The EU referendum will not be decided by
facts. Information on the benefits of the UK’s EU membership is widely
available, and the facts speak for themselves. In plain English they say: both
the UK and its European neighbours are better off with the United Kingdom being
a member. The Out campaign is one of resentment and spectacularly bad humour, and the way
to counter it is through stories and images that convey the joy and beauty of being
able to study in France, work in Germany and retire in Spain even if you don’t
belong to an elite for whom these things have long been natural. The EU has
made it possible for more British people than ever before to find opportunities in other
countries, to contribute to lively public debates there and to make new
friends. British people use these opportunities to a much greater extent than
citizens of most other EU countries.
That said, there are five things the Out campaign keeps saying that are
simply not true, and need to be countered with reference to simple facts:#
1. Outers give us the impression that the UK has somehow been forced
into something they never signed up for, or is being colonised by bureaucrats
in Brussels. This is not true. The UK government has actively signed up to
every treaty and every bit of regulation that is currently in place, and it has
decided to opt out of some which, as a result, have not come into force here.
It was the UK government that, on many occasions, insisted that all EU members
agree on a policy before it can take effect. British administrators in Brussels
and British members of the European parliament have long played a major role in shaping
the European Union.
2. Outers tell us that the European project was initially just a
free-trade idea which then mushroomed into a political structure. This is not
true. The reasons for European leaders and citizens to kick off the process
were always political. Free trade has always been seen as a tool to secure and
safeguard peace in Europe – and it is
only one tool from a much bigger toolbox. Stability, prosperity and democracy
are the ideals of this European Union, and everybody knows that it needs much more
than free trade to achieve them.
3. Outers tell us that the UK is a sovereign nation that should make its
own decisions. This makes me wonder where they have been for the last forty
years. The people of EU members countries, through their elected governments,
including the UK government, have decided to exercise some of their sovereignty
together – more so,
but not unlike, the people of Bristol and London have decided that the UK
government should speak for them both and make decisions that affect the lives
of both cities. Yes, the EU is a supranational organisation: this is not some
scary spectre but has long been the reality of how we are governed. Let us not
choose to ignore the political system we live in.
