NEW YOUTH CAMPAIGN GROUP TO LAUNCH?

Rumours of a new, supposedly ‘non-partisan’ youth group to launch today

© Brexit Facts4EU.Org

What is its real purpose?

We hear on the grapevine that a new coalition of campaign groups for young people will be launched today, called “Vote For Your Future”.

The new coalition is supposed to be bringing together groups from both sides of the Brexit debate, and its purpose is said to be to provide encouragement to young people to vote in the EU Parliament elections on 23 May.

We do not have any official details yet, but it seems that the Hard Remain “Our Future Our Choice” has been actively trying to persuade pro-Brexit groups representing young people to join the new coalition.

Are these motives pure?

We are sure that readers would like to believe that young Remainers are reaching out to young Brexiteers in the interests of promoting democratic engagement, and increasing the low levels of turnout by young people in elections.

On the other hand we believe that in fact most readers will be suspicious, as we are.

If pro-Brexit youth groups join the new coalition, this allows the coalition to say that they represent all views. In reality young people are more likely to be Remainers, and we believe that one Remain youth campaign is principally behind this.

We can foresee campus events which resemble the BBC’s Question Time, where there will be one true Brexiteer and four Remainers on the panel.

The second reason for our cynicism is down to voting patterns.

Here is how the various age groups split in the EU Referendum

Young people were more likely to vote for Remain in the EU Referendum. Figures vary, but here is the result of the YouGov poll after the vote:-

Broadly, the under 25s were twice as likely to vote Remain as the over 65s.

One possible explanation for the bias of young people towards Remain

Do personal opinions affect the teaching that students receive?

On an individual basis of course it's possible to imagine a university professor who - no matter what his or her personal views - teaches a subject like Brexit in a completely objective manner.

Regrettably however there are two areas of concern on a sector-wide basis. The first is purely anecdotal. The stories of extreme bias amongst the academic profession are legendary and these extend into the actual teaching of Brexit-related subjects. These stories come from students - who always want to stay anonymous - and from their parents.

‘EU-funded’ indoctrination

The second area of concern is institutional. Many of the professors teaching Brexit-related material are 'Jean Monnet' professors.

Here is how the EU Commission describes the Jean Monnet programme:

"[It] aims at stimulating teaching, research and reflection in the field of European integration studies at the level of higher education institutions within and outside the European Community."

In the UK there are many so-called 'Jean Monnet Centres of Excellence', each of which qualifies for €100,000 of EU funding on top of all the other EU funding it receives. In addition there are 'Jean Monnet Chairs' - professors for whom a university receives €50,000 for three years. Then there is further funding for items such as "EU modules", to say nothing of all the students which the EU funds to study in the UK.

Naturally when we write of 'EU funds' this is all money which comes from the UK taxpayer in the first place.

Any organisation in receipt of EU funding is required to support the aims of the EU. It doesn't help the universities’ cries of 'we're not biased' when you recall that just before the EU Referendum, 103 university vice-chancellors signed a letter to the national newspapers, supporting Remain.

[ Sources: THE | TES | Universities UK | YouGov | Dept for Education ]

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, 18 Apr 2019

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