In the Guardian, Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the SNP, has objected to the possibility of the referendum being held on 23 June. Her reason on is very odd. She says it would be “disrespectful” to Scotland due to the Scottish parliament election in May. She seems to overlook the fact that the whole UK is voting in one or more election and May and 23 June gives six clear weeks – comparable to a General Election campaign.
82% of people consider that leaving the EU would be “a risk” reports the Independent.
IN campaign chairman Lord Rose is urging people to focus on the economy in the referendum debate, according to BT News.
The chief economist at Citigroup, Willem Buiter, told Sky’s Samantha Washington that Brexit would be “economic disaster” (video).
The Express is salivating over 40 Tory MPs, led by sacked Cabinet Minister Liam Fox, who no longer recognise Cameron’s authority.
In another signal of the fracturing of Cameron’s grip on his part, former leader Michael Howard hinted her will vote for exit, reported in many places including the National.
The medicines industry is worried about the threat of Brexit (FT, £).
A holiday company that organises political tours now has an itinerary to Brussels for a Brexit debate holiday, reports the Independent.
Sputnik speculates that we might see the pound devalued in due course, in part because of Brexit risk.
* Antony Hook was #2 on the South East European list in 2014, is the English Party's representative on the Federal Executive and produces this sites EU Referendum Roundup.
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21 Comments
Regardless of whether you think Nicola Sturgeon should be interested in the rest of the UK, the proposed timing of the referendum is disrespectful to an entire layer of government. The referendum campaign has already started and it would officially overlap the other campaigns. If Alan Johnson makes a speech in London on May 1st explaining the Labour case for Europe, is he trying to get Labour voters to support Europe in June or pro-Europeans to vote Labour in May?
For big business it would be a serious blow leaving the EU.
It seems that the further down you are on the social economic ladder the more the eu hurts you and the less you gain from it?
Shortages of social housing, wages driven down to the bottom, educational standards falling in certain schools as a result of teachers having to spend a disproportionate amount of their time helping those who can’t speak English. Those are all things that have affected those at the bottom while the benefits, increased consumer demand, increased housing prices and a steady supply of cheap labour have helped business and those at the top.
Is this fair to say do you think? I’ve made up my mind to leave the EU not because it was necessarily a bad idea but because it was managed to benefit those at the top with little or no concern for how the changes would impact those at the bottom. I saying the benefits trickle down is not enough.
I don’t really see there is an issue with the June date! but then I’m a voter and not a politician who probably wants to clearly separate their election campaign from their views on Europe.
So in the case Peter examples of Alan Johnson the answer is yes and yes! and is that really a problem? Unless (as a party) you would like to campaign one way on UK-EU relations in one election and differently in the referendum…
“Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the SNP, has objected to the possibility of the referendum being held on 23 June. Her reason is very odd.”
Oh no it’s not. It’s obvious that the Euro Campaign would be in full swing throughout the elections in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and London.
What is obvious is that such a statement reveals the South East of England centricity of the poster of the main article (and Cameron D. if he goes down thar route) who just doesn’t seem to get it. The real world doesn’t end at Potters Bar.
David Raw,
As I say in the article, the entire UK has one or more elections in May not just Scotland, Wales or London.
Antony Hook “As I say in the article, the entire UK has one or more elections in May not just Scotland, Wales or London.”
And in the article you pick out Nicola Sturgeon for particular mention.
The wise thing to do – to avoid flooding all the elections in May – is to keep the Brexit vote until the Autumn.
It may well be wise to hold off until the autumn but Nicola Sturgeon’s reasoning is yet another example of her speaking as if Scotland is an exceptional case and seeking to find slight, insult or “disrespect” in anything whatsoever.
It is a strategy to wind people up that is common to nationalists, whether Sturgeon, Farage, or Gerry Adams and is as old as it is cheap.
A good rule of thumb is that if one of the mega banks is against something, you should seriously consider the opposite course.
From the guardian article :
“In a wide-ranging interview on BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show, Sturgeon said that it might look “a bit selfish” to be concerned about the clash with the Scottish elections, but that there were elections in Wales, Northern Ireland and London too in May. “I think to have a referendum campaign starting in parallel would be disrespectful to those important elections,” she said.”
@anthonyhook
It’s a bit sloppy to rely on a second hand report in the Guardian of Sturgeon’s iMarr nterview to try and score a rather superficial point. She clearly referred to elections in Scotland, Wales, NI and London in the interview.
@anthonyhook
Sorry meant to say it might be a good idea to amend the headline to your article and perhaps apologise for misleading people?
Sturgeon is showing devotion to Scotland, much like the Pope is quite keen on Catholicism. However, what will really delight Sturgeon is if the English sneer. Then Sturgeon can triumphantly boast that you can’t trust an Englishman.
Sturgeon’s point about the clash of elections is weak, but not totally negligible. The smart response would be to acknowledge it as a point against a June timing, then say that other advantages might nevertheless prove to be over-riding.
Anyway, Europe will be awash with Syrian migrants long before June, let alone September. Sadly, the Brexiters may win for that reason.
Much of the IN support in the Europe debate is about commerce. And the figures can be massaged. The debate needs also to address the other questions. Much used to be made of the peace dividend – no European wars since 1945. This is no longer quite the argument that it was, especially with an angry Russia, provoked by loss of its grip on Eastern Europe, annexing Crimea and part of Ukraine (the rest of which may well want to join EU. And a big issue now is the challenge to Schengen through the ongoing arrival of refugees. ‘Europe’ needs to show improved capacity to cope with the issue if people in Britain are not going to say: ‘We are better out of Europe as it is’. That might be short sighted, but it is a real anxiety. More needs to be made of the fact (written of by William Keegan in the Observer) that our already semi-detached role in Europe (not in Schengen or Euroland) means that we have almost the best of both worlds.
Paul King
@anthonyhook
The Guardian reports that the First Ministers of Wales and Northern Ireland are writing to Cameron supporting the views expressed by Sturgeon. Are they playing the nationalist grievance card as well?!
As Paul King points out, the UK unquestionably enjoys the best of both worlds in the EU. Whatever Cameron comes back with from his “renegotiation” it will certainly include a clear assurance from our EU partners that the non-eurozone countries, of whom the UK is clearly the leader, will not be discriminated against in terms of EU membership or indeed forced in some way into the eurozone. The UK is important enough to the EU to be able to maintain this privileged position for as long as the UK electorate wishes to.
As to David Allen’s comment “Europe will be awash with Syrian migrants” , leaving aside the somewhat offensive language he seems to think that we can stop the world and try to get off. Once again the opting out from the Schengen Agreement gives the UK a special position but asylum and immigration in general are world issues with both advantages and problems from which no country can permanently opt out.
BBC News web site (8th January) says this:
“David Cameron has said he believes at least three months should then elapse before the vote is held, to ensure the campaign is fairly conducted and both sides have enough time to mobilise their resources and put forward their arguments.
“Legislation currently passing through Parliament stipulates the campaign should be no less than 10 weeks.
“The Europe minister has hinted at a four-month campaign period while the Electoral Commission recommends a six month interval, based on previous recent referendums, but the watchdog makes it clear that this is only best practice guidance and there is no legal requirement to follow this.”
June should be ruled out because that would make the local election campaigns and the Referendum campaign overlap. July/August is normally ruled out because of holidays, giving September/October as the most likely date this year.
Andy Allan,
Yes, they are taking a disappointingly parochial approach, in my view.
The devolved assemblies are not the only elections in May.
As I wrote, “She seems to overlook the fact that the whole UK is voting in one or more election and May and 23 June gives six clear weeks – comparable to a General Election campaign”
Sturgeon is a nationalist. A patriot loves their country. A nationalist hates others and she and the SNP prove that point again and again without fail. It was the SNP’s attitude to people in England that drove millions of English voters into David Cameron’s hands in the General Election in May.
There is a direct connection between the strength of the SNP and the strength of the Conservatives, which is driving this country apart and to the right at the ballot box which we cannot allow to continue.
@ Antony Hook,
“Yes, they are taking a disappointingly parochial approach, in my view. The devolved assemblies are not the only elections in May”. EXACTLY : because of the plethora of elections in May – if the Euro Referendum is held in June it will spill over into EVERY one of these elections – not just in Scotland. You just don’#t seem to get it.
As an Englishman (to be precise, a Yorkshireman) living in Scotland, I must tell you frankly that the rest of your post reveals an attitude that is just as responsible for “driving this country apart” as anything the SNP might say or do.
David,
If by “get” you mean understand, yes I understand the point. I just don’t agree with it.
A 6 clear weeks is a sufficient gap.
We’re used to having local elections and General Elections on the same day and we’ve had an AV referendum on the same day – quite apart from 6 weeks apart. People can tell the difference.
Antony Hook | Tue 26th January 2016 – 7:59 am I saw her interview with Andrew Marr. She is saying that if David Cameron comes back from an EU meeting in February 2016 with an agreement from the other HoGs there would be a four month campaign up to polling day in June.
She did not say that the only way to avoid that is to have a meeting in February 2016 but not to agree.
In the referendum on a devolved Scottish parliament Labour and Liberal Democrats said Vote YES to prevent independence for Scotland and the SNP, under a previous leader, said Vote Yes as a stepping stone towards independence.
Something similar is happening now, bearing in mind the question on the ballot paper.
Eurosceptics want a longer campaign to give them more time to campaign, and/or maybe they hope that “events, dear boy, events” will affect popularity. They also imply that a small majority would lack authority, although they know that former pm Sir Winston Churchill said the Edward Heath that “One is enough.”
@anthonyhook
Well like David Raw I am an Englishman living in Scotland and your latest comment is very depressing and also dangerous for the Lib Dems.
Firstly I note that you regard Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as akin to parishes ( “parochialism”) in the UK. So much for the Lib Dem federal approach.
You may also like to avoid giving gratuitous offence in future by acknowledging that Scotland has a parliament as defined by the Scotland Act.
As regards this:
” Sturgeon is a nationalist. A patriot loves their country. A nationalist hates others and she and the SNP prove that point again and again without fail. It was the SNP’s attitude to people in England that drove millions of English voters into David Cameron’s hands in the General Election in May.
There is a direct connection between the strength of the SNP and the strength of the Conservatives, which is driving this country apart and to the right at the ballot box which we cannot allow to continue.”
I am quite frankly almost speechless. Please reference one example of Sturgeon and the SNP hating the English or England let alone proving it time and time again. It was the collapse of the LD vote in the south west of England which let the Conservatives back in with a majority.