and the opportunities are endless.

As Remainers like to mention, a large swathe of the people who voted for Brexit have now passed away and so their vote was for something that didn’t affect them. This will be even more true in 2020, or 2021 when future governments are negotiating trade deals. I have a vision of an environmentally conscious government negotiating trade deals if, and only if, they are sustainable and pay close attention to the way the deal will affect the environment.

A no-deal Brexit will be like a reset button where we, the dutiful British, struggle on through high prices for carbon-producing imports until we can form trade deals with countries that care about the environment as much as we do. Who knows what party could benefit from the chaos of a no-deal Brexit? Green Party *cough* *cough* *wink* *wink*

• Greater and closer links with non-EU countries.

Immigration is going to continue after Brexit. This is a fact. As a nation, we simply cannot provide the services we have without immigration. This is a fact. After we leave the EU, we will be able to create a brand-new immigration system that will bring in skilled workers from across the world. This is a huge step in the direction of increased multiculturalism. As we all know, as it has been argued on AWR before, racism comes from ignorance. As soon as we have skilled and productive workers from across the world, we will begin to banish old and ignorant ideas some Britons have about people from other countries.

Furthermore, think of all the governments and businesses across the world who are desperate to trade with the UK. Lest we forget, the UK is the fifth largest economy in the world. Lest we forget, Britain is still seen as a stable and reliable place for investors to put their money. This only changes if we let it.

 As I mentioned earlier, in our negotiations with other countries around the world, we can press for sustainably sourced and responsibly produced goods and services. Therefore, spreading an environmentally conscious message.

• The EU is not the harbinger of change that Remainers seem to think it is.

Before Brexit was a thing, before it became the only thing we ever heard about on the news, the EU came under sustained criticism for being a bureaucratic mess that had too many veto players in it to make significant changes to its structure and direction. This is still true.

The EU is a staunchly neoliberal body existing in a time when technology is making new things possible and when drastic and serious changes must be made to prevent the environment from being completely destroyed.

If there is one thing I learned from the tactics employed by Extinction Rebellion, it’s that the world needs just a tiny bit of chaos to shake up the status quo and herald a new environmentally conscious era. There is no room for drastic and revolutionary change inside the existing EU structure. It is an archaic body. The way I see it is, we in the UK are doing the rest of the world a favour by taking the brave leap of leaving a huge free market where goods are cheap and readily available and subjecting ourselves to a period of less capitalism where we can work towards a period of green capitalism.

• A large portion of working-class immigrants want Brexit to happen.

It is simple economics. More immigrants in low-skilled jobs depresses wages. It’s the reason British workers have a reputation for being lazy. They used to do the dull and dirty and tiresome jobs but then labourers from other countries where the cost of living is a lot lower came in due to the free movement of people and undercut the British workers.

The process is ongoing. I spoke to several, mainly foreign, taxi drivers in a small, University town in the north of England and they said they voted for Brexit. There were so many taxi drivers in this small town that there were regularly long lines of them stacking up at the few taxi ranks. This depresses their earnings. After Brexit, fewer low-skilled immigrants will halt the depression of their earnings.

Low skilled immigration from Europe is bad for the existing working class in Britain, whether they be British or foreign. Call it populism if you like but they have a point.

• Young people voted Remain because they like to travel and go on cheap holidays to Europe.

Who have I triggered? Over 70% of people aged between 18 and 24 voted Remain. (I think it is also important to note that voter turnout for this age group was only 64%.) When I get into arguments discussions with people my age about Brexit, I initially argue with a valiant champion of the working-class and the environment. But when these arguments are dismantled, it comes to light that the main reason young people want to stay in the EU is because they don’t want to deal with the faff and expense of being from a non-EU country when they want to travel.

You can veil this point with other reasonable arguments, but this is the crux of the matter. So, whilst the British working-class are voting because they don’t want their wages depressed any further. Young people are hiding behind flowery arguments because travel to European countries will be more difficult.

I bet loads of you have been triggered by this last one but if you don’t believe me just check out this article by In Facts, a page dedicated to the Remain movement. The article is titled ’11 Reasons Young People Should Vote Remain’. Literally, the first reason is ‘Freedom to work, travel, study (and eventually retire) in the EU.’

Don’t get me wrong, the reason above is a good reason to be a Remainer – a really good reason. However, it annoys me when Remainers act as the champion of the working class, citing the strength of the economy as a key reason for their position, when in many instances, working class communities actually voted for Brexit. Not everyone is fortunate enough to work, travel, study and retire in Europe even whilst Britain is in the EU. Next time you are having a Brexit argument, just accept that you are part of the educated, European elite and your stance on Brexit is directly influenced by that fact.