Government to send pro-EU leaflet to 27 million homes, at a cost of £9 million

[Itinerary]

BBC News: EU referendum: Government to spend £9m on leaflets to every home

The government is going to spend £9 million on a 14-page leaflet attempting to persuade people to vote "remain" in June. Cameron claims it puts forward "key facts".

Apparently this is in response to members the public who want more information to help them make up their mind. However, MP Peter Bone says the move is a "major error of judgement" by Mr Cameron. "The prime minister promised Parliament that no taxpayers' money would be spent promoting Remain or Leave," he said. "What is being done is immoral, undemocratic and against what the government has promised."

Boris Johnson has said it's a "crazy waste of money" and wrong to try to "stampede" voters.

Bernard Jenkin said it was "an outrageous abuse of taxpayers' money" which "flies in the face of the government's claim that they want a fair referendum".

And Robert Oxley of Vote Leave said "Our money should not be used on propaganda, trying to buy votes."

Steel Industry business rates are £10mn. Let me do the maths (just got to take my shoes and socks off, I might run out of fingers).

Signed. £9M is a huge amount of money to waste on propaganda. Pales into insignificance against the net billions the UK gives to the EU each year, of course.

And who printed this leaflet? A German owned company Deutsche Post DHL, a company which has benefited from numerous EU handouts. Cameron really doesn't give a shiny sit for the UK.

But he cannot hand the contract for the leaflets to a UK company. That's against EU rules. He cannot even compete the work against UK companies - that too is against the rules.

He has to advertise the work and take bids from any company within the EU.

So, no British Government contracts for British companies - not allowed.

No British Government spending on work for British employees - not allowed.

Because the EU prevents the UK Government from treating British companies / workers etc any differently from the way it treats the companies / workers of any of the other of the EU's members states.

In the eyes of the EU there is no 'British' - there are just EU citizens who happen to be living in Britain.

There are few exceptions to this rule - national security and if there are no alternative sources are the main two Even if the requirement is critical to a project. Even if it affects our defence or other interests. We must play by the EU rules.

I go to France a lot, watch lots of French TV, listen to the radio.
There is constant slogan there 'Made in France' ironically in English - it is everywhere.
The other day there was a radio competition - completely unrelated topic, not political or economic, and when they described the prize - a watch- they specifically said it was 'Made in France' - not 'The EU'
On restaurant menus they list the provenance of the meat - never from UK.
French companies (I worked for one until 2 years ago) are committed to French employees, French everything. Not 'EU' and somehow they get away with it.

I think the French (and the Spanish, I used to live there) ignore many of the rules that don't suit them. Good for them. I wish our government would put us first for a change.

I received my leaflet today. I'm a Tory voter but am vehemently against the Government wasting millions on such blatant one sided propaganda.

My copy will be sent to Cameron's constituency party address, padded out with a couple of weeks' worth of trash mail in a nice heavy padded envelope. Without stamps, of course. The address is:

The Rt Hon David Cameron MP, The Prime Minister
West Oxfordshire Conservative Association
Waterloo House
58-60 high Street
Witney
Oxon OX28 6HJ

if anyone else fancies doing the same.

I got mine this morning too.

I'll read it, I don't think it'll change my mind.

Ours arrived - fortuitously - at the same time as the recycling men, so thanked the postie, and popped it directly into the recycling bin

Ours arrived today, I was interested to see it was a landscape format which makes it more expensive to start. However the design was good and there as good use of typography and some good images. Did I read it? Skimmed and then put to one side for any ideas I can pinch from it design wise but not got me any wiser on why we should stay.

In most of the households in the area it will go straight in recycling, or in some be a very high class if some what slippery toilet roll.

I have kept mine for prosperity - I hope to be able to look at it - rather and say " this is the fear mongering crap from the government - and look at us now

I also thought it was clearly laid out sports.

Why has Corbyn changed his lifelong anti eu stance once he's leader of his party??

According to this article, Jeremy Corbyn has sold out and joined the Europhile elite

"his conviction has changed. Now it is one of self-preservation as a party leader, and not what’s best for the UK."

Yes I'm going to use the idea of the boxed text on the photos in some of my stuff, I thought that worked quite well. I'm still no wiser on why we should stay ultimately!

I would have expected the Government to produce a leaflet with the main reasons to stay and the main reasons to leave. Then based on that we could begin to get a balanced view.

The fact they have spent tax payers money on one-sided twaddle renders it my eyes as propaganda and even more reason to vote leave. It leaves me with the impression Cameron has an agenda that does not include the wishes of the citizens the United Kingdom.

Did the £9 million include the advertising on Facebook? If not how much extra did that cost?

Does no one else find it interesting and rather telling that they couldn't give a single positive EU policy. Things like the roaming charge is a world wide policy which the EU were the last region to adopt it.

I mean, if the Eu is so good for us why is it all 'might possibles' scare stories?

Parliament's debate on the leaflet on11 April

hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2016-04-11/debates/16041110000001/GovernmentReferendumLeaflet