Jim, //in a world that's getting increasingly more connected, it makes more sense to embrace that rather than to resist it.//
Leaving the EU doesn’t equate to resisting a more connected world. If anything, it opens further avenues.
//the "time we took control of our own affairs" argument is somewhat bogus. From any individual's democratic perspective the net effect of leaving the EU would be to increase the level of your voice from about 1 in 500 million adults (ie practically insignificant) to about 1 in 50 million (ie still practically insignificant).//
This isn’t about individual voices.
//if you don't buy the above philosophy then the current practical benefits of the EU are not enough to justify remaining a member.//
I don’t, and they are not.
//many of my scientific colleagues are part of collaborations that depend in whole or in part on EU funding and EU projects (or, indeed, are EU citizens). At least in the short term, these would certainly be heavily disrupted on leaving the EU.//
No doubt if the projects are worthwhile, funding will be found from the millions we pay to the EU annually.
//The freedom of movement is a benefit, too//
I don’t believe law abiding British citizens have ever been prevented from travelling in Europe, and I don’t expect that to change.
None of your arguments convince me. Most of them seem to revolve around your personal world but this is about far more than that. It’s about the future of this country and of all of its people.
To address your latest post, I think the charge of ‘scaremongering’ is just that. If we leave the EU we will survive - and we will thrive.