These are relatively difficult times for the Government of the United Kingdom, as numerous questions have been raised over the values and moral integrity of the country's leadership. The recent budget caused controversy with plans to cut disability benefits (while still allowing relatively generous benefits to remain for elderly voters, regardless of whether they need the money or not....). Meanwhile, the Prime Minister himself, David Cameron, has been called a hypocrite, for having criticised companies and wealthy individuals for relocating their wealth overseas to avoid paying UK taxes; now it has been revealed that Mr Cameron is also a beneficiary of tax avoidance. Whilst it's a disappointing reality to hear that celebrities do this (which Mr Cameron has highlighted in the past), when a leading politician- particularly the Prime Minister- is found to be doing so, it is another level. This is worsened when you recall the occasions when he has criticised the immorality of others for avoiding tax... whilst knowing all the time that he had himself likewise benefitted from this practice.
Another reason for my disappointment with this Government is how it has allowed taxpayers' money to be used to pay for leaflets that are totally biased in favour of remaining within the EU, with regards to the upcoming referendum on the issue. As has been said by others, if the leaflets fairly represented both views on this debate, it would have been acceptable- but to just give one, biased perspective is unfair and undemocratic. The Government seems to take the view that their actions are necessary to present the case for what they see as the fundamentally right answer to a very important question. But this answer is only correct from their point of view. By this same logic, couldn't we also say that a Conservative Government (or any government) should have the automatic right to use taxpayers' money to fund their own election campaigns, seeing as only they offer the fundamentally right method of leading the country? We would never allow this, and the Government's conduct with this leaflet was likewise the wrong thing to do. I am nevertheless grateful that a referendum is being held on this issue, in response to strong public concern with EU membership, as suggested by the strong support shown for the UK Independence Party in the 2015 general election. There is also a lot of time before he next election for this Government to try to redeem itself.
Nevertheless, the greatest failing (and what I am most disappointed with by far) is the Government's total failure with regards to immigration. Although we have consistently seen levels of net migration to the UK in the hundreds of thousands of people since the Blair Government of the 1990s, I thought that a Conservative-majority Government (as opposed to the previous Coalition, where policies in this area were likely to be watered-down by their Liberal Democrat coalition partners) would bring this under control again. Whilst EU immigration is largely out of their hands, they could have compensated for this by taking greater control of Non-EU immigration, where a majority of migration (albeit a slim one) tends to stem from. But they haven't. In fact, they have overseen record-high levels during their first year in power without the Liberal Democrats.
It is primarily this issue which drives me to vote to leave the EU- this in spite of the fact that, economically, I think we are better off in than out (due to the easing of trade and accessibility to goods across the continent membership allows) and is beneficial to our global influence (strengthening our position within all three crucial areas of British foreign policy: the "special relationship" with the United States, the Commonwealth, and of course Europe), while a vote to leave may well also lead to the breakup of the United Kingdom (as the other constituent nations of the UK, which include Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, tend to be more pro-European). But of greatest concern to me, and of greatest potential impact on my life personally, is the impact of hundreds of thousands of people annually arriving in this country (and largely in my region of the country), meaning that property prices get further out of reach, medical care and education are put under greater strain and are less accessible, basic resources such as water are more stretched (which probably explains why water meters are being rolled out, when there were previously no limits on this), travel becomes more difficult due to overburdened public transport and more congested roads. All of this amounts to an avoidable deterioration in the quality of life for the average person, not fortified by wealth. In the wake of the migrant crisis, with many migrants trying to resettle into Europe for a better life, some left-wingers have declared that our moral duty is to allow them to settle here in the UK in larger numbers. However, we have seen the consequences of this in continental Europe, where this left-wing idealism has led to the stimulation and strenghtening of far right political parties and movements- something I really don't want to happen in the UK too!
My fear is that the status quo will be allowed to continue, and wonder how much it will take before drastic changes are made. I also worry that, in the unlikely event that the UK does vote to leave the EU, the Government will, in exchange for a new trading relationship with the EU, agree to free movement of people from the EU to the UK- giving us the worst of virtually all worlds! This is my cynical point of view, but I hope that a more positive outcome can be reached instead
