The EU vote isn’t just about Westminster – we need grassroots campaigns too

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/01/eu-vote-westminster-grassroots-europe

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This year will almost certainly be the year of the EU referendum. Although some parts of the media will portray it as a struggle between two official campaigns, the real story must be a rich national democratic debate. There are many grassroots communities emerging with vital understandings of the importance of continued EU membership. Doctors, nurses, researchers, farmers, lawyers, police, environmentalists, as well as Brits living abroad, all have much to say.

As the Scottish independence referendum showed, an agile swarm of passionate activist communities can run rings around a top-down Westminster-based operation and engage voters whom politicians cannot reach. The official Britain Stronger in Europe campaign can benefit enormously by engaging with what is already a very diverse array of pro-EU campaigns, with several more emerging. The question must be not only what these campaigns can do for BSE, but what a central campaign can do to support these passionate and committed communities.

Related: Britain Stronger in Europe: scary, risky… and that's just the acronym

As we throw the last scraps of turkey into the bin with a sigh of relief, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on the lessons we have learned about the community-level fight so far. At Scientists for EU, we have been in the trenches since 8 May 2015, the day when the Conservative victory made an EU referendum certain. At that stage, many scientists felt frustrated and voiceless in the face of endless trash-talking from Ukip and the red-tops about the EU and immigrants. We received an immediate surge in support from scientists across the country who know these myopic notions to be out of date.

EU science is outstripping US science in size, growth and networking, with the UK at the epicentre of this vibrant multinational research hub. We declared our passionate belief, backed by extensive evidence, that the EU brings a huge benefit to UK science and innovation. A recent survey by the Campaign for Science and Engineering and Engineering Professors’ Council showed that 93% of research scientists and engineers agreed.

Through social media we’ve been able to disseminate the information on the implications of the referendum for science to our community, field questions and achieve a level of credibility than can withstand generic tirades from the combined troll army of Leave.EU and Vote Leave. Our grassroots campaign has over 10,000 followers on Facebook, we’ve assembled an advisory board with leading UK scientists, produced endless posts, newspaper and blog pieces, done interviews, and submitted a small treatise to the House of Lords inquiry into EU membership and UK science.

This has also initiated debate within the community. A group called Scientists 4 Britain started up in reaction to us, pro-Brexit blogs are analysing our articles in detail and interested impartial organisations are keen to host debates on science and the EU. This is all very healthy, as we’ll now likely have a quality debate in this area that enriches knowledge for all.

However, as a true grassroots organisation, it’s also extremely demanding on our spare time and lives. Our campaign and many others will need real, tangible support in order to have the impact on public understanding that these issues deserve.

As Alan Johnson, leader of the Labour In campaign noted, we absolutely need a pro-EU group for farmers. I don’t just want to read an article on the common agricultural policy or glean half-baked knowledge from the occasional newspaper sideswipe about the price of Brussels sprouts outside the EU; I want to delve into a social media page or feed where it is being discussed by the community it impacts. Labour In will be focusing arguments on the strong social dimension of the EU, which has meant robust collaborative protection of workers’ rights and quality of life. We also need such groups for health professionals, the tech industry, small businesses and key regions. Such communities will provide credibility and depth to the discussions.

Such is the multifaceted nature of our EU membership that a single campaign trying to cover all bases would necessarily be a mix of messages. That would make the public wonder if the campaign was itself confused. The mess in the Scottish referendum showed that you cannot be everything to everyone.

But in a referendum such as this one, you can have it both ways. Unity and diversity can go hand in hand. A central campaign can oversee the overall structure and provide resources for dedicated campaigning communities. The mainstream media must play a role too, avoiding their over-reliance on “the great and the good”. The pro-EU community is not a top-down, centrist cabal of bigwigs and celebrities, and should not give the impression that it is. Repeat exposure of household names whose positions are well known will do little to shift minds. In an age of social media, we must empower the voices of those who understand and value our Europe-wide sense of teamwork.

So here at Scientists for EU headquarters we thought we’d indulge in the new year tradition of the prediction. We anticipate a surge in pro-EU grassroots communities – and we’ll certainly be working our hardest to help it happen. Have a look at the list on our website. Anything there you should be supporting? Anything missing that you feel you could head up? Maybe we’ve just found your new year resolution.