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The United Kingdom And The European Union

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The United Kingdom joined the European Union in 1973 for improved economic stability and to establish themselves as a European power. During World War II the United Kingdom had grown economically, however after the war, the UK nationalized many core industries such as health care and it negatively affected the economy (Coricelli). In joining the European Union, the United Kingdom hoped for investment opportunities in machinery and stability in the economy through jobs and trading partners (Coricelli). Since joining, the United Kingdom has had a strong foothold inside the European Union. The UK holds 73 members in the European Parliament, 24 representatives on the European Economic and Social Committee, and as of 2015, the United Kingdom is …show more content…

The United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union to curb the large influx of immigration and ultimately create a more pure form of sovereignty.
The results of the referendum were staggering, as the citizens of the United Kingdom vocalized their desire for change at the emotional level. People felt as though the European Union, with its relaxed attitude towards state borders, would open the gate to continuous immigration and taint the cultural identity of the United Kingdom. Britains in support of Brexit believe in this idea of immigration being the root of the problem with the EU. In the midst of the financial crash of 2008, the entire Eurozone has had difficulty getting back off the ground and many of the countries in its borders turned towards the UK for financial compensation in the form of jobs (Lee). In 2015 the United Kingdom took about 330,000 new people into the state, living and working among the people already established there (Lee). A professor at London’s School of Economics states in regards to immigration affecting the Brexit vote, that “there’s a feeling that we’re losing our cultural identity and our national identity” he also hypothesizes that so many cultures impending in one place mixed with an “influx of people willing to work for low wages” drives the above feeling home, into the lives of native citizens of the UK (Taub). When people who come into the country are willing to work for less money stay and find jobs, they

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