Plain Tales from the EU – How might Britain Leaving the EU affect you personally?

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Brexit – a risky & painful procedure – Vote for the UK to Remain in the EU

Don't let them rip the UK from the heart of the EU

From Andrew Groom, a member of one of the SY2E – Remain in the EU groups.

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The impact of Leaving the EU on British Business – LabourIN

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John Ainsworth, veteran of the Normandy landings, explains why he’s voting to Remain in the EU

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Why would we not want to be part of the bigger picture?

John Michael Sharples logo

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UK could have Australian-style immigration system according to Leave campaigners.

What’s the story?

Prominent anti-EU campaigners say they want to introduce a points-based immigration system in the UK to limit those coming to the UK to skilled workers in shortage occupations, claiming current levels of migration are lowering wages and straining public services. Read the story in the BBC.


How reliable is this story?

Questionable. Firstly, there’s no guarantee that we could introduce a points-based system– if, as many Leave campaigners say, we should seek to maintain full access to the EU single market, we’d have to keep free movement of workers. Secondly, EU immigrants aren’t the problem– they currently make up less than half of total migration to the UK and all the evidence shows they have no significant impact on either employment rates or wage levels. Finally, EU immigrants actually support our public services and pay more in taxes than they take as benefits and services.


What’s the background?

  • Anti-EU campaigners claim we can introduce the points based immigration system that we currently apply to non-EU countries if we choose to leave the EU. Evidence
  • However, if we want to retain free movement of goods and services within the EU single market, we will have to accept free movement of people too. Evidence
  • Australia, the country which first introduced a points-based system, currently has twice as many immigrants per capita as the UK. Evidence
  • Despite having a points based system for non-EU immigrants, numbers entering the UK have always been higher than those from the EU. Evidence
  • There is no correlation between EU immigration levels and wages decreasing — the primary reason for wages falling is a weak recovery from the 2008 financial crisis. Evidence
  • Furthermore, EU immigrants have a positive impact on our public services, both as workers and taxpayers– in the 2013/4 tax year, European migrants made a net contribution of £2.5 billion to the UK. Evidence
  • Finally, leaving the EU would make it harder to control our border when it comes to non-EU migrants. Evidence

This Behind the Headlines briefing was first published on the Doorstep EU app: www.richardcorbett.org.uk/app

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I urge the British voter not to fall into this Brexit trap – Democracy

By John Tilt, a member of one of the SY2E – Remain in the EU groups.

We need to eschew all this false information about the EU being undemocratic! Under the influence of bigots like Boris Johnson, Farage, and IDS – the UK will become the least democratic nation in Europe. The Germans didn’t see the forthcoming dangers of right-wing dominance – when Adolf Hitler rose to power in 1933.

British Brexiteers are similarly missing the point over the new dangers of Team Brexit today. Hitler wanted to take back Germany and regain the pride of the German people. However, Hitler destroyed Germany and half of the known world along with it.

Ukip and Team Brexit are also heralding nationalist values. In common with Hitler’s NSDAP, Ukip and Team Brexit share racist ideals and the new adage of ‘Taking our country back’, is quite the same.

The days of the British Empire are over. Without the EU Britain will be alone and vulnerable. The economy will sink, Scotland will campaign immediately to leave the UK (and this time they will persuade the Scots voters – who are dissatisfied with Westminster to do just that) and Britain will end up as a poor little ex EU nation – who will undoubtedly become part of the TTIP. In the words of the respected American intellectual Noam Chomski, once-again Britain will be subordinate to the USA. We will no longer be the world’s 5th strongest economy either. We entered the EEC as the 2nd poorest of European countries and will go back to being just that.

I admire David Cameron’s stance in relation to EU renegotiation – in which he achieved excellent results – for which he must feel undervalued. But I believe he made a huge mistake in offering a referendum to a public whose minds have been poisoned by the right-wing – especially at a time when they are dissatisfied over austerity policies and the government’s unashamed bias towards the rich.

However, I believe the real agenda behind Team Brexit is to shift the power base from the present democracy to both the Tory right and to Ukip. We look set to return Britain to the 1930’s – where Oswald Mosely ran the British Union of Fascists, since with the likes of Ukip the BNP and Britain First – there is little difference

I urge the British voter not to fall into this Brexit trap. Be afraid, be very afraid.

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I fear Brexit will be like the French revolution.

I am afraid, and in fact almost sure that the referendum campaign is more about the common man venting his frustration about the world than it is about choosing what is best for us or those who will come after us.

Enflammed passions are over-ruling common sense and calm deliberation. I fear that come June 23rd metaphorical heads will roll and keep rolling until the country has hit rock-bottom.

The French revolution was in the beginning fueled by discontent from food shortages and high taxes, which is fine, you should be upset if both your stomach and your purse are empty.

But once the revolution got started it quickly spun out of control, the French king made the concessions demanded of him by the French people but it was too late… the whole idea behind the revolution was to put in place a democratic and competent government, but once the revolution began it didn’t stop for 10 years. By then, the Revolution was fuelled by hate, fear and envy.

They achieved what they wanted within months of the revolution’s start, but they had not finished venting and along with a little coaxing from a few public figures the French populace went absolutely mad.

I am certainly not saying that the UK will descend into civil war, I am most definitely saying that the country and the British public will suffer if they do not abide by the saying: “Cooler heads will prevail”.

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