Howard Aiken #FBPE

Laura Kuenssberg, "More and more politicians are flirting with rejoining the EU as the answer to our economic woes" Andy Haldane, "Could closer EU links help to bolster growth? Yes" "Are they the answer to all our prayers growth wisse, absolutely not" My view: Nobody serious is claiming closer EU ties are a magic fix for every economic problem. But if they can help boost growth, reduce trade friction and open up opportunities for British businesses, why rule them out? The question isn’t whether Europe can solve all our problems. It’s why politicians spent years making our relationship with our biggest trading partner harder, then act surprised when people ask whether closer ties could help.

Obama mocking Trump, "He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened up a Cheesecake Factory" My view: Obama took aim at all the gold Trump has added to the White House, and did it with the kind of dry wit that makes the point better than a long speech could. The White House is meant to represent the country, not serve as a showroom for one president’s taste. There’s a difference between restoring a historic building and covering it in gold to make sure everyone knows who’s in charge. Trump sees grandeur as a statement of power. Obama made the whole thing sound ridiculous in one line.

Beth Rigby, "All of the people in the Makerfield focus group voted to Leave the EU. When Burnham said it at conference I thought: Brexit betrayal. Those Leave voting parts of the country won't like this." "But you ask those people and they don't seem to mind (closer ties with the EU" Brexiter 1, "I voted to leave.. Much younger then.. Didn't understand it.. Dad told me to vote for Leave.. It's harder now.. Maybe it would be better if we went back" Brexiter 2, "Everything seemed better when we were in Europe, it just did" Brexiter 3, "I think we were over-promised things.. I think we would be much better as part of an EU.. Than on our own" Brexiter 4 says she would vote the same way because she thinks we would have to adopt the Euro - currently six EU countries do not use the Euro My view: The Makerfield focus group tells you how much the Brexit argument has changed. These were all Leave voters. Now one says she didn’t understand what she was voting for; others say life in the EU felt better, that they were promised too much, and that Britain might be better off as a member again. That doesn’t mean every one of them would vote to rejoin. It does show that the old assumption—that Leave voters would always reject closer ties with Europe—is wearing thin. Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage helped persuade people that Brexit would deliver easy gains, without being honest about the trade-offs or what leaving would mean in practice. The euro objection shows how those scare stories still shape the debate. - Six EU countries currently don’t use the euro and the UK had an opt-out when it was a member. What this shows is the need for clear information, not deception, half-truths and outright lies, shaping the conversation. Because when people are given clear accurate facts, the majority of them do not buy into populist rhetoric, so much of which is based on hate and division.