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Regarding the result of the European referendum, I feel sorry for young people.

(33 Posts)
Parliament100 Thu 14-Jul-16 14:03:14

From the outset, this recent and ultimately historic EU referendum vote was introduced by David Cameron in a bid to appease the Tory Euro sceptics in his party, this referendum was not announced for the benefit of the people of this country to have a vote on whether we come fully out, or go fully into the EU.. This is a myth which backfired on David Cameron....

Since this vote was held, the English largely, being the least politically interested, educated or motivated in the Western World, voted for “out”, and now close to 4 million people have signed an internet Petition to hold a second referendum, and a new Poll shows that more than a million of the leave voters now regret their choice, and tens of thousands of people marched in London on Saturday 2/7, to protest at the Brexit vote and placards waved in friendship to our European neighbours.

In the wake of this devastating referendum result, there are now over 17 million people who find themselves and their country on the verge of making a catastrophically ill advised leap into the dark.

17 million of the national electorate voted to leave the EU, yet here are over 65 million of us living here, of whom almost as many voted to stay. Our 16-17 year olds, unable to vote, have made it abundantly clear, that if they were afforded the rights of their brothers and sisters in Scotland, they would have overwhelmingly voted to remain a part of the EU.

Also according to polling Data from You-Gov, 75 per cent of 18 to 25 years olds voted to remain in the European Union, the UK vote to leave was 52% of the overall vote, I make the generalisation that it is the younger generations who voted to go fully into the EU, while their parents and grandparents voted out.

For decades Social Europe have had a Social Charter that has incorporated massive influence over UK Employment Laws and Rights at Work, but our Tory Government’s right wing ideological stance is against such rights, which is why way back in the 1980’s Margaret Thatcher wouldn’t take us into Europe due to its Social Charter, but Tony Blair did when New Labour was running the country, and he introduced some aspects of the Social Charter, but decades of Tory rule have chipped away at it, workers rights for instance.

To say I feel sorry for the younger generations of my country is an understatement, not only because many aren’t eligible to vote, but their parents and grandparents have had their day over 30 years on from Margaret Thatcher who began what’s been happening today under David Cameron and George Osborne, and the result, over a million people using Foodbanks....

In my view this in/out European referendum vote has divided our country just like the Thatcher era did, and we remain divided.

Before Jeremy Corbyn won the Labour leadership race, he talked of Europe moving to the right and adopting the same free market deregulation that came with Margaret Thatcher’s era, but when he won leadership of the Labour party, and if he wins the next General election, Jeremy Corbyn has stated that he will take us fully into Europe and in talking with other European Socialist leaders, make the EU Social Charter work for Europe, and Britain.

obieone Fri 15-Jul-16 21:09:16

If I am correct, British Universities get £750 million in research money from the EU.

Which I have to say is a drop in the ocean of the amount of money that Britain spends each year.
So the money is there if the Government wants to spend it.

I agree though that the timing of it all could be problematic, but I cant imagine for one second that no one from the unis has not thought about talking to the new Government right away.

DaphneBroon Fri 15-Jul-16 21:11:47

When did we get a new Government??
Surely that was after the GE last year confused

obieone Fri 15-Jul-16 21:14:19

£750 million just doesnt sound the right figure to me hmm It doesnt sound enough. Does anyone know differently please?

Linsco56 Fri 15-Jul-16 21:28:38

£750m may be correct. I know Scottish universities receive £88.8m per year from EU funding which is approx 13% of their total annual funding budget.

Welshwife Fri 15-Jul-16 21:51:47

I think we paid less than that in the end but it sounds better to give the bigger figure. If we do decide to join the free trade area we will be paying that fee anyway with no grants coming back -or if course we will be paying tariffs.

Still these people, who one would assume are clever if they are running our Universities, are worried so you would think there must be something to worry about.

daphnedill Fri 15-Jul-16 22:09:32

£750million pa seems to be correct. It represents 16% of research income.

fullfact.org/education/how-much-money-do-british-universities-get-eu/

British universities also receive EU-related funding from other sources. Cambridge estimates BREXIT could cost them £100million pa.

www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/Papers/brexit-and-cambridge.pdf

I know from friends that Cambridge have put some projects on hold and withdrawn new research offers until the picture is clearer.

The UK also receives money from the European Social Fund for non-graduate level skills training.

Linsco56 Fri 15-Jul-16 23:17:48

Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever with nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020) – in addition to the private investment that this money will attract. It promised more breakthroughs, discoveries and world-firsts by taking great ideas from the lab to the market. The EU provides a single research area in which the very best talent comes together to advance their knowledge and internationally collaborative research has 50% more impact than that conducted within national borders.