John Oliver hilariously explains why 'Brexit' is a terrible idea

John Oliver
(Image credit: YouTube/LastWeekTonight)

As Britain prepares to vote this Thursday on whether or not to remain in the European Union, John Oliver posed a question on Sunday's Last Week Tonight that may very well be on the minds of many Americans: "Why should I care about what Britain does with the EU?"

Well, as Oliver explains, "Britain leaving would be a huge destabilizing decision." While Oliver admits that the EU doesn't make itself easy to love, he says a British exit, or "Brexit," would be "absolutely insane." To make his case, he goes on to debunk many of the most common arguments made by those campaigning for the "Leave" vote, including the assertion that Britain sends £350 million to the EU each week, and that leaving the EU would prevent immigrants from entering the United Kingdom.

The European Union is "a complicated, bureaucratic, ambitious, overbearing, inspirational, and consistently irritating institution," Oliver says, "and Britain would be absolutely crazy to leave it."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

If you're looking for a quick primer on this week's Brexit vote that won't put you to sleep, watch the rest of the clip below. Jessica Hullinger

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jessica Hullinger

Jessica Hullinger is a writer and former deputy editor of The Week Digital. Originally from the American Midwest, she completed a degree in journalism at Indiana University Bloomington before relocating to New York City, where she pursued a career in media. After joining The Week as an intern in 2010, she served as the title’s audience development manager, senior editor and deputy editor, as well as a regular guest on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. Her writing has featured in other publications including Popular Science, Fast Company, Fortune, and Self magazine, and she loves covering science and climate-related issues.