Forget the rhetoric. Look at the reality. The UK is as much an EU Essay

Forget the rhetoric. Look at the reality. The UK is as much an EU member state as any other. Discuss - Essay Example Despite the rhetoric, it is essential to note that the UK is an integral part of the EU and its proposed exit would not be as easy as it seems. This country has over the years developed so many ties with the EU that it would be impossible to imagine it existing outside the Union, especially when one considers the influence that it has within it. This paper seeks to show that the UK is as much a member state of the EU as any other and that its ties with the latter are so deep that they cannot be severed. The United Kingdom is one of the founder members of the EU and it is for this reason that this country has invested so much in it. The UK has been a member of this entity since 1973 and as such can be considered to be among the states that form the core of the EU (European Commission, n.d). The result of this membership is that the UK has since 1973 worked towards ensuring that its economy has become integrated with that of other EU member states and this has made it possible for the country to develop at a much faster rate. Following the massive dent that the Second World War had put on the UK’s economy, its joining the EU can be considered to have been a boon because it allowed for the faster development of the economy and this helped towards its recovery. As a founding member, the UK has a voice in the decision making of the EU and this has helped in ensuring that it retains its influence on the European continent; a factor that would not have been possible had it not been a member state. Moreover, the UK has developed strong political ties with other EU member states and this has ensured that negotiations concerning different issues take place easily and makes it possible for better cooperation between them (Schà ¼tze, 2012). The UK, like other EU members, has benefitted a lot from being a member because the Union has made it possible for the peaceful settlement of disputes that might have risen as a result of extreme nationalism and