The EU debate #1: Identity Q: Britain is a European nation. A: Geography has given Britain a shared cultural history with continental Europe. From the Roman Empire, to the Renaissance, and now through the European Union, the countries of Europe have always exchanged ideas, art, and technology. Even the English language is a blend of Latin and Germanic roots. Britain is richer for its long association with Europe and European peoples, and British culture has enriched Europe in return. They should stick together. Q: Britain is an island nation'. A: According to David Cameron, it has the character of one: independent, forthright, passionate in defense of our sovereignty. Since Britain is an island nation some argue that it is separate from Europe. This separation from the rest of the continent has allowed it to fight off invasion for 1,000 years. Perhaps that is why most British people do not feel European. Last year, a poll found that 64% considered themselves only British, while just 15% felt fully European. Q: Union has worked for the UK. Why not the EU? A: Past wars and conflicts between England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland were only resolved when King James united the crowns of England and Scotland and the following political acts of union formed the UK. The nations have kept their unique identities, but working together has made them far stronger. The UK has held together for over 300 years and at one point became a global powerhouse. By applying the same ideas to the EU, they can expand their horizons even further in a union of European countries. Q: No, it hasn t. A: UK identity is not so rosy -- it still causes divisions in Ireland, while Scottish voters almost voted to leave the UK in 2014. And nationalistic feelings within the UK are only getting stronger: the SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, has warned that if the vote in June favors Brexit, it could well trigger another independence referendum above the border. In doing so Scotland would secede from the UK to join the UK. In the EU, cultural differences are even more pronounced.
Q: Churchill s historic vision has been a success. A: There is arguably no character in Britain s history with more clout than the wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill -- and he was recognized as a founding father of the EU. In Zurich in 1946 he laid out his vision for a kind of United States of Europe, and in 1947 said that Britain will have to play her full part as a member of the European family. The idea of the EU was initially created as a means of preventing World War III. The dream of a peaceful, integrated Europe has now been realized. It should not be abandoned. Q: Churchill s position was not so simple. A: For one thing, the world has moved on since the 1940s. Churchill would barely recognize the globalized, digital world that we all live in today -- there is no reason to take his word as fact 50 years after his death. For another, he also advocated Britain staying out of Europe: in 1930 he wrote We have our own dream and our own task. We are with Europe, but not of it. We are linked but not combined. So in short Winston s speech can be misinterpreted. Q: Britain should keep its international approach to politics. A: The UK has never been isolationist. It expanded its influence around the world with a formidable and global empire. When that disintegrated, it continued to play a leading role in world affairs, as one of the richest countries in the world. It has a global vision, and the problems and opportunities it faces are global too; it cannot simply stop now. Q: It still can. A: Cutting ties with the EU does not necessarily mean a retreat into being isolated. Britain still has a special relationship with the USA, it is creating closer links with China, and it lies at the heart of the Commonwealth, an association of 53 countries across every continent (except for Antarctica). The truth is, Britain has a lot of friends outside the EU. It is strong enough to make it alone. They don t need the EU to be popular. The EU just be hating. Haters gonna hate.
Q: The EU is the world s biggest borderless market. The EU debate #2: The Economy A: The UK s membership of the EU gives companies easy access to 500 MILLION customers. If Britain left, it would have to negotiate a new trading relationship with the EU; this could involve leaving the European single market. Selling goods to Europe would then be more complex and British companies would have to pay taxes on the goods they sell cutting into profits. Q: Britain could form new relationships beyond Europe. A: UKIP MP Douglas Carswell says Britain is shackled to a corpse inside the EU. Since 2008 five Eurozone countries have needed bailouts to deal with their debts. Countries such as Spain and Greece have suffered severe unemployment, particularly youth unemployment. If freed from its obligations to the EU, the UK could form better trading relationships with dynamic economies further afield, such as China, India and Canada. In short the UK should NOT hold responsibility for giving money for and babysitting other countries. Every country should hold its own weight and be responsible for its own actions instead of relying on little ol Britain for help. Q: Millions of jobs would be at risk if Britain left. A: The UK benefits greatly from selling goods and services to other EU countries. In 2014, 45% of Britain s exports went to the EU; just 6% of the EU s exports went to Britain. Between 3.3m and 4m British jobs are linked to this relationship. A vote to leave would prompt investors to pull their money out of the UK and place it elsewhere, putting these jobs in danger. Q: That is ridiculous. Politicians always try to scare people with statistics. A: The Institute of Economic Affairs calls the jobs figure a myth. If Britain left the EU, both sides would want to negotiate a new trade deal quickly. The UK could remain within the European Economic Area, like Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway, or continue to be part of the single market, like Switzerland. This would mean the trading relationship would stay in place. Q: The UK s economy will be stronger if it works with other countries. A: Yesterday an analysis by the Treasury suggested the UK economy would be 6% smaller than otherwise by 2030 if the country left the EU -- costing the equivalent of 4,300 per household. Countries around the world are forming partnerships in response to globalization. If the UK removes itself from a powerful 28- nation bloc, countries such as the USA and China will lose interest in dealing with it. Q: The UK will do great on its own. A: Voters cannot trust the analysis of the Treasury, which failed to predict the impact of previous crises. The UK has the fifth largest economy in the world by GDP and is tipped to have the fourth largest by the 2030s. Britain is now Germany s largest trading partner. London is the financial capital of the world. Neither the USA nor China are EU members, but they have the two largest economies in the world.
Q: The EU safeguards the interests of British workers. A: The EU protects the pay and conditions of workers across Europe. Trade unions say rights including paid annual leave, time off for antenatal appointments and fair treatment for part-time workers would be under threat if Britain leaves. These need to be assured at EU level; otherwise, countries will have to compete with each other to allow powerful companies to offer workers increasingly poor conditions. Q: British workers would be better off without such regulation. A: The EU has a raft of regulations which limit economic growth. EU rules restrict the sale of thousands of ordinary consumer products; for example in 2014, they banned large vacuum cleaners. This paternalistic bureaucracy prevents companies from making money and hiring staff. Some industries also suffer the impact of common policies -- such as the common fisheries policy, which requires British fishermen to abide by quotas and price controls.
Q: Britain has agreed to pool sovereignty in its own interest. The EU debate #3: Sovereignty A: British acts of parliament were required to transfer power to the EU; the UK Parliament can take that power back. Britain has not surrendered its sovereignty to the EU, but voluntarily lent it. The House of Commons library says it is possible to justify arguing any figure between 15% and 55% of UK laws are made in Brussels. Business for Britain s claim is exaggerated and highly contentious. Q: The UK has indeed surrendered its sovereignty to the EU. A: Eurosceptic group Business for Britain said last year EU rules accounted for 64.7% of laws made in the UK since 1993. The 1990 Factortame case shows how Brussels laws have priority over those made in Britain: Michael Gove, the justice secretary, said yesterday leaving would be an empowering moment of patriotic renewal : the UK must reclaim its sovereignty. Q: The best way to represent Britain s interests is through the EU. A: The defense secretary, Michael Fallon, says: you would still have the EU next door, taking decisions that affect our trade and businesses and our way of life. In a globalized world, Britain faces the same challenges as other nations. To solve them it must pool its sovereignty -- through institutions such as the EU and NATO which the UK can influence from within. Leave campaigners are indulging in wishful thinking to say the UK can go it alone. Q: But leaving would be good for democracy. A: National parliaments are more closely attuned to voters concerns than the EU. An Electoral Reform Society survey found 74% of British people feel they have no voice in the EU: it suffers from a democratic deficit : EU commissioners are not elected; the president of the Council of the EU is chosen by other councilors; and turnout in European elections is low. Q: The prime minister s deal with EU leaders will preserve UK independence within the EU. A: The deal reached in February will change the nature of Britain s relationship with the EU. New EU treaties will say Britain is not to be part of an ever closer union between European states. There will also be a new red card system, which means EU legislation will be reconsidered if 55% of national parliaments in member states vote against it. Q: No. Staying in will mean surrendering more sovereignty. A: Since the 1972 European Communities Act, Parliament has ratified treaties, giving more power to the EU each time. For example, the 2007 Treaty of Lisbon brought home affairs and justice within the EU s remit for the first time; this February the European Court of Justice ruled that because he has a child a criminal cannot be deported from the UK. The EU will continue to expand and take more power.
Q: The UK will be safer, stronger and better off within the EU. A: Britain faces the same threats, such as terrorism and climate change, as other EU states. Nations must cooperate to deal with them. For example, the European arrest warrant requires countries to arrest criminal suspects wanted elsewhere in the EU. Britain s EU membership has made it prosperous and meant that in a globalized world trade is organized effectively. Q: The UK will be better off if it takes back power. A: The UK must make its own laws and protect itself from developing threats in an uncertain world. It could impose tighter border restrictions, helping to minimize the risk of terrorism, and reduce burdensome legislation, which makes it harder for small businesses to trade. Freedom from EU laws would allow it to develop its own stronger global economic relationships and protect its public services from detrimental EU trade agreements. EU Debate #1 Identity Questions
1. Is Britain a European nation? What does Britain have in common with Europe? 2. How has being an island nation affected British citizens? 3. How has Union worked for the UK? 4. What happened in the UK in 2014? 5. Who is one of the founding fathers of the EU? What was his dream? 6. How has the world changed since the 1940 s according to the article? 7. How would leaving the EU affect international politics in the UK? What are the top 4 main Identity reasons to remain part of the EU? To leave? EU Debate #2 Economy Questions Circle one: Stay or Leave 1. How does the UK benefit from doing business with the world s biggest borderless market? 2. How has the EU stunted economic growth in the UK? 3. Why would millions of jobs be at risk if Britain leaves the EU? What % of the exports went to the EU? 4. What does the Institute of Economic Affair say about the job figures if Britain left the EU? What would happen to the trading relationship that the UK has in place? 5. How would the UK economy be affected if it stayed in the EU?
6. Where is the financial capital of the world? Who is Britain s largest trading partner? 7. What does the EU do for British workers? 8. Why might British workers be better off without EU regulations? What are the top 4 main Economic reasons to remain part of the EU? To leave? EU Debate #3: Sovereignty Circle one: Stay or Leave 1. How does Britain share power with the EU? Where are EU laws made? 2. How has the UK surrendered its sovereignty to the EU? 3. How would leaving the EU be good for democracy in Britain? What is a democratic deficit? 4. What the new red card system? 5. How has Britain surrendered more of its sovereignty to the EU? What is the treaty of Lisbon? 6. How is Britain safer, stronger, and better within the EU? 7. How will the UK be better off if it takes back power? What are the top 4 main Sovereignty reasons to remain part of the EU? To leave? Circle one: Stay or Leave