Businesses supporting the Leave campaign

[tzijlstra]

As most of you are aware I am strongly in favour of staying in the EU, I believe there is simply no case to leave at all. Today I was strengthened in this belief when I read the list of 'companies' supporting the Leave campaign. Let's go beyond the headline of '250 businesses support leave campaign' (BBC) and have a better look at these businesses.

 

The first thing you will notice in the second link is the outcome of two questions put in a questionnaire and send off to SMEs in Britain. Despite being Yougov polled, these questions have been lifted out of context and are not representative of the entire study commissioned. The first one says: 'Thinking ONLY of rules and regulations' How many people will miss that ONLY? (I capitalised it here on purpose). The question relates explicitly to employment, the outcome also suggests that the headline should be - most business leaders of SMEs don't care.

 

The second question is 'helps or hinders' where the Leave campaign have used a tiny swing towards hinder for small business only as their headline figure. The truth, again, is that the headline should be - majority don't care. But of course the massively important question has been left out altogether - do you want to leave the EU?

 

Now check the list of business-leaders. Who do they actually represent? It is pretty clear that the barrel was firmly scraped on this one. It includes companies like Talend - An SME tech-startup headquartered in California? Opera Opticians, an optician from London? Keith Boyfield Associates, a tiny consultancy, Brokers Wine Bar... A handful of retired curmudgeon Tory supporters who don't represent their former businesses at all (HSBC,

 

Seriously? So many tiny operations... Then the headline names, Phones4U, Wetherspoons and Carphone Warehouse. Funny that one, Phones4U went bust and was bought out by Carphone Warehouse... A company that mainly trades in the UK only. Wetherspoons only trades in the UK and Ireland... One company is listed as three different directors, each representing a part of the company.

 

If anybody is impressed with this list than they are pretty much blind to the prevailing argument that businesses in the UK in general do not want to leave the EU, what this list does, brilliantly in my opinion, is confirm that. Feel free to argue against my opinion here

 

Edit - found a Yougov article that relates to the same study, pretty revealing why big business doesn't support the Leave campaign. It also shows what I suspected - the question to SME leaders, leave or remain ended up 47-42 in favour of remain. Not a headline the Leave campaign will like.

Edited March 26, 2016 by tzijlstra

[sutty27]

I would expect most business leaders to want to stay in for selfish reasons, but what is good for business isn't always good for the people working for those business.

[999tigger]

From what i read it wasnt the actual business, just individuals who had previously worked there.

[little malc]

no case to leave at all? You don't mind being dictated to by a load of unelected beurocrats then, or don't think there is anything wrong with our parliament not being able to make laws for this country?

[tinfoilhat]

Phones4u went bust a year or two ago but I take your point.

[tzijlstra]

I would expect most business leaders to want to stay in for selfish reasons, but what is good for business isn't always good for the people working for those business.

 

And hurting business (because of their selfish reasons, or any other reason whatsoever) is good for the UK because?

 

no case to leave at all? You don't mind being dictated to by a load of unelected beurocrats then, or don't think there is anything wrong with our parliament not being able to make laws for this country?

 

Bureaucrats* yes I do mind being dictated to by a load of unelected bureaucrats, good job the EU is an elected body. Not to mention the fact that practically all stupid bureaucratic workload in this country is there because the bureaucrats in Westminster misinterpret what is happening in the EU. Just the other day I had a good chuckle with a German colleague, we were forced to do a 'complete risk assessment' for a tiny public engagement event. It took us 3 hours to finish. Complaining about it during lunch a Brit came up and said, "I don't know what you are complaining about, it is the Germans who forced it on us!"... funny that, as in Germany and the Netherlands there is no need to do such an assessment at all for an event like ours.

 

You are being played by the bureaucrats little malc, like most of your compatriots. What was so accurately portrayed in Yes Minister still applies.

 

Phones4u went bust a year or two ago but I take your point.

 

I think that is what I said? A friend of mine worked for them at the time. Which makes it really odd that they are on this list, don't you think?

[sutty27]

And hurting business (because of their selfish reasons, or any other reason whatsoever) is good for the UK because?

 

Some businesses will be adversely affected if we leave, others will benefit if we leave, we hurt businesses when we tax them, when we set a minimum wage, when we legislate them, because its good for the UK.

[foxy lady]

From what i read it wasnt the actual business, just individuals who had previously worked there.

 

I've noticed that businesses can't actually speak. The voices come from folk who work in them, such as Rocco Forte who still runs Rocco Forte Hotels. And as Wetherspoons can't speak either it was up to Tim Martin, founder and chairman, to speak too.

Edited March 26, 2016 by foxy lady

[MikeFrank]

It really doesn't matter if we vote to leave in June. We'll be leaving in the near future anyway. It's unravelling as we speak. All countries will be leaving.

[foxy lady]

It really doesn't matter if we vote to leave in June. We'll be leaving in the near future anyway. It's unravelling as we speak. All countries will be leaving.

 

I agree with you there, but if we get out now the others can come to us to join our free trade area that wouldn't include Turkey, Greece and the other basket cases.