‘An era of uncertainty if we vote to leave’

I’ve watched the EU debate with a combination of bemusement and horror. I have to say I’ve always reacted to the whole nationalist thing not with scepticism, so much as failure to understand it. I’ve never really understood why the phrase ‘charity begins at home’ means ‘give preferential treatment to people who just happened to be born fairly close to you or speak the same language as you’.

And the whole ‘EU out-we-must-stop-economic-migrants’ thing. Well, first off, didn’t Norman Tebbitt tell us 30 years ago that ‘we should get on our bike and find work’. So why are Tories, in particular, suddenly objecting to people who do exactly  that? (Oh God, am I agreeing with Norman Tebbitt?).

Secondly, my experience of economic migrants from Eastern Europe is basically positive. For example, I visit a coffee shop close to the council house (or is it still ‘city hall’) most mornings when I’m at the council. The people in there are friendly, hard working, polite, probably vastly over-qualified for the work they do, and speak good English. I like them. What’s not to like?

I then think about other impacts of the EU.

There is a council-run energy project in Bristol called ELENA. ELENA was an European Investment bank funded project – which means it would be difficult if not impossible to get funding by not being in the EU. It kick-started the cladding of blocks of council flats which in some cases, at least, has led to fuel bills of council tenants being cut in half. It is the funding behind the Bristol energy company and most council-led energy projects in Bristol. If we leave – well, let’s think, would the climate-sceptic Tory-right and UKIP be up for replacing it?

For that matter, I have been told of 31 other EU funded projects (between 2005 and 2015) which have brought in funding to the tune of 27m Euros to Bristol (about £20m).  This includes a range of environmental and non-environmental projects.

The obvious follow on from that is EU procurement rules. I’m not going to pretend I like these very much  – it seems overly hard to get much decent local sourcing and supplying of goods. And some would say leaving would allow us to replace this with something better.

The problem is twofold. Those who want out – who might well gain political ascendancy following a ‘no’ vote have shown no sign of the environmental sensitivity required to ‘big up’ the local economy. And second, to have a significant impact on the environment, you’d want local procurement to be EU wide.

I went to a briefing about the Council-owned Waste Company – which is a Teckal company. For the purposes of this article, it isn’t important what that means. But the original of these was set up as a result of an EU court case and is governed by EU legislation. Someone at the briefing asked what would be the impact of an ‘out’ vote – nothing in the short term they said – but if you think the legislative basis of a business is suddenly removed, somewhere down the line it will have to be replaced. And one can only presume the legislation would change. (There’d be no point in leaving otherwise!). We’d swap one bit of red tape for another.

And so to pollution. Hands up if you think pollution stops at national boundaries? So hands up if we are more likely to do something about pollution working collectively or individually?

So one rapidly comes to the conclusion that vast swathes of what Bristol City Council does – and all Bristol – is impacted by the EU and will be put into a state of uncertainty by a vote to ‘Leave’. What will actually happen will depend on the politicians who run the country post a vote to leave.

Given the dominance of the ‘out’ campaign by the right, you have to reckon they will be best placed to implement post-leave legislation, which will be a nightmare for all of us Guardian readers.

So to give my reasons for staying in the EU:

1. I’d rather look out than in. I’d rather look forward than back.

2. Most of the biggest problems we face in the world today are more likely to be resolved working at an EU level rather than a national one.

3. Bristol will directly be plunged into an era of uncertainty – at almost every level. And the outcome is more likely to be a drift to the right then a drift to the sensible.

So please vote to stay in. It is too important to leave to chance.

Charlie Bolton is a Green Party councillor for Southville

Read more: Tony Dyer: ‘I want to take country forwards’