Brexit?

The day is drawing nearer and nearer - this Thursday, Britain will decide whether to stay in the EU or not. I have a hard time believing that this is really happening. That one country is really thinking hard about whether to stay in the EU or not. How can this even be a question for a country that is already part of this union?

Europe might be complicated, yes, and there's certainly a lot of things going on, politically, that are beyond stupid and much more than just a nuisance. VAT-MOSS for instance comes to mind, and if that would die a quiet death, I'd not be unhappy at all. Other things that the EU is said to have done or forbidden, however, are myths - there's a whole list of them here, and they do make for interesting reading.

In spite of all the weirdness going on, I still think that the EU is a really, really good idea, and that we should try and stick together even more than we already do. (Anyways, Germany was and is perfectly capable of making up its own bullshit, which is no different from EU bullshit if it hits you personally and also no different from EU bullshit if it doesn't, and I'm sure every other country in the EU manages the same feat.) Nick Harkaway has a long letter on his page, detailing why leaving the EU would be a bad idea - so if you'd like to have more of a read about this topic, with proper arguments... go look at that.

Me, I will just keep my fingers crossed that those voting will in the majority vote to stay. Due to completely selfish reasons, too: having Britain in the EU makes it feel closer. More accessible. And since I love Britain (and depend on it for a steady supply of good books and Lemon Curd), everything that makes it feel closer, in my book, is a good thing.