UK Brexit, questions from an American

[abaris]

Coming from a Portuguese person I can tell you I'm against the EU but my experience is probably different than British people - I'm not against the EU because of immigrants or some sense of nationalism, I'm against the EU because I see it as another oligarchical institution designed to serve the interests of the same old group of people. This is the exact same idea I have of most western politicians and governments. Do you honestly believe the average politician genuinely cares about issues like poverty, inequality, lack of stability and labor rights?

Once again, I don't know why I have to stress this over and over, the EU is the sum of the national governments. If it seems like an oligarchy, and it does, it's the national politician's fault. The EU isn't an independent body making independent decisions.

So it's our fault for not holding our national politicians accountable for their fuckups or wilfully detrimental decisions at the EU level.

Voting right wing populists into office certainly isn't the way to do it, since they're not working for the people either. They're working for their own glory by selling fear and resentment to credulous and frightened people. If you scratch the surface of any of these nationalist parties, there's nothing, virtually a void. They have no plans for a globalized economy and how to deal with the effects thereoff, they have no employment plans, they have no plans for foreign policy. All they have is scapegoatery and the myth of leaving the EU to retreat behind the national borders. And nevermind all the subsidies that most countries get from the EU pot, nevermind reinstated duties that have detrimental effects to exports and imports alike. Nevermind that even more international corporations would outsource their business if all of the economical benefits of the European market were gone.

The whole leaving the EU movement, as bad as it is in it's current state, and I'm the last to not admit it, is simplistic down to the level of sheer and undiluted moronism.