Letters to the editor: EU vote must not be taken lightly

Andrew Parsons/PA
4 November 2015
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Chris Patten’s article [“It is in our national interest to show full support for Europe”, Comment, November 3] perfectly describes the advantages being in Europe brings to the UK.

We live in a world where countries must work together to solve problems. Being in Europe is not just about safeguarding jobs and billions in trade revenues but many more things we happily now take for granted — from the rights of workers to environmental protection.

Many of Europe’s biggest advantages to the UK are just around the corner. The single market for services and the digital single market will empower our most important economic sectors. When so many benefits are ahead, now is not the moment to leave.

We are campaigning to ensure people know that all these issues relate to their choice in the EU referendum. We have come a long way with our European partners and Europe is now a beacon for the rest of the world.

As a country, we are not always accustomed to looking at the positive aspects of our major national debates but it’s important we do so with the EU referendum.
Laura Sandys, chair, European Movement UK

As more people focus on the EU referendum they will become increasingly aware that the greatest risk is in staying in an institution that does not want to reform.

We must consider the risk of increasing the centralisation of powers to Brussels in order to prop up the eurozone, perhaps leading to more unnecessary rules and regulations. As well as this, we would have to pay higher net contributions as we are one of the few successful economies in the EU.

If we vote to stay in the EU we have to expect growing pressure to join the flawed euro to help keep their dream alive, giving up our traditional pound sterling. Is this something people really want?

The simple fact is that most developed nations around the world, notably Australia and China, are not members of the EU and still trade with it successfully. The UK is the EU’s biggest export partner and they export over £100 billion per annum more to us than we do to them.

There is a possibility of agreeing a friendly trade agreement resulting in a win-win situation for all parties — it just requires confidence and self-belief.
Richard Tice, co-chair, Leave.eu

As we saw with the election earlier this year, some people voted for a party based on its leader rather than its policies. The implications for voting in favour of a UK exit could be fatal for our economy, so it is not a decision that should be taken lightly.

If we are to have an EU referendum, it is important that those voting are educated and made aware of the consequences that would come with a “Brexit”.
M Hannan

Let our children get in touch with nature

The publication of a YouGov poll today which highlights the lack of nature in children’s lives is every bit as relevant to Londoners as it is to the rest of the country.

The results from the poll — commissioned by The Wildlife Trusts — highlight the discrepancies between what parents think is best for children and what kids actually experience. The poll shows that 91 per cent of parents think having access to nature and wildlife is important for children, yet parents aren’t finding the time to make it happen or aren’t sure how to go about it.

We know contact with the natural world makes children happy. There is so much evidence out there now which says so and pinpoints why it’s good for kids. It helps build their confidence, makes them healthier and improves their general mood — and it does the same for adults too.

With just one child in 10 ever playing in wild places, a generation of children is growing up disconnected from nature. I urge London parents to drag their children away from the screen, find your nearest nature point and let your children run wild.
Emma Robertshaw, The Wildlife Trusts

Living Wage should be for all Londoners

The new, uprated London Living Wage of £9.40 an hour [November 2] will be a real boost to Londoners who have seen the cost of living jump over the past year but the increase clearly only applies to those whose pay is linked to the Living Wage.

While the rise is welcome, the real tragedy is that almost one in five of the capital’s workforce now earns below the London Living Wage — significantly more than when Boris Johnson came to power. Without action to get businesses signed up, many hard-working people will continue to live in poverty.

We need to know how the Mayor will protect Londoners from the impact of the Government’s austerity agenda.
Fiona Twycross AM, Labour’s London Assembly economic spokesperson

Don’t make Garden Bridge pay-per-view

I was delighted to learn that £20 million of public funding is being slashed from the Garden Bridge project [November 2]. However, if some is converted to loans, what “future revenues” will be generated to pay them off? I don’t think people are going to pay to use the bridge, so where will the money come from?

I quite like the free views from Waterloo Bridge, which the Garden Bridge will compromise when built, so to have to pay to see the new view would be a real blow.
Richard Coleman

Remember Russian plane crash victims

It was surprising to see Russian President Vladimir Putin brush aside speculation of a surface-to-air rocket causing the crash of the Metrojet Airbus 321 in the Sinai desert and instead send an emotional message to the victims’ loved ones saying: “Our hearts and souls are with you.”
Dr John Cameron

On behalf of the Ukrainian community in London I would like to offer my heartfelt sympathy to the families in Russia who lost relatives in the plane crash in Egypt. Our prayers are with you all.
W Pawluk, Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in