A few thoughts on the EU debate

Over the past few weeks I have watched the ongoing fight over the EU referendum rather closely, and as you can probably tell from my twitter posts and older articles I get incredibly frustrated whenever I see someone spreading a myth about the European Union.

Luckily I suddenly remembered that blogs need regular updating and I have decided to share a few thoughts on tonights Daily Mirror debate;

1. Has EU migration lowered wages for UK-born workers?

During the debate Andrea Leadsom claimed that EU migration lowered the wages of UK-born workers but a recent report from the London School of Economics actually discovered that workers from the European Union have had no negative impact on the wages and job prospects of British Citizens. In addition the report also pointed out that consumer spending from EU migrants has actually generated employment for UK-citizens.

2. Is EU migration a burden on the state?

In the same argument Andrea Leadsom also claimed that our public services have been "overwhelmed" by EU migration. Of course while John McDonnell was quick to highlight the role migrants play in staffing these services and the real reason for the strain on public services (austerity) he failed to highlight a key report published by Christian Dustmann and Tommaso Frattini of the UCL. "The Fiscal Effects of Immigration to the UK" concludes that EU migrants made a net contribution of £20bn to UK public finances between 2000 and 2011 providing valuable revenue to finance and bolster public institutions across the UK.

3. Would leaving the European Union save us from the TTIP?

In short? No. If the UK moved to adopt the "Norwegian model" after a successful Brexit to retain access to the single market it would still have to adopt the regulatory changes enforced by the passage to the TTIP. We would just lack the power to change it in a significant manner (how democratic!). And don't be tricked by any recent comments made by Boris Johnson on the issue, as the prospective Prime Minister supported the trade agreement wholeheartedly in 2014 calling it "Churchillian" even saying that the UK should negotiate an individual agreement with the US if the EU fails to pass the TTIP agreement.

Meanwhile in Europe politicians in Greece have raised serious concerns about the wording of the current TTIP agreement and senior Syriza members have said that the Greek parliament would use its veto power to kill TTIP unless serious reforms have been made, and in France Francois Hollande has said that the current deal needs to go further to protect the high regulatory standards currently enforced by the French government and has threatened to block the deal if these measures are not met.

Trade unions and politicians from across the political spectrum are working together to stop the TTIP in its tracks, so the best strategy is not to leave but to unite in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the European Union and demand a trade deal that benefits all of us and not just a select economic elite.