Letters - 10 June 2016
From the EU referendum to population
EU referendum
I have followed the various articles and letters about the forthcoming EU referendum with mixed feelings: dispassionate yet interested; as an outsider because I can’t vote. I am still an immigrant. Thanks to Britain’s EU membership, I happen to enjoy privileges other immigrants wouldn’t even dare dream of. When I arrived here, almost nineteen years ago, all I had to do to settle down and start work in this country was to show my passport at the ferry crossing.
The more I think about the referendum, the more I come to the conclusion that it’s a perfect case study to demonstrate why Friends don’t vote. Reducing a complex matter to a simplistic yes/no majority decision is antagonising and polarising society. The question of the referendum also misses the point.
Britain’s EU membership isn’t the real issue. It’s whether or not Britain plays a constructive role in promoting peace, justice, integrity and sustainability. It is perfectly possible for a British government to be constructive – or obstructive – in these areas, regardless of EU membership. Leaving the EU would only make subtle changes in this respect.
My preferred outcome of the referendum would be a voter turnout so minimal that it would render the referendum’s result even more meaningless than the question it asked to vote on. Whatever the actual outcome, I do hope that one day I will no longer be a privileged immigrant. We’re all children of God, no matter where we were born.
Klaus Huber
Don Atkinson’s polemic for Brexit (27 May) may persuade thinking Friends to stay in Europe – not what he intends. His article contrasts with the measured reflection by Andrew Lane (27 May), which strikes a chord reminding us of William Penn’s wonderful vision.
Tommy Gee
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