UKIP Response to Airbus Letter
“We are deeply disappointed by this cynical and self-serving move by Airbus which arrogantly places their profit margins at the centre of the debate instead of the real interests of its employees and the people of Wales.
“We disagree fully with the assertions that Airbus has chosen to share with its staff, and would remind everyone that leaving the EU is much more than simply accommodating the interests of big business alone. Remaining in the EU is essentially signing up to the long term erosion of UK sovereignty and democracy, subscribing to the gross uncertainty of foreign rule by a failing political project, while pressures on public services will continue to rise to unmanageable levels due to uncontrolled immigration. It’s also important to point out that the stranglehold of bureaucracy on small and medium sized enterprises, which make up 98% of businesses in Wales, means that overall only major multinationals can benefit from the UK being a member of the EU. Meanwhile, the steel industry have been all but destroyed, as demonstrated by the closure of 8 of the 9 major metal ore refineries since 2007 and the ongoing crisis in Port Talbot. Given the trade deficit we currently have with the rest of the EU it’s safe to assume a free trade deal would be drawn up rapidly following Brexit, yet even under the albeit highly unlikely but worst case scenario, where the EU could choose to impose tariffs, under World Trade Organisation rules, the cost would be a maximum of £7bn to the UK economy per year, compared to almost double that in the £13bn we have to pay each year as a member. It would also harm the EU significantly more than Britain.
“We don’t think it’s right for big business to try to influence the referendum by scaremongering among employees and believe that responsible employers would acknowledge that the referendum debate is about far more than their profit margins, but the future of the country as a whole for generations to come.
“Given the ongoing issues for the single currency, the ambition for deeper integration and further expansion, and the failure to deal with major crises such as the migrant situation in Greece, we would argue that the greatest uncertainty for Britain comes with passing control of our country and its laws to unelected, faceless, power hungry bureaucrats in Brussels, when we may not get another chance to vote again for decades.”
