UK voters shift towards ‘Out’ as EU referendum nears  …  British voters have moved towards voting to leave the European Union in next month’s referendum according to two surveys by polling firm ICM, surprising investors and sending sterling sharply lower. -Reuters

Is Brexit going to win? Is Britain going to vote to leave the EU?

We didn’t think it was possible at first, but increasingly we’re seeing the elite forces behind the union pushing in that direction.

A successful Brexit would provide motivation for EU political elites to deepen the current union and turn it into a kind of United States of Europe.

On the other hand, two significant developments are not receiving major coverage in Britain currently.

One is the intention to move ahead aggressively with a pan-European army.

The other is a plan to issue ID numbers to EU citizens. This would be a prelude to EU taxation and, eventually, a move toward a cashless society.

Ironically, the negative reaction that Brussels fears if these two initiatives receive considerable coverage in Britain may arrive anyway in Europe.

That’s because there are numerous movements in Europe to initiate Brexit-style referendums.

The EU has grown increasingly unpopular throughout Europe because of its inability to create even reasonable economic prosperity and because of its increasingly authoritarian ways.

Elite plans were always to create a United States of Europe, but the EU was not presented to European voters in this manner.

It was presented primarily as a “common market.” But now its true face is being revealed and many in Europe are disturbed.

Europeans value their cultural identity and don’t wish for it to be stripped away.

Additionally, EU elites have encouraged aggressive Islamic migration as a way to reduce cultural homogeneity in various countries.

This, too, has generated a backlash.

In Britain, the vote is very tight, but Brexit has surged ahead.

Over-regulation, fears about a loss of national identity and loss of control over borders are all weighing against pro-EU arguments.

More from Reuters:

The “Out” campaign stood three points ahead of “In” in each of the two surveys for the Guardian newspaper, one of which was conducted online and the other by telephone.

They were conducted over three days to Sunday after official figures showed on Thursday that British net migration hit the second highest level on record last year.

Last week, leaders of the Out camp turned their focus back on migration.   Britons will vote on June 23 on whether to remain in the 28-member EU, a choice with far-reaching consequences for politics, the economy, defence and diplomacy in Britain and far beyond.

Brexit has been the subject of numerous attacks by organized domestic and international agencies such as the International Monetary Fund. The Bank of England has forecast recession if Brexit passes.

But pro-Brexit forces have made progress by focusing on immigration.

Worries about whether Britain can handle current immigration flows have made the difference.

Britain will have a good deal more control over its borders if it is outside the EU.

The poll interviewed 1,004 people aged over 18 by telephone. The results: 45 percent wanted to leave the EU; 42 percent wanted to stay.

Conclusion: If Brexit does pass, expect Brussels to use the occurrence to try to considerably deepen the EU’s political position within Europe. One can even argue this may be the preferred outcome.