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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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Continuing the earlier thread on Brexit to pick up on breaking news https://www.fabswingers.com/forum/lounge/479321
Earlier today, in a master stroke, Centaur UKIP posed the question: If Brexit is so bad for Britain then why did the head of the British Chamber of Commerce back Brexit just yesterday?
At this very minute, I bet that the now suspended head of the BCC must be asking himself the very same question. Perhaps he misunderstood that 60% of BCC members are in favour of staying in the EU?
Centaur UKIP certainly did, so here's the article in today's FT:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6e00b97c-e22d-11e5-9217-6ae3733a2cd1.html#ixzz41yYNWJqW
and some key points from it:-
The director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce has been suspended after he took to the airwaves to call for Brexit — against the wishes of most of its members. John Longworth said on Thursday that he favoured leaving the EU.
Those comments were directly at odds with the majority of BCC members, who are in favour of staying in the EU, according to the organisation’s own research. The group was forced to hold an emergency board meeting on Friday to discuss how to reconcile the divergence in views between the director-general and many of his members.
Several senior members had told the Financial Times earlier in the day that Mr Longworth’s view did not reflect that of the majority of member chambers.
“Quite a few people are very unhappy about his position. They think he has massively overstepped the mark and abused his role,” said one.
A recent survey by the BCC of 2,000 of its members found that 60 per cent would vote to stay in the EU, while only 30 per cent would vote for the “Out” camp, with 10 per cent undecided.
Mr Longworth later clarified that his comments were made only in a personal capacity, but that was not enough to reassure some of his members.
Phil Smith, managing director of Business West, the largest chamber, said he was “appalled” by Mr Longworth’s “very public” recommendation that Britain should vote to leave the EU. “Chambers up and down the country are at this time carefully listening to their members’ views and ensuring that we properly represent our business community in this very important and complicated issue,” said Mr Smith, whose members cover Bristol, Bath, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.
“I don’t believe that John had a mandate from the 50 or so British accredited chambers of commerce that he is supposed to represent.”
Richard Swart, a member of the north-east chamber, described the interviews as a “dereliction of duty to most members’ views”.
Did you get that Centaur UKIP? This is what senior BCC people had to say:
“Very unhappy about his position.... he has massively overstepped the mark ... abused his role,”
“Appalled” by Mr Longworth’s “very public” recommendation"
“Dereliction of duty to most members’ views” |
