No matter what you think of its stance, it is strangely comforting to see you can always rely on The Daily Mail to inject a bit of hysteria into any debate. Who WILL speak for England?, the paper’s front page editorial implored of readers south of the border yesterday (we Scots got a cheerier story about rising cancer survival rates), as it accused Prime Minister David Cameron of muzzling Eurosceptic ministers and betraying Britain with a piss-poor deal in the lead up to the referendum on membership of the European Union.
Anyone over the age of 90 may recognise the Mail’s framing of the question, which deliberately harked back to 1939 when in a Westminster debate about then-Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement of the Nazis, Tory MP Leo Emery shouted something about speaking up for England. Some credit the intervention with Chamberlain’s U-turn and declaration of war the following day.
Comparing the EU with Nazi Germany is hilariously crass, obviously, and Twitter users took it upon themselves to suggest a range of figures who might speak up for their nation, including Mr Bean and Dot Cotton from EastEnders. But that’s where the comedy should end.
The delivery may have been overblown, but I don’t doubt that the paper’s stance represents a hefty slice of English public opinion on the matter. And those looking to keep the UK in Europe would be well advised to take heed of the central message of the piece – around a perceived loss of sovereignty – rather than focusing on the histrionics.
Since it became clear the EU referendum would almost certainly be held in the coming year, I have detected a disconcerting complacency on the part of metropolitan politicians and media types who want to stay in. There’s a tendency to focus solely on economic issues and portray those on the “out” side of the argument as bonkers and extreme. Many in Scotland may recognise such tactics from the Better Together campaign during the independence referendum. The No side eventually won, of course, but the campaign was widely and rightly criticised as thoroughly patronising. And the independence question remains unsettled.
Those who want the UK to stay in Europe – and that includes me – must take nothing for granted. We need to argue our case with passion and honesty rather than scaremongering and snobbish superiority. Crucially, we must keep highlighting the benefits of free movement and show doubters why it is worth giving away some sovereignty in return for the advantages that come with being an EU citizen.
Depending on which poll you read, Britons are either undecided on the issue or moving towards a Brexit. Scots, on the other hand, appear to want to remain in the EU, which could open a whole other can of worms.
If the “leave” campaign gets its act together with a decent figurehead and a persuasive narrative around what a post-Brexit Britain would look like (admittedly it has some way to go on both counts), I honestly believe it could win.
As we Scots know, the lure of independence and sovereignty are strong. With this in mind, let’s not insult our English neighbours by mocking their particular way of expressing it. Instead, let’s argue a stronger case.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel