There is an old saying that states “don’t talk politics or religion”, this is as it seems to evoke a sense of passion in a person that is rarely seen elsewhere. Never the less, this saying is usually reserved for business and pleasure rather than society as a whole; however this week the British government decided it would not give the option to discuss the politics surrounding the EU debate to their citizens.
In the UK, no one under the age of 56 has ever had the option to say what they think about the EU in a vote, that means 53% of the UK population of voting age, 18+, has never had a say; that’s almost ¾ of the UK population if you count all under 56 year olds, including under 18’s.
Here at Euro London we have a multitude of different views from all of our staff who themselves come from around Europe; we’re a multilingual recruitment agency after all! So we find ourselves with a very encompassing approach to political views from across the spectrum and around the EU, but we wanted to gauge your views from right around Europe. Do you believe the European Union gives us as nations greater security, opportunity and prospects or has it evolved to far to infringe on national identities and actually a drain on our economies?
For those of you who may not know how the EU came about, here’s a little blast from the past. The EU started life as the EEC, European Economic Community, a free trade agreement between the 6 countries of: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany in 1957 and has gradually expanded over 50 years to now include 27 member states, many of whom are integrated through departments, law systems and the Euro, which sees 17 nations in Europe linked through a singular currency.
However, in a recent European poll across member states, it was found that only 28% of the UK population thought that EU membership in its current capacity was a “good thing” compared to 66% and 69% in Germany and France respectively.
So should a countries government block its citizen’s right for a discussion on a topic? What are your views on the EU?