[Wrighty]

I e-mailed Mr Graham Jones about the EU referendum debate on Monday & told him the majority of people want a vote to leave the EU , Seeing as we are supposed to live in a democratic country the vote should be left for the people to decide whether we are in or out .. Here is his reply


Thanks for your email about a proposed referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union.



Britain currently faces tough economic challenges, with high inflation, rising unemployment and stagnant growth.



Indeed, in the last nine months the UK economy has not grown at all. Over the last year only Japan has grown more slowly in the G7 and only Greece, Portugal, Denmark and Hungary have grown more slowly in the EU. One in five young people are out of work and there are now more women unemployed than any time since 1988.



It is in that context that we make judgements about Britain’s membership of the European Union. Labour is not opposed to having referenda on European questions when a Government seeks to make a major change to Britain’s relationship with the European Union. For example, it was a Labour Government in 1975 that held instituted a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union and Labour believes that if any future government wanted to try and take Britain into the euro, they would need to win the British people’s backing in a referendum.



But it is Labour’s assessment, shared by the leaders of all the main parties in the UK, that it is in Britain’s interest to remain members of the European Union.



Membership of the European Union is vital to Britain’s growth and prosperity:



· 3.5 million UK jobs are linked directly or indirectly to UK trade with the rest of the European Union according to official analysis

· European markets account for half of the UK’s overall exports of goods and services

· Eight out of the UK’s ten main export markets are in the European Union



We did not seek a mandate for this referendum at the last election and we do not wish to leave the European Union now.



We do not believe the case for this referendum has been made and believe it would create uncertainty that could put at risk investment in the UK.



Labour’s position is that Britain should be focussed on jobs and growth, not cutting ourselves off from major export markets that British jobs depend on. It is campaigning for that jobs and growth, and against the policies of the Tory-led Government that have led to flatlining growth and increasing unemployment in Britain, that will remain Labour’s priority in the months ahead.



Best wishes

Graham


Seems Mr Jones doesn't believe in democracy