Trade Unions
Trade Unions are backing an IN vote reports the International Business Times.
The TUC’s assessment is that if Britain was to leave the EU there would be really big risk to rights that matter to people’s real lives, from paid holidays to parental leave, health and safety at work, these are the sorts of rights that people depend on week by week,” O’Grady said, referring to a possible British exit.
“If you take that floor away, workers will be worse off. It’s a hell of a gamble for those who want to leave Europe, to depend on particularly the government we have now to protect the rights on which so many people’s working lives depend.
Cheaper flights IN
EasyJet CEO Carolyn McCall has said EU membership means lower fares and the airline intends to communicate this passengers, reports Reuters.
Our Environment
Environmental experts say Brexit poses a risk to a greener future, reports Business Green.
Analysis of what would happen post-Brexit
The Telegraph and Open Europe hosted a “war game” in which experienced politicians role-played the UK and other countries after Brexit and things worked our badly for post-Brexit Britain.
There has been a lot of analysis by financial institutions that Brexit will harm Britain. Deutsche Bank’s has added to this analysis that Brexit would also undermine the EU’s standing in the world.
Women
Women IN has launched, campaigning for Britain to stay in the EU. A letter signed by dozens of women prominent in national life says:
We’re setting up a Women for IN network to spread the word about the benefits of our membership of the EU and to make it clear we cannot take risks with the future of our country. We hope as many women as possible get involved in this campaign. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
Wales: Crabb’s IN. Words are confused.
The referendum question may be slightly different in Wales, reports Wales Online, do avoid confusion between Welsh words for “remain” and “bread”. Some of us think “remain” is not an ideal word in English and that “stay” is preferable. Welsh Secretary, Stephen Crabb, is making the case for Wales to stay in the EU.
Ireland
Some in the DUP are getting hot under the collar about the Irish Government expressing its wish that Britain will stay in Europe, reports Irish News.
Criticism of Stronger IN
The Spectator says Stronger IN has made a “lazy” start and criticises Lord Rose’s performance in particular.
Cameron and Juncker to meet Friday
The PM has cancelled a trip to Scandinavia today to meet with Commission President Juncker on Friday to discuss his re-negotiation, reports the Telegraph.
Why earlier not later for referendum date
The Chicago Tribune summarises the reasons why an IN vote is possibly easier to be won earlier rather than later, as we look towards a prospective June referendum date.
How should ethnic minorities vote?
UKIP MEP Steven Woolfe is one of the first people I have seen raise questions about the particular position of ethnic minority voters in the Referendum. Woolfe’s argument is that EU migration is at the expense of migrants from India and other Commonwealth countries and therefore British voters of non-European heritage should vote for Brexit.
He may be wrong but Woolfe is a more intelligent and sophisticated opponent than Farage will ever be. The IN campaign will have to explain why membership benefits us all, whatever your ethnicity. It will also have to convey its narrative is a way that connects with the distinctive experiences of non-white voters.
Remember if you want IN to win, you can donate to the Lib Dem IN campaign today.
* 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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3 Comments
The outers appear to want to return to a mythical 1960s / 70s Britain, where migration is low, where there was little foreign ownership and businesses were largely British, protectionism was commonplace and where there was large amounts of nationalisation and state ownership.
More has to be done to encourage the working class that globalisation, foreign ownership, privatisation, free trade and free movement are in their interests, else they could be swayed by UKIP (and some socialists) that life will somehow be better in a British autarky stuck in the 70s.
As well as the nationalist arguments over migration and terrorism, I am now seeing an increasing amount of left wing opposition to the EU, especially regards to Greece, the continual abuse directed at Goldman Sachs, TTIP and TISA, and rail market liberalisation. The Lib Dems must expose the socialist rhetoric against TTIP and TISA, and make the argument for open markets in public services. Else I fear that a combination of populist anti immigrant and populist anti corporate sentiment could tip the balance into exit.
To be honest, I think it’s a lost cause and it may be better not to take too big a role in the “stay” campaign. The world has changed. People are not being offered a battle between a return to the 60s and the future. It’s an argument between faltering stasis and risky change in an EU that has poor turnouts when electing it’s representatives.
The big problem with bemoaning populist arguments is that the population still gets to vote and it can come across as a bit Scooby Doo, “we would have got away it without you pesky voters”.
@ stimpson “the continual abuse directed at Goldman Sachs, TTIP and TISA, and rail market liberalisation”.
Here we go again with more neo liberal stuff.
Is this the same Goldman Sachs where last March banker Greg Smith delivered a broadside to his former bosses ?
Smith could take no more of the bank’s “toxic and destructive” environment, he said via the New York Times’ editorial page. But it was the “muppets” that caught everyone’s attention. With the financial crisis still rocking the world and bankers held up as public enemy number one, Smith claimed Goldman bankers branded clients “muppets” and secretly despised them as they ripped them off.
Is this the same wonderful rail ‘liberalisation’ that results in the majority part of our railway system is run by French, German and Danish nationalised railway companies – and the rest by a non dom and some other guy who funded anti LGBT legislation ??