EU Referendum: Webchat with Alan Johnson MP, Tuesday 24 May at 12.30pm

[BojanaMumsnet]

Hello

We’re very pleased to announce a webchat with Alan Johnson MP on Tuesday 24 May at 12.30pm. Alan is the Chair of the official ‘Labour In for Britain’ campaign, aiming to persuade voters to keep the UK in the EU.

Alan entered Parliament as Labour MP for Hull West and Hessle in 1997 and filled a wide variety of cabinet positions in both the Blair and Brown governments, including Health Secretary, Home Secretary and Education Secretary. He has also published two award-winning memoirs, ‘This Boy’ and ‘Please Mr Postman’.

Please do join the chat on Tuesday, 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.

The EU referendum will be held on 23 June (and yes, we are doing our utmost to line up some ‘Out’ campaigners for webchats too!)

Thanks
MNHQ

[icedbunny6]

That was pretty uninspiring - I'm disappointed.

Who is coming in to represent the other side MNHQ?

[Chickenbrain2009]

Janefromdowntheroad...it doesnt present the EU is a very flattering light does it! What he said in effect was that the EU is happy to let its own citizens suffer rather than come up with a civilised agreement arising from a democratic vote! I mean, does that sound like the sort of organisation I would want to belong to? Sounds more like a Dictatorship! I am not impressed with the peace argument either. The EU is becoming increasingly unstable, there are a lot of unreported riots going on over there, I know because I have friends abroad. We don't hear about it because of the referendum. Plus a crime wave. People are unhappy. This has pushed me more towards Leave, I think, I really don't like the sound of the way things operate and I can't see any sign that it will improve. 'Stay in or we will punish you' sounds like blackmail to me and a rather hollow threat at that. Sheesh.

[claig]

''Actually the EU is all about democracy, freedom of speech and the rule of law.''

"Mr Corbyn addressed his previous Euroscepticism, saying: "Over the years I have been critical of many decisions taken by the EU, and I remain critical of its shortcomings; from its lack of democratic accountability to the institutional pressure to deregulate or privatise public services."

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36039925

Which "rule of law"? Is that British made law or is it decided elsewhere and by whom?

[Chalalala]

On the Iceland point: it's really not that complicated, and nothing about vengeful hatred from the EU

If you want the Iceland deal for Britain, you can probably get it (Gove said it was a no-go, but for the sake of argument).

as an EEA country you will get: access to the single market, most of the reciprocal arrangements

in exchange for: free movement of EU citizens, payment of substantial contributions to EEA states

you won't get a say in any of the decision the EU takes, but will have to follow all the single market rules and regulations.

Does this sound like a good idea?

[val53]

All you need to know to decide in or out

www.youtube.com/c/piffleTV

[Limer]

Thanks Alan for the web chat.

But hmmm, 4/10 this boy must try harder Alan.

Not a peep about oversupply of labour and the resultant growth of the workless underclass.

And the Polish plumber vs tourist being questioned at the airport is crazy. What do we already do about the Chinese plumber vs tourist?

[Dancinghorse5]

I totally agree Chickenbrain - I have not been convinced by any of these points - especially the extraordinary claim that EU Commission safeguards democracy ! What planet are you on , Alan ? NONE of the commission have EVER been elected - they are a self appointed bunch of buraucrats . If we ever wanted to get rid of them - no chance . Is this what you mean
by " safeguarding democracy " Pull the other one , Alan .

[0phelia]

Labour are an internationalist party that believes in solidarity

In otherwords Labour are totally dependant on the immigrant vote since they have walked away from the British people. Shame it hasn't quite worked out for them.

Rubbing their core working class base noses in multiculturalism has only driven them to UKIP in droves. Labour are a lost cause, irrelevant, out of touch and patronising.

[Limer]

If you take a glance at the people seeking to convince the British public to leave, you won't find many philanthropists or people with a track record of fighting for trade union rights.

Whereas if you take a glance at the people seeking to convince the British public to remain, you'll find droves of them - Cameron, Osborne, and most of their cronies. All famous for their philanthropic lives and strong trade union allegiances.

[PirateSmile]

Whilst I am going to vote to remain and I'm a supporter of the Labour party I'm very disappointed with Alan Johnson's replies.
As for this,
If you take a glance at the people seeking to convince the British public to leave, you won't find many philanthropists or people with a track record of fighting for trade union rights.
Sadly, philanthropists and trade unionists aren't the people responsible for creating new jobs, which is what ordinary people in the UK are in dire need of at the moment.

[Chickenbrain2009]

Chalalala. When I was in Iceland the economy was booming. The reason people voted against it was because they felt it would undermine their autonomy. I didnt find anyone particularly unhappy with the status quo, which is more than can be said here. As for the contribution, well thats checks and balances isnt it. We make a substantial contribution anyway, and none could compare Iceland with the UK. What they have done is to safeguard their independence. Of course if you trade with a countryou need to apply their regulations, but none suggests that we should have a political union with China , or the US. There are 167 other countries not in the EU, and the amount we export to the EU is reducing year on year. Many of the countries outsiede of the EU are doing better than countries that are in. The idea that the EU is the be all and end all is a very parochial one. The world has changed, things are much more global now. The EU reminds me of the Titanic, cumbersome, with first and third class citizens. I think it is causing division, not diminishing it. On balance I have decided to vote leave. I was quite happy with a Common Market but the current EU is a disaster. There may be a short term hit, but I would rather get into a lifeboat now than be dragged down in the downdraft. Europe has always been more given to extremism than us, and to me the EU increasingly looks like an Empire.

[Chalalala]

Chickenbrain, that may well be so. But Iceland is in the EEA, and those are the EEA rules.

I'm not arguing with you here, if you think the UK should leave the EU and do what Iceland did (ie be in the EEA instead), then great. I'm just telling you what the "price" is - same EU immigration, same EU rules, and no longer a say on devising the rules.

As I said the "Leave" campaign ruled out this option, so if that's what you're voting for you may well end up disappointed.

[Chickenbrain2009]

Chalalala, if that is the case so be it. I would rather be poor and free. If we have to break away entirely its a price worth paying, I have now decided. People died for that, all we are being asked to do is risk a recession! There are more important things in life than money.

[A4Document]

Hear hear Chickenbrain2009

[SpringingIntoAction]

If you take a glance at the people seeking to convince the British public to leave, you won't find many philanthropists or people with a track record of fighting for trade union rights.

Oh dear. Alan's researchers are doing a poor job briefing him.

Tony Benn - anti-EEC campaigner because he recognised the democratic deficit

The late Bob Crowe - General Sec of the RMT Union - anti EU

Rail Maritime and Transport Union - officially anti-EU

Trades Unionists against the EU

www.tuaeuc.org/

because the suspension of trade union collective bargaining is a strict condition of EU 'bailouts' in Ireland, Portugal, Romania and Greece, The European Commission, IMF and the European Central Bank, the Troika now directly intervene in wage negotiations, Trade union rights are an obstacle to restructuring labour markets.

James Dyson, inventor and anti-EU, is quite a philanthropist
www.jamesdysonfoundation.co.uk/

Roger Daltrey, The Who's lead singer - anti-EU is a fund raiser for a a patron of The Teenage Cancer Trust

Alan is very naive if he thinks voting to REMAIN is going to protecct workers rights. He should look at who is funding the REMAIN campaign, Goldman Sachs, JO Morgan and Citigroup- all international banks, Hedge funds, and big corporations, many of which dodge tax in the the EU. I don;t think many of these organisations have worker's welfare uppermost.

The best way to safeguard workers rights is to live in a Parliamentary democracy where you can vote a Government in and out of power, instead of handing your power to Brussels so you can be controlled by an EU bureaucracy.

[SpringingIntoAction]

There are more important things in life than money.

Hear hear.

Economies are sometimes strong and sometimes weak. That cycle has been happening for hundreds of years.

But if you make your own laws you can make the laws to need to stimulate or dampen down an over-active economy.

You cannot do that when you have handed control of your laws to the bureaucratic EU.

Yannis Varoufakis the Greek Finance Minister admitted that during the Greek finance crisis Greece was unable to default on its Euro debts and return to its own currency to to recover its economy - as Argentina did, because Greece had given up the drachma so had no alternative currency. It is now trapped in Euro-limbo as more and more debt is piled on it by the ECB and IMF.

[Mooingcow]

Yesterday 21:09 0phelia: Labour are an internationalist party that believes in solidarity. In otherwords Labour are totally dependant on the immigrant vote since they have walked away from the British people. Shame it hasn't quite worked out for them. Rubbing their core working class base noses in multiculturalism has only driven them to UKIP in droves. Labour are a lost cause, irrelevant, out of touch and patronising

Beautifully put. I'm driving on polling day and I've been knocking on doors of streets and streets of white working class people who feel dismissed and demonised as racists by the party that's supposed to put them first.

They are disappointed and disillusioned. They feel they have been made out to be thick and xenophobic by Labour politicians and they are pretty fucked off.

They are offering in their dozens to get people to the polling stations.

[SpringingIntoAction]

In otherwords Labour are totally dependant on the immigrant vote since they have walked away from the British people.

Well they are going to be sorely disappointed in this referendum because the overwhelming choice of the BME voters I have spoken to is for LEAVE.

[Chalalala]

There are more important things in life than money.

Absolutely. But let's keep in mind that when we talk about "money" here, we're not talking about an extra holiday or a new iPhone. On the scale of the country, a decrease in GDP means less funding for public services including the NHS, it means more unemployment, it means less protection for vulnerable people.