EU Referendum: Webchat with four experts on Monday 20 June, at 12 noon

[BojanaMumsnet]

Hello

We’re pleased to announce a webchat on the EU referendum with four guests with a wide range of expertise at 12 noon on Monday 20 June.

Angus Armstrong is Director of Macroeconomics at the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR) and a Visiting Professor at Imperial College London. Prior to joining NIESR, Angus was Head of Macroeconomic Analysis at HM Treasury, closely involved with stability measures throughout the financial crisis.

Catherine Barnard is Professor in European Union Law and Employment Law at the University of Cambridge. She specialises in EU law and employment law. She has advised the government over the Balance of Competences Review.

Anand Menon is Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at Kings College London. He also directs The UK in a Changing Europe initiative. He has written on many aspects of contemporary Europe including the EU politics and institutions and European security.

Will Moy is the director of Full Fact, a non-partisan fact-checking charity. Full Fact is often asked to assist the media with factual and statistical issues and Will has given evidence to the Public Administration Select Committee on the communication of official statistics and the Leveson Inquiry on accuracy and press standards.

The EU referendum will be held on 23 June.

Please do join the chat on Monday, or if you can’t make it, please leave a question here in advance. And do bear in mind the webchat guidelines - one question each only (follow-ups allowed if there’s time) and please do be polite.

Thanks
MNHQ

[Tate15]

Do we know which political party they support?

I get the feeling that Mumsnet are biased towards the (Looney) left!

[annandale]

Allowing the rush of fury at Tate15's post to subside...

Is the EU already in a proxy conflict with Putin's Russia, and thinking of both Remain and Leave scenarios, is that conflict likely to increase, decrease or change?

[lljkk]

I imagine Will Moy has an "Inappropriate to comment so no comment" personal public position on how to vote in the Referendum. But what about the others (?)

My actual Question to all but Moy is: what do you think will be the best thing and the worst thing that would happen if we remain in (or leave) membership of EU?

My question to Moy: What is any paid EU staff person actually doing or planning to try to create "a European army"?

[bkgirl]

May we start with the phrase "democratic deficit" that people keep using to justify an undemocratic EU? Why is democracy suddenly a problematic detail?

[shinytorch2]

Please can you discuss how you see the EU developing over the next 2-10 years, eg. can the Euro survive the accession of more poor countries and is ever closer political and economic union therefore inevitable?

[Devilishpyjamas]

Particularly for Angus Armstrong: What would the next five years look like under a Brexit scenario? (I am thinking a lot of instability, housing market crash, another recession & a lot of redundancies - am I too gloomy?)

[RortyCrankle]

I would like to ask you opinion on the following article published in the Telegraph last October: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/11949038/Europes-glory-days-at-an-end-warns-Juncker.html

[Appletreeblossom123]

I have seen some pro-Leavers argue that membership of the EU disadvantages Britain in relation to its trade with non-EU member states because Britain is bound by the terms of EU trade deals and not free to negotiate its own deals. Do you consider that this argument has any validity?

[Limer]

If Brexit happens, do you think other countries will follow our lead and demand their own referendums?

[StrawberryTournament]

Is the status quo as safe as people think, or any more desirable than creating our own country's future ourselves?

[SpringingIntoAction]

I think it's important that the participants declare whether they or the organisations they claim to represent have received any EU funding.

I feel that this is essential if we are to correctly weigh the opinions that will be given

[claig]

Can the experts tell us if they are for Remain or Leave?

[Chalalala]

This is for Will Moy:

What can be done to stop the advent of post-truth politics? This referendum is not making me hopeful. No offence Will, but I don't think the (great) Full Fact website has made a huge impact in helping people distinguish fact from spin from outright lies.

And for Angus, Catherine and Anand:

Why do you think people have stopped listening to "experts"?

[HandsomeGroomGiveHerRoom]

What will happen in the years immediately after a Leave vote to current UK residents from other EU countries? Will they be forced to leave? What about UK nationals living in the EU?

[BirdInTheRoom]

What plans are in place to ensure public services/infrastructure will be able to cope with expected population increases to 80 million by 2039?

[0phelia]

I was thinking similarly to Chalala

Politicians lie (if you take the polar opposite to every single thing Tony Blair says, you will find the truth). It's how they work. Tony Blair has convinced me to vote LEAVE.

My question for Will Moy,
How many times have you found facts checked by your organisation to have been completely twisted or the opposite being said, during this referendum? (I'll offer a choice between always, frequently, sometimes, rarely, never) Thank you.

[IamSlave]

I agree, we need to know which are remain and which are leave, I assume, it will be balanced, two for and two for freedom


Do you all agree that either way, remain or leave is going to be based on speculation. We cannot have FACTS if we leave, its all conjecture but its exactly the same for Remain. The EU has changed out of all recognition since we joined, and no one can predict what it will become, with the considerable challenges it faces internally and externally.

[rogerrodge]

Hello everyone

One of the most persuasive arguments for 'remain' is that if we're not in, we won't have any influence over decisions made in the EU. But would these decisions actually affect us if we're out? And if so, which ones are the most likely to do so?

One answer that the Leave camp gives is that, as only one of 20+ members, our voice will more and more frequently be ignored anyway. How much truth is there in this?

[trailblazer86]

The Brexit campaigning has exposed deep divides in Britain. Worryingly, dangerous, racist sentiments appear to be more prevalent than perhaps many of us wished to acknowledge.

How do you think we will recover as a country - in terms of social unity and racial equality - whether we leave or remain?

[kittykitty]

It feels to me as if there's a distinct class divide in how the country's expected to vote. I'm middle class, relatively affluent and live in London and for me it seems natural to vote Remain. But I'm worried about those living outside the major metropolitan cities, who are concerned about their jobs and - right or wrong - believe that staying in Europe won't help deliver job security. How is anyone going to persuade them to vote Remain by Thursday?

[IamSlavetotheEU]

Kitty not sure how wide your social circle is in London but I can assure you there are plenty of middle class Brexiters in London

[GrendelsMother23]

Hello all - thank you for coming to chat to us!

I have the feeling that most people, despite the arguments being put forth, will be essentially voting with their instinct, instead of looking at numbers/legal protections or restrictions provided by membership, etc. I recently attended a panel discussion on the EU which focused on the protections it provides women, particularly working women and mothers - and since women are the single biggest undecided group of voters, that seems significant. How would you go about providing not just women, but all sorts of demographics, with information that might be key in their decision-making process? It seems really difficult to strike a balance between being informative and being patronizing (i.e. the cringey yoof-speak of the advert that urged "votin'".)

[Chazmataz]

What do you think would happen to the union of the UK if we were to vote Leave? Would Scotland leave the UK? And would peace in Northern Ireland be threatened if there were a border between North and South?

[shitchef]

Yes would be helpful to know who supports which side of the EU debate.

I tend to agree with the idea that economists exist to make astrologers look reliable but do the panel think that their inability to predict the 2008 crash have rendered their views on the EU referendum irrelevant?

And a question to MNHQ, was the staging of the Amber Rudd webchat at 8.30 am (when most parents will be doing the school run) deliberate?

[thefinestwines]

I'm genuinely considering moving abroad if we leave the EU. Do you think there will be some sort of amnesty prior to actually leaving, whereby free movement is allowed for a certain period of time?