Maybe greater understanding might bring greater empathy. THIS is what we're trying to save:
1. Longest unbroken period of peace between European nations in history
3. Single market and customs union membership that gives us unfettered access to the largest trade block in the world
4. Just in time manufacturing that supports millions of jobs, thanks to no customs checks or complex procedures
6. Freedom of movement that allows UK citizens to travel, work, study and retire anywhere in the EU
7. Scientific and academic collaboration
8. Shared space exploration
10. Driving licenses valid all over the EU
11. Car insurance valid all over the EU
12. Pet passports that make travel with pets easy
14. European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
15. Mobile roaming (calls, texts and data) at home prices
16. Portable streaming services (can watch Netflix etc. all over EU)
18. Simplified VAT reverse charge mechanism for those selling across the EU
19. Safer food
20. Clean beaches
21. Enhanced consumer protection, including for cross-border shopping
23. Training courses for the unemployed funded by the European Social Fund
25. Free movement for musicians and their instruments, bands and their equipment, artists and their materials etc.
26. Enhanced environmental protections
27. Court of last resort (ECJ)
29. Safer medicines thanks to pan-EU testing regime
30. Security cooperation and sharing of crime/terrorist databases
31. European arrest warrant
33. Support for rural areas ignored by successive UK Governments
34. Better food labelling
35. EU funding for British film industry, theatre & music
36. European Capital of Culture programme, which has boosted cities such as Glasgow and Liverpool
38. No UK VAT or duty on imports from the EU (great for online shopping
39. EU citizenship (it's a real thing with real benefits - look it up!)
41. Venture capital funding and startup loans
42. Legal protection for minority languages such as Welsh
43. Mutual recognition of academic qualifications
45. No credit and debit card surcharges
46. EU structural funding (eg. £2 billion to Liverpool) with matched private funding requirement
48. A bigger, stronger presence on the world stage
49. Use of EU queues at ports and airports
51. Protection from GM food and chlorinated chicken
52. Objective 1 funding for deprived areas and regions
54. Strong intellectual property protections
55. University education in other EU countries at "home student" rates (many still have free universities.)
57. Consular protection from any EU embassy outside the EU
58. Baseline of worker protections (which we can also improve on)
59. Keep open the EU market to which we send more than half the fish we catch
61. A friend to cosy up to against the might of the USA and China
62. Seasonal workforce to pick our fruit and vegetables
63. A vital source of medicines (we import 37 million packs a month from the EU)
65. Protection against unfair treatment in the workplace thanks to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights
66. Minimum of 4 weeks paid leave (introduced by EU in 1993, taken up by the UK in 1998 and later extended to 28 days in 2009)
68. A say in the running of the EU (if we were outside, the rest of the EU would carry on but we would have zero influence over its policies)
70. Legally enforced 14 day cooling off period on timeshare agreements
71. Some of the highest toy safety standards in the world
72. Protection of 500 bird species under legislation dating back to 1979, and amended in 2009
(You can see how much EU membership costs *you* using this calculator...)
euworthit.uk
Over to you. Why do you want to leave? How will your life and the lives of your friends and family improve by losing all the above? Do the benefits of leaving outweigh everything EU membership gives us?