Thread by @rory20s

1/BREXIT & THINGS - Once there was an island country that fought the vilest ennemy. Many a horrible battle was fought on a continent called Europe, millions of citizens were killed and the island country was bombed several times. Together with 5 other countries and with the help

2/of the Resistance and soldiers from countries occupied by the ennemy, who had fled to the island country to join the island’s army, they succeeded to defeat this horrible foe.
When the war was finally over,everybody declared “never again”.
Some countries, including the island

3/country, thought it a good idea to form a union.
There were many disagreements, one country- Italy, the former ennemy- wanted a Superstate, the Island country wanted a Federation of independent states.
In the end the island country decided not to be part of this union.

4/In stead they initiated a Free Trade Association with the new Union.
Through history the countries on the continent had fought eachother over territories. A French top official thought this should end for once and for all.
Most wars had been between France and Germany over coal

5/and iron ore. So, this French top official Monnet proposed a cooperation between France and Germany to share these resources.
Six years after the war France, Germany, Italy and the BeNeLux signed a treaty. A few years later these same countries agreed on a further European

6/integration plan. What initially started as an European Economic Community, over the years developped into an umbrella organization above the European Economic Communities. More countries joined the Union.
The borders were opened, and free trade, free movement of services and

7/people were created. All this time however, the island country, the UK, was an outsider. They had no part or say in these developments. They didn’t profit from the free trade, their borders still existed.
They had no choice but to obide by the Union's trade rules if they

8/wanted to continue to trade with the continent. They didn’t like this at all. They believed they should have a say in the whole thing. After all they had been the liberators of Europe, their role therefore had to be important and decisive, they thought.

9/In 1961, to everyone's surprise, the UK applied for membership of the EU. In this way they wanted to strengthen their position in the world & strengthen their economic growth. After all, the British empire was crumbling, & the British wanted to stay informed of further European

10/plans. But lo and behold, there was French president Charles de Gaulle. He saw the British as lap dogs of the US. De Gaulle was strongly against US interference in Europe, he blocked the British accession. Moreover, he did not trust the change of course of the

11/British and didn’t believe the UK would work closely together with the other countries of the Union. (in hindsight he was right)
After de Gaulle’s presidency had ended, the UK made another attempt to become a member.

12/However, the negotiations didn’t go very smoothly. Particularly the favorable trade relations with Commonwealth countries and the contribution of the British to the EU were food for discussion.The UK wanted the cost of entry to be as low as possible.

13/Eventually a compromise was reached, which was and remained difficult for the British to digest.
In 1973, after 3+ years of negociations and after the British House of Commons agreed to 301 votes in favor and 284 against, the UK became a member of the EU.

14/However, that didn’t mean their view of EU had changed: they still saw the EU as a purely economic partnership. The British therefore joined because of the economic profit.
The EU on the other hand had developped into much more than solely an economic union.

15/EU member states cooperated, alongside the economy, also at political level, such as police and justice, foreign affairs and security policy.
In addition, Member States wanted to develop a social policy, for example on parental leave, but the UK stopped this.

16/The UK had always been wary of a strong European influence in their domestic affaires. They had liberated Europe, they were the victors of the war. They didn’t need any political cooperation or influence. They had always been better than those countries that now wanted

17/common security, common social policy and more of that nonsence. They were fine as they were.
The UK was often on the brake when it comes to further EU integration. To prevent the UK blocking any further cooperation it
sometimes received an exception or opt-out.

18/It was then not obliged to participate in the cooperation, and the other EU member states could continue to do so.
One really wonders why they wanted to join the EU in the first place. There would probably have been other options.

19/I assume they wanted more influence in the direction where the Union was going. But if certain developments and decisions didn’t suit them, they opted out. The relationship between the UK and the EU has always been a difficult one.

20/The British press also played a dibious role, it keenly commented on the influence that the EU would have on home affairs.
Anyway, to end the endless discussions and dissatisfaction, Cameron, convinced the outcome would be ‘remain’, issued a referendum.
If only he hadn’t.