With just seven months until the 2015 general election, the electoral battle lines are beginning to be drawn. Along with the economy and, as a result of the Scottish referendum, constitutional reform, the steady rise of Ukip has inevitably meant that the subject of the United Kingdom’s membership of the European Union has also become a political hot potato.
Both the prime minister’s feeble policy and schoolboy diplomacy has led to the UK isolating itself to such an extent that, when he attempted to prevent Jean-Claude Juncker becoming president of the EU Commission earlier this summer, the only ally he could muster was his Hungarian counterpart. Every other of the 27 EU member states rallied behind Juncker and Chancellor Merkel.
Furthermore, he has also opened the door for extremists in his own party agitating for a British withdrawal from the EU. This was best demonstrated by the bullying tactics of Conservative member of parliament John Redwood, who threatened any business coming out as pro-EU of ‘financial and economic punishment’.
Yet, despite the real danger that Britain would face if it were to pull up the drawbridge and thus closing off prosperous partnerships in the world’s richest economic bloc, the real worry is how little the majority of the British public know about the EU and the benefits it provides.
Nothing illustrates this point more than that of the EU budget. Whereas Eurosceptics would have us believe the at the EU budget is a huge waste of taxpayers’ money, and if only we stopped wasting all that money (‘estimates’ have varied from a few million to tens of millions a day – ignoring the net benefits of membership) then we would be able to offer tax cuts and reduce the budget deficit. Yet in reality (and ignoring the clear, fundamental flaws in that theory) the EU budget for the 2014-2020 period amounts to just one per cent of EU gross domestic product.
Similarly, a vast majority of Britons have little understanding of the EU institutions, how they function and how they improve the lives of EU citizens, in addition to being fed the myths regarding foolhardy laws devised in the European parliament. We have all read the stories about supposed bans on curved bananas and prawn cocktail crisps.
In light of all this, can we blame the British electorate for holding negative views on the EU?
Indeed, Eurosceptics have played to people’s fear of the unknown – Vicky Pryce, chief economic adviser at the Centre for Economic and Business Research, correctly pointed out at a fringe event at party conference – in times of economic strain, there must always be a scapegoat. And, as an institution that is far removed from London and the UK as a whole, the European Union fits the bill perfectly.
If we are to have a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU, then it would seem to me that we, the electorate, need to fully understand the facts about the clear benefits that the European Union provides Britain. Otherwise, what hope do we have of making a reasonably educated decision regarding a matter that would be both irreversible and damaging?
There is no doubt that the EU is imperfect and needs substantial reforms, particularly in its democratic structures, adjusting the magnitude of the common agricultural policy within the EU budget and further extending the single market.
But progressives, both within and outside of the Labour party, must robustly reject the myths and falsehoods propagated by those in the Conservatives and Ukip, who wish to see Britain look inwards, and reject the internationalist approach that has not only served us well in the past, but will also enable us to prosper in the 21st century.
For instance, we have a duty to the British people to make them aware of the 3,000,000 jobs directly or indirectly linked to the UK’s membership of the EU, or the extent to which being a member of the world’s largest trading bloc enables the UK to benefit form more effective trade agreements.
After all, proponents of a ‘No’ vote in Scotland succeeded exactly because the concept of cooperation is a stronger force than separation. It is about time we started to say the same about the UK and the EU. But unless voters know the facts, the standard of this important debate will be dangerously low.
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Callum Anderson is a Labour activist and blogger
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Not the old bit of FUD about 3 million jobs again. We run a trade deficit with the EU. they sell us a hell of a lot more than we sell them. In the event of us departing, it is not in their interest to make trade difficult, it will hurt them a heck of a lot more than it would hurt us. Stop the scaremongering. You want a EU debate with facts, please therefor stick to them.
No mention of all the money the EU has poured into the UK. I totally agree that Britain is totally unaware of the advantages of the EU. The fact remains, however, something you cannot deny, that the EU accounts have not been signed off for years, pointing to massive corruption somewhere in the EU system.