1 Start a conversation
The campaign to keep Britain in Europe won’t be won with websites, newspaper articles or political speeches — it will be won, conversation by conversation, up and down the country. One casual conversation is worth a hundred journalistic op-eds!
So the single biggest way you can make a difference to the outcome is to start a conversation! Tell a friend, a family member, a colleague or a neighbour why it’s important to you that Britain is part of the European Union.
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2 Join a campaign
The mission to keep Britain in Europe is made up of many different campaigns. By joining one or more of them, you’ll not only receive regular updates from the campaign — you’ll also be offered a wealth of opportunities to contribute in different ways.
- Britain Stronger In Europe (the umbrella campaign — very active)
- European Movement (a non-party grassroots organisation with branches across the UK)
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3 Download the app
Keep yourself fully informed and bang up-to-date with regular briefings and myth rebuttals on the Doorstep EU app, including:
- Detailed analysis of current news headlines
- Straight answers to common questions
- Evidence-based tabloid myth rebuttals
- Quick access to my blog
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4 Make your voice heard locally
The EU debate isn’t just national — it’s local too. Local newspapers and news websites are a great place to find out what’s being talked about, and European issues crop up surprisingly often in the letters and comment pages.
- Read your local newspaper, especially the letters pages
- Write a letter yourself for publication.
- You can find the email address on the ‘contact’ page of your local newspaper’s website.
- Keep it short and focused on a single issue of relevance to local people: for instance, highlighting projects nearby that have had European funding, or highlighting a local business or big employer which buys and sells in other EU countries.
5 Get active on social media
There’s a vibrant and active EU debate on social media, especially Twitter and Facebook. If you use these platforms, you can join the conversation right away:
- Follow some of the many pro-EU organisations and individuals actively campaigning on Twitter — there’s a great list here, compiled by a member of my team
- Tweet about the EU using hashtags like #strongerin and #euref, so others can pick up on your contribution
- On Facebook, ‘like’ the key campaigns’ pages to follow the latest activities
- Retweet and share content you like, to help spread the word
- Share an EU-themed selfie: see the last point on this page!
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6 Write to politicians
Your local MP and MEPs want to hear what their constituents think!
Write to your local MP and MEPs to ask which side of the debate they support and why. Encourage them to get involved in the campaign to keep Britain in. Keep your letter short and to the point, and make your own views clear. And remember to be polite!
7 Get your employer on board
British businesses of all sizes have a lot to lose from quitting the EU. If you or anyone in your family works for a company that sells goods in other European countries, trades with companies elsewhere in Europe, relies on goods from around the EU as part of its supply chain or sells into other companies’ supply chains… then you and your employer stand to lose out if Britain leaves.
You can help the campaign by encouraging local businesses to speak up about the dangers they face. They could put out a press release, make a statement, or appear on local TV and radio. As the referendum gets closer, journalists will be actively looking for stories like these, to help give the national debate a local slant.
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8 Make a donation
If you’re able to make a financial contribution to organisations making the pro-EU case, you should contact those organisations directly.
9 Organise a debate
Schools, colleges and universities up and down the country are organising and hosting debates on EU issues in the run-up to the referendum. Find out whether your local educational institution is doing likewise, and offer your support!
Staff at the European Movement can put you in touch with local expert speakers for these kinds of events.
10 Take a selfie!
Wherever you live in the UK, chances are some public space, civic building, infrastructure, university or business centre nearby was financed by the European Union. And chances are that local people don’t realise!
You can help the campaign by taking a photo of EU-funded projects and sharing them on social media, helping spread the word about the benefits Britain gains from being part of Europe.