04/07/2016

EU: Out - Was Mr Cameron's Premiership a Disaster?

David Cameron lost his job almost a year after winning a general election with an outright majority.  He resigned because in his words "The British people have made a very clear decision to take a different path and leave Europe".  More than 17 million people rejected not only his, but almost every other senior politician, economist and expert's advice to vote to stay in Europe.

In the eyes of many, David Cameron and the previous Labour government made many questionable decisions.  These decisions lacked common sense and understanding of the needs and expectations of many of the electorate.   As a result of these bad decisions, many electors lost their confidence in the judgement of these political leaders and decided to disregard their advice and vote to leave the EU.

Underestimating the level of anger that resulted from UK tax payers having to share the already limited resources of public services is a good example.  There are not that many places in the world where immigrants, having paid no tax, can end up receiving free health, education, housing and a passport not long after they arrive.  It is of course a wonderful human quality to be kind  to others.  Unfortunately, however, it's not the job of a responsible Government  to be over-generous at the expense of the people who elected them.

Mr Cameron stated that he had fought "the only way I know how... head, heart and soul to stay in the EU".  The decision to leave or stay in Europe was a complex matter that needed detailed and expert knowledge.  The question therefore again and again would be, if the option of leaving was so frightening why did he gamble and allow the referendum to happen?

His  explanation is simple: " I don't regret holding the referendum - I think it was the right thing to do," .

In the opinion of many, his ill-thought plan for an EU referendum caused one of the biggest political instabilities ever seen.  It's therefore bizarre and shocking for many to hear that the referendum was the right thing to do.  Gambling with the reputation and future  of Britain could never be the right thing to do.  Growing numbers of overseas investors considered Britain to be one if not the most politically stable country in the world.  This was one of the major reasons for attracting an ever increasing amount of foreign investment.

The Prime Minister and his team managed  many complex political issues well and most of their economic policies have been beneficial to us all. It's therefore unfortunate that his achievements could now be overshadowed by his monumental mistake of allowing the EU referendum to take place.  His premiership could be remembered as a disaster for the UK, and nothing else.  It is a shame that common sense is not that common even amongst Old Etonians.

MKA