EU referendum: Anti-Europeans do UK voters a disservice by obsessing about process not policy September 2, 2015 With the Rugby World Cup due to kick off in just a couple of weeks, fans are already desperate to see their teams and the world’s best players competing on the pitch. What they do not want is for the beginning of the tournament to be dominated by debate over the refereeing and rules [...]
Church of England to lead a “Christian debate” on the EU referendum September 2, 2015 The Church of England has waded into one of Britain's most contentious political issues: the European Union. In a move that surprised believers and non-believers alike, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said yesterday that the church will lead a "Christian debate" on the future of Britain's relationship with the EU. Warning that an in/out referendum could [...]
EU referendum: Change ballot wording to be fair, government told by Electoral Commission September 1, 2015 The Electoral Commission is calling on the government to change the wording of the ballot for the EU referendum in order to avoid bias. As the EU referendum bill potentially paving the way for a Brexit makes its way through parliament, the current phrasing is "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European [...]
Farage: Ukip is launching its own anti-EU campaign, but won’t seek to be the official leader of the “no” movement September 1, 2015 Ukip is gearing up to launch its own anti-EU membership campaign, but the party won't seek designation as the official leader of the "no" movement. Read more: Ukip leader Nigel Farage gets tough on Brexit: “David Cameron’s attempts at renegotiation are embarrassing” In an interview with Radio 4's Today programme, party leader Nigel Farage [...]
EU referendum: British voters don’t believe no means no August 20, 2015 British voters do not believe "no" will really mean no when it comes to the European referendum, according to a new survey. The poll, by YouGov, found 41 per cent of voters think if Britain votes to leave the European Union in a referendum, instead of leaving the bloc straight away, it's likely there would [...]
EU referendum: Would the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party make Brexit more likely? August 18, 2015 Robert Oxley, campaign director of Business for Britain, says Yes You don’t have to support Jeremy Corbyn, nor agree with his views on a range of subjects, to recognise his election would make Brexit more likely. His proposal for Labour to hold a special conference to decide its response to the EU referendum is a [...]
How European is the UK? Five charts that show how we differ from the EU in alcohol consumption, living costs and working hours August 18, 2015 It's a potent question at the moment: what does it really mean to be “European”? It turns out our living costs, alcohol consumption and general life satisfaction make the UK the sixth most European country in the EU, according to analytics firm Qlik. In a study pulling together statistics about how we live, work and [...]
EU referendum: Almost half of Britons think EU integration has “gone too far” August 13, 2015 Almost half (well, 47 per cent) of Britons think integration between EU countries has "gone too far" and that powers of individual EU countries must be repatriated, a poll has suggested. The survey, by pollster Opinium, found 42 per cent of Dutch adults also thought powers should be returned to individual countries. Meanwhile, 24 per [...]
The wheels are falling off David Cameron’s EU renegotiation: It can still be saved August 11, 2015 Are the wheels falling off the government’s EU renegotiation? It’s a legitimate question to ask given that, in the Prime Minister’s first hundred days of leading a majority Conservative government, we have already seen a significant reduction in what David Cameron appears to be asking for and what he is likely to achieve. Despite having [...]
Eurosceptic group Business for Britain research shows the European Union spends over £500m a year promoting itself August 11, 2015 The European Union spent €664m (£536m) directly on publicity and communication in 2014, according to research from Eurosceptic group Business for Britain. The spending came through budgets “where their primary purpose was promoting the EU and the political priorities of the Union", a report by the organisation said. According to the research, the EU committed [...]