The people of the United Kingdom take to the polls today to decide not only their own future, but the future of the European Union.

There is no doubt, whatsoever, that the European Union is stronger with Great Britain as a member. And there is equally no doubt that Malta is better off with the UK being an active partner. It is the second largest economy in the bloc, it houses Europe’s largest financial centre in London, it has the most powerful military in the EU and it also has a special relationship with a number of other important countries such as the United States, Australia and upcoming power India.

The very fact that the United Kingdom is, by nature, a Euro sceptical also makes the European Union a healthier exercise in peace and democracy, simply because of the UK’s occasional dissenting voice. There are very legitimate fears, as our cartoon shows, that a potential departure by the UK could result in the already shaky Jenga tower that the EU is, could potentially come crashing down with a raft of swift departures which could result in only the members of the Eurozone scrambling to save this unique experiment in democracy.

Both Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, as well as Opposition leader Simon Busuttil have said that while the people of Britain have every right to decide on their own future, both believe that Britain’s place is in the European Union. Malta’s MEPs are of the same mindset. In fact, it seems that the only people who do not see the UK’s future in the bloc are the ‘leave’ camp.

Polls yesterday had the ‘leave’ and ‘remain’ camps neck and neck, though there was a significant shift back to the ‘remain’ camp which seemed to lose ground in the last couple of weeks. The bookies in the UK – always a reliable source – also seem to favour the theory that the ‘remain’  camp was gaining ground once more, with odds dropping slightly.

But what is the European Union and where did it come from.  The European Coal and Steel Community began to unite European countries economically and politically in order to secure lasting peace in 1950. The six founding countries are Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. In 1957, it changed its name to the European Economic Community and Great Britain joined in 1973. The current feeling that many Britons embrace, in that the island nation is fundamentally different to the Continent is not something new and harks back to the days of Margaret Thatcher.

Perhaps with both the UK and Malta being island nations, there are some similarities in the way we view our independent streak, which could also be why Malta has always been sympathetic towards sentiment by Joe Bloggs in the UK as well as the British government.

Anti-EU Brits, now known as the Brexiteers resent everything from EU imposed fishing quotas, to fruit sizes, to rules that weights of food must be displayed in metric, rather than the imperial system. But there are, of course, others who believe that the British economy, as well as its security, is enhanced by membership in the European Union. This especially holds true on the younger swathes of society who feel that while they are fiercely patriotic and very uniquely British, there is also a bigger picture and that is a stronger Britain as part of the European Union. As a publishing house, we strongly agree with this sentiment. Being a member of the EU allows the UK to trade across its borders with the minimum of fuss and hassle, and of course, tax free. 

Big businesses have thrown their weight behind the remain vote, saying that if the UK were to leave, it would result in catastrophic meltdown and the largest recession the UK has ever experienced.

However, the ‘leave’ camp, fronted by former London Mayor Boris Johnson and the loose cannon that is Nigel Farage, have focused on the migration issue. Johnson has been moderate, but Farage has focused his campaign solely in saying that if Britain leaves the EU, it will be able to take charge of its borders and put an end to migration. This, of course, is not the case and migration will continue, yet sadly a large chunk of the population has been duped into believing that today’s vote is one that will, or will not, put an end to migration.  The truth of the whole argument is that while Malta and the EU as a whole will be stronger with the UK being a full and active member, the UK will also be stronger and a lot better off.