Why we’d like the UK to stay in the EU

Kunsthaus Graz The City WorksThere has been a lot of rhetoric, a lot of passionate debate and on June 23rd, the public of the United Kingdom will decide whether the country will remain in the European Union, or decide to leave the infamous international organisation.

As a small company, our stance might not be of particular importance to many. We’re not EasyJet, BAE or Shell, but as a company that started out in the great city of London, which then moved to Vienna, with stockists in different European countries, as well as a few customer orders from all over the world, we felt like adding our ‘two cents’, to the, albeit, already rather full barrel of ‘cents’.

When Britain joined the EU in the 1970s, the then Prime Minister, Sir Edward Heath, said of the occasion:

“…From the point of view of our everyday lives, we will find there is a great cross-fertilisation of knowledge and information, not only in business but in every other sphere, and this will enable us to be more efficient and more competitive in gaining more markets not only in Europe but in the rest of the world…”

He was right. On a daily basis the UK trades goods, people and ideas. A lot of them. And we don’t think this is a bad thing, neither does Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffet. We’re firm believers that the world we live in is a platform, not a rule book. A list of things you could do, not should do. And the European Union, although imperfect and sometimes complicated in its nature, has provided a platform that enables people to live a life they want. We should stay in the eu, because the many background aspects of life, that enable us to live freely, should not be taken for granted.

 

“The many background aspects of life, that enable us to live freely, should not be taken for granted.”

 

It harks back to the old saying ‘you don’t know what you got till it’s gone’ And there are many people in France, Poland, Austria and the rest of Europe that travel, trade, and live peacefully in the EU. They know what they’ve got, and it doesn’t look like that they want to it to go either.

The arguments for a ‘brexit’ regarding crime, immigration, and trade are plentiful, peculiar, and well-documented already. To summarise, we think ‘brexit’ is broken, and would be a counter-productive step in what is becoming a more ‘global’ world. How will UK businesses, that have incorporated themselves into the EU-way-of-thinking over decades, manoeuvre themselves in light of a Brexit? History tells us there is always a relationship between struggling businesses, a struggling economy, and struggling individuals. The City Works will always position itself to have access to as many countries and opportunities as possible.

 

“Brexit is broken, and would be a counter-productive step in what is becoming a more ‘global’ world.”

 

We don’t want everybody to hold hands and sing the Kumbayah, but we know from experience that teamwork is always a better than going solo. You’re only a player, if you’re in the team. Britain will always be British, the Pound will always be the Pound. Big Ben will always be Big Ben. Can’t we all just agree on that without upsetting everyone?

We hope that on June 23rd, the United Kingdom doesn’t confuse sovereignty with freedom, and makes a decision based on togetherness, rather than fear.


Article by Rowan Ottesen, Co-founder of The City Works.