I am very much hoping that we don’t vote for a divorce from the EU without first trying to negotiate with our EU partners if there are issues that need addressing. To me, the relationship does not appear to have broken down so much that we should lose the benefits of being members of the EU. Nor do I think that the grass is greener at all outside the EU. The EU members should have relationship counselling. If anyone has been treated unreasonably in the EU it is Germany, not the UK, which has borne the burden of the bailouts. The UK has had a rebate and stayed out of the euro so has not been fully committed for years. It hasn’t been paying its fair share towards the family finances anyway.
Moreover, it appears that the Vote Leave camp are not being honest about what would happen after 23 June.
Immigration will not stop and there will not be more funds magically available to fund the NHS. We would be better off persuading and negotiating better terms on immigration. If we unilaterally withdraw you can bet your bottom dollar that the French border will become more porous than before and they will have no reason to co-operate. The world has changed and we live in a multi national society.
As with a real divorce, both parties are likely to be worse off, as the financial markets are indicating. Moreover, as often occurs in litigation, the Leave campaign seem to be making spurious allegations in order to win the referendum. They are saying that the EU will require more funding from the UK if we vote to remain in the UK, but it seems to me that the EU is less likely to demand more from us now that we have had a vote on leaving.
Regarding difficulties in deporting EU criminals, this is one such issue that could be negotiated if it needs to be tightened up, but the same rule applies for UK citizens imprisoned in the rest of the EU. Anyway, EU citizens can still be deported on grounds of public policy and security, so what is the problem? Those who can’t be deported are not a threat to security. Another example of misleading information from the Leave campaign.