On 23 June, the country will make a huge decision as to our future as we are asked whether we want to remain a member of the EU or leave.

Like many people however, I will have already voted as I have a postal vote. There are many different arguments for both positions and so I thought I would explain why I’m voting remain. I’m firmly for remain but can also recognise there are a great many problems with the EU and whether we continue to be a member or not, we need reform.

I’ve been troubled by how recently the debate has been dominated by immigration, with often only a superficial look at the issue. Like many developed countries, the United Kingdom is facing a growing elderly population thanks to increased life expectancy as well a birth rate which means each generation is smaller than the last. This does lead to the question of who will pay for the NHS these increasing numbers of elderly people are more likely to be using. Immigration is not a simple yes or no question. We must understand the question before we try to come up with an answer. What do we want from immigration and, perhaps more critically, what do we need?

Leaving risks years of wasted time and money as we redefine our relationship with the EU. Whilst our Government’s civil servants are busy rewriting our laws they won’t be tackling real issues which we face. The potential for the UK to enter another recession means that the only power our MPs will be exercising is to slash public spending or raise taxes.

There are though of course risks with staying in. The EU could change in ways that are detrimental to our interests.

We have several defences to that however. We have our MEPs in the European Parliament, we have our power to veto significant changes, and a new law in 2011 introduced a requirement for us to have a referendum so the public get to decide on any proposed further transfers of power. Our Parliament does also vote to accept new EU rules and so in an extreme case, they could decide not to.

On the argument that our laws are being set by others, that isn’t entirely accurate, they are being set together with others. There are a great many subjects where it makes complete sense to agree to a common set of rules. There are also areas where we need the same rules to make the single market work, which makes trade within the EU straightforward. A consequence of that is there could still be many EU rules we would have to comply with if we left but then we’d have no say on them, if we wanted to access to the single market.

This does touch upon that huge question of what our relationship with the rest of the EU will look like if we did leave. Looking at other examples, there are countries like Norway that aren’t in the EU but to get access to the single market have been forced to accept to pa y a significant amount to the EU, to comply with EU rules with very little say on them, and be part of the free movement of people.

Of course, our deal might be completely different. Might. Might not. Who knows. And there is the big problem with voting leave….

But my reason for voting remain is not simply a recognition of the leap into the dark that leaving would be but an acknowledgement of the great benefits that come from being a member.

Collaboration instead of confrontation. Significantly reduced barriers to trade. Opportunities for UK citizens to choose to live, work, or study abroad. Influence on rules that would still effect us even if we left. A positive, outward-looking country that recognises working together with others we can achieve more than we can alone.

It is disappointing that many will be making this decision with little understanding of what the European Union is, how it works, and what it means to be a member. This is something that all of us who support the EU must recognise as a failure on our part to explain these things more clearly. If we remain a member we need to change this.

Whatever the decision, life will go on. I hope we can quickly turn to tackling the bigger issues facing our country. The housing crisis. Our under-resourced NHS. Climate change. Cyber crime. Terrorism. Conflicts. Threats to civil liberties.

None of those issues will be solved by leaving the European Union but we could certainly be distracted from dealing with them by doing so. On 23 June, please vote remain.