This short paper aims to explain, simply, why we had to leave the EU. It will demonstrate how the EU has held back the UK from fulfilling its potential – as the 5th largest global economy and a world-leading nation in technological innovation, environmental activism, the strength and reliability of its legal system, and military capability – and has done so through undemocratic, protectionist, one-size-fits-all regulations, whose end goal has been to achieve an “ever closer union”. Its four main sections will outline the core reasons for Brexit. It will demonstrate that the key to Europe’s political stability is not the EU, but the fundamental notion of democracy, as understood in its evolution through UK history. This means a more prosperous future outside the EU, and the economic and democratic opportunity for self-rule. Please read the paper here: Why we had to leave.  You can also read the longest version here:  Why we had to leave – Paper.