[The next government must] deliver a new settlement for Britain in Europe –because making the economic opportunities of the European trading bloc work for business, and ensuring clear safeguards for Britain against unwanted further integration, will be critical for our future success.
IF OUR PROPOSALS ARE DELIVERED:
•The UK’s future relationship with the EU will reflect what Chamber members tell us they want to see achieved: a reformed, more competitive, outward-looking EU where certain policies, such as social legislation, are decided at a national level to allow them to better reflect local circumstances and national preferences.
•We will have a future EU that ensures that Member States which have no intention of joining the Euro, such as the UK, will retain their economic independence and their influence over the Single Market.
•A future EU will see liberalisation of international trade as a top priority for the Commission and Member States.
The ‘neutral’ BCC 2014/15
The BBC is giving ex head of the BCC a reasonable hearing….but are not giving the BCC itself a hard time at all in questioning its actions in essentially forcing Longworth out and asking difficult questions about why his comments were so unacceptable all things considered……..
The BCC actually highlighted Longworth’s speech before the 2016 conference…if it was so controversial and they knew it was going way beyond his brief why did they not stop him saying it?…..
John Longworth: EU referendum a choice ‘between the devil and the deep blue sea’
Highlights of John Longworth’s keynote speech at the BCC Annual Conference 2016.
At his keynote speech at the British Chambers of Commerce Annual Conference, John Longworth will say:
On Europe:
“As the British Chambers of Commerce, we have declared that we will not campaign, but that we will survey member companies, report their views, and inform the debate…
“Nonetheless, the people of our country now face a choice, between staying in what is essentially an unreformed European Union, with the Eurozone moving off in another direction and with Britain sitting on the margins, or leaving the European Union, with all the near-term uncertainty and disruption that this will cause.
“Undoubtedly a tough choice. You might say, a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea.”
“Business leaders are, of course, by and large driven by economically rational decision making…
“Decision making in business suffers from the pressures of the short term and is naturally focused on the interests of the particular business concerned.
“If I were to ask the business community one thing in this referendum, it would be to look to the long term and the wider interests of the society in which you operate, and make your choice based not on the next financial year, but on what you want for your children and grandchildren.”
This is a page from their website pre-conference…
Britain and Europe: Stay or Go?
There are only 3 weeks left until the Annual Conference 2016. The exciting programme for the day includes a panel session on ‘Britain and Europe: Stay or Go?’, as well as question and answer sessions with German Finance Minister Dr Wolfgang Schäuble and a senior Cabinet minister. Ahead of the day, Ashley Shackleton, Head of Public Affairs at the BCC discusses Britain’s relationship with Europe.
The Prime Minister is currently renegotiating the UK’s membership of the EU in advance of a referendum before the end of 2017. The business community welcomes this attempt at reform of the EU and a new settlement for the UK. The British business community will be anxious to see what concrete changes are made before deciding how to vote. In a British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) survey of business leaders in September 2015 – half responded that the content of the Prime Minister’s renegotiation package was likely to affect how they will vote. On 23rd June 2015, the BCC Director General, John Longworth wrote to the Prime Minister on five key priorities for the reform and renegotiation discussions. The success of the Prime Minister’s renegotiation will be judged against the priorities set out in this letter. The full text of the letter can be found here. Whether the UK stays in the EU or not – reform is essential to ensure the economic success and competitiveness of the UK and the EU.
When the time comes for the British people to vote – it is vitally important that the facts are shared, so that a fully informed decision can be made. At the BCC Annual Conference on March 3rd 2016, Lord Stuart Rose, Chairman of Britain Stronger in Europe, John Moynihan from Vote Leave and Dr Gerard Lyons, the Economic advisor to Boris Johnson will debate the arguments of Britain’s membership of the EU and the case for reform. We will also have a unique Q&A sessions with the German Finance Minister Dr Wolfgang Schäuble and a senior cabinet Minister to discuss the question that is so vital for British business – Britain and Europe: Stay or Go?
Here is the letter Longworth sent to the PM on behalf of the BCC pre negotiations with the EU…
BCC: businesses will back PM if he secures reform deal in the interests of UK economy
BCC Director General, John Longworth, has sent an open letter to the Prime Minister ahead of the EU leaders’ summit
‘This is a defining moment for our country and for our future prosperity. Businesses understand that you will want to guarantee the sovereignty of the UK and to secure a settlement which takes into account the UK’s economic welfare. If you do that, the tens of thousands of the businesses the BCC represents will be four-square behind you.’
So the BCC tells us it is vital for the debate to be informed….and the BCC will back the PM if he gets a good outcome to his negotiations.
And yet when Longworth tries to inform that debate he is ‘sacked’….but no one wanted to sack him when he said in the letter above that the BCC would support the PM, ‘four-square behind you’, and staying in the EU if the reforms were acceptable.
Nora Senior, president of the British Chamber of Commerce, told the BBC that his comments left the organisation with no option, as he had breached the BCC’s official position of neutrality on the referendum.
She said the BCC was a membership organisation with diverse views and their decision was to maintain a neutral stance on the referendum. Mr Longworth’s comments in his keynote speech at the conference had gone against that.
Her comments are patently untrue in light of the above evidence of the BCC’s position which is hardly neutral….but the BBC delves no further.
This was his speech from last year…
ON BRITAIN’S FUTURE PLACE IN EUROPE:
“My third theme arises from the challenges we face in our relationship with our near neighbours in Europe. Chamber members fundamentally support the Prime Minister’s position – Britain in a reformed Europe.
“I say – a new settlement for Britain in Europe is essential to achieving our economic ambitions – helping our businesses succeed here, at home, and across the world.
So he is advocating we stay in Europe…as long as it is reformed…essentially the position Cameron is in now..and yet no one objected to his pro-EU, not very ‘neutral’, statement last year. Why not?
Why am I asking these questions about the BCC and not the highly resourced BBC? It is clear that because Longworth is pro-Brexit he has been forced out and that the BCC is ‘institutionally’ pro-EU.
Off topic, I know, but …
When I first saw the title of this post, I thought it must be a print-out of Mark Easton’s ‘O’-level grades.
Its not all bad. Small business wants out and that’s a fact VAT is far too high. Big business wants to have ‘low wage economy’ i.e.everybody on £9 per hour and unskiilled for (chiefly) their branded supermarkets. Think Sainsbury’s (It follows Labour for years and was formally the biggest funded of Labour during Blairs term in office. Lord Sainsbury was even made a totally unqualified government adviser for …(erh) ‘Science’.
Regarding John Longworth at the BCC, frankly we need him to speak for smaller British business to combat the CBI (which is where the stinker Cameron resides). As a former small businessman, I never trusted the CBI much, it was always a bit too close to Mr Blair and that creep (Mandy) Mandelson (who you remember became the head of the (DTI) Department of Trade and Industry) dishing out ‘Queens Export Awards for industry’ to banks and Labour sponsored charity groups (like Stonewall). And then to top it all (after embarrassing himself with a property deal that went wrong) Mandy went on to become the ‘European Union Trade Commissioner’. Need I say more! No stuff the CBI, don’t trust them an inch. And then Cameron has the ‘idea’ of re-employing this ‘fixer’ to somehow make the UK hotspot for EU worship.
But its not all bad. We need more men like John Longworth to join one of the many Brexit camps. Our country needs leaders and to be sure and Cameron is NOT one of them.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/eureferendum/12186199/John-Longworth-I-resigned-and-wasnt-pushed.html
There seem to be some double standards when it comes to a “Neutral Stance”.
http://order-order.com/2016/03/07/remain-supporting-bcc-chief-keeps-job/
“Last night the British Chambers of Commerce explained John Longworth was standing down because “personal views on the referendum” are “likely to create confusion regarding the BCC’s neutral stance”. That means public statements from BCC bosses backing Remain would have the same consequences, right?
Wrong. Two weeks ago Tim Allen, chair of the Kent region of the BCC, signed a letter in support of the Remain campaign and told his local paper:
“While there are a lot of things wrong in the EU – I’m not a fanatic EU supporter – the status quo is most important to me and my employees”
Last night the British Chambers of Commerce explained John Longworth was standing down because “personal views on the referendum” are “likely to create confusion regarding the BCC’s neutral stance”. That means public statements from BCC bosses backing Remain would have the same consequences, right?
Wrong. Two weeks ago Tim Allen, chair of the Kent region of the BCC, signed a letter in support of the Remain campaign and told his local paper:
“While there are a lot of things wrong in the EU – I’m not a fanatic EU supporter – the status quo is most important to me and my employees”
And there’s more.
http://order-order.com/2016/03/07/second-senior-bcc-spokesman-publicly-endorsed-remain/
“Earlier Guido noted that the British Chambers of Commerce had allowed their Kent chief to publicly endorse the Remain campaign. Now it emerges the chief executive of the Cornwall BCC branch has also signed a letter supporting staying in the EU. Kim Conchie wrote last week that:
“leaving the EU is playing Russian Roulette with the world’s fifth largest economy; it would be a great folly”
Remember, the official BCC line is that they are “a non-partisan organisation” and that senior figures airing personal views will “create confusion regarding the BCC’s neutral stance”. John Longworth lost his job for publicly backing Leave. Yet here are two top BCC spokesmen who have endorsed Remain with no consequences…”
Number 7
‘I smell a rat’ , I don’t think we are being told the truth by our Al Beeb or Used Car Moron .
Shwmae taffman
It gets even better:-
PM’s senior aide berated BCC boss John Longworth over the telephone
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3481281/Proof-No-10-did-knife-Cameron-s-aide-berated-anti-EU-business-chief-telephone-fate-sealed.html
In the words of CSM Williams “Oh dear, How sad, Never mind.”
Shwmae rhif saith
One sentance about the whole mess …………..
‘You couldn’t make it up’, while our PM and his cabinet presides over it .
As the EU get £60 billion more from us in trade I think they should pay us for the privelidge.
No way should we have to pay them as Switzerland (for example) does.