This coming Thursday, the citizens of Britain will vote to decide whether or not they want their country to exit the European Union. This effort is being spearheaded by UKIP, which is the United Kingdom Independence Party. They argue that being a part of the EU has forced Britain to be subjected to inane laws and to give up control of their finances, as they’re forced to support other countries in the EU. As of now, polls show that the country is almost evenly split on whether or not they should leave the EU. Helpfully, John Oliver explains the finer points of the debate, and why it would be a bad thing for Britain to leave the EU. Oh, and it’s funny.
Being British but living in America, Oliver has unique insight into the thought process of the Brits who might want out of the EU. He admits that other countries in the union can be awful, and that some of the regulations are bogus. But he also knows that there are more sinister motivations behind the proposed Brexit, and shows some disturbing evidence that demonstrates the xenophobia and racism that has driven the folks of the UKIP to act so strongly.
There’s a lot of funny rhetoric in this segment, but what it boils down to is that, if Britain were to exit the EU, they’d still have to abide by most of its laws and regulations in order to continue doing business with all of the countries in the EU, and this includes allowing foreigners to travel in and out of Britain. To cause such a fuss over a potential Brexit does nothing more than to stoke the hateful climate that catalyzed the very tragic death of Jo Cox. To demonstrate the paradoxical situation that Britain finds itself in, Oliver and the Last Week Tonight writers even came up with a little song, which you���ll see at the end of the clip.
Watch Oliver take on the Brexit below: