In the lead up to the Referendum, Cherwell has decided to try and gather a lot of information in one place and keep you up to date with everything happening in Oxford. We intend to be as impartial as possible and to provide enough information on both sides to help you feel just a tiny bit informed when you make your decision on June the 23rd. So without further ado, welcome to the Big Referendum Blog! (I know, as if you hadn’t heard enough about Europe already)
Opinion
We are all a little tired of hearing about the EU referendum. Cataclysmic predictions from both sides insult the intelligence of the British public. Whatever happens, the nation will manage. The truth is that we simply don’t know exactly what will happen if we stay or go. There is no point in making a decision based on utilitarian calculations about the economy or immigration. This referendum is about much more than that: sovereignty. We must not be complacent about where political power lies, and it matters to all of us how political decisions are made. As good citizens of a democracy it is our duty to be interested, and to make an informed decision, about the sort of polity we want to be a part of. This is the defining political moment of our age, a moment that will shape the future of Europe. In the debate we must discuss what matters, and not waste valuable time on comparatively trivial matters.
Leo McGrath (LMH)
Facts and Information
In 2015 the UK government paid £13 billion as a membership fee to be part of the EU. The EU spent £4.5 billion on the UK.
The EU is responsible for trade agreements with countries outside of the EU, so the UK cannot negotiate its own.
Fully controlling immigration may likely mean leaving the single market as well as the EU.
EU regulation ensures that all Europeans get four weeks of paid holiday per year.
Upcoming events
- Oxford Students for Europe (OsfE) are one of the leading student groups campaigning to remain in the EU. Check out their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/osfeurope/?fref=nf
- On the 4th of June the MP Damian Green and MEP Sajjad Karim will be giving the Tory case to remain:
https://www.facebook.com/events/127535744322660/
- Lord Ashdown will be talking about the referendum in the blue boar lecture theatre on the 6th June:
https://www.facebook.com/events/279267662411634/
