The Brexit Debate: What are the arguments, and who will win? 25/05/16

The Brexit Debate: What are the arguments, and who will win?

Speaker:
Professor Simon Hix
London School of Economics

A joint event with the Skeptics in the Pub of Lewes

As the UK approaches the EU referendum the polls suggest a close race. What’s clearer though is that the vast majority of people feel woefully under-informed about the key issues. So how do we navigate our way through the issues and the, often passionate, declarations made by the different sides? Simon will explain the main political and economic claims from the Remain and Leave sides in the campaign and evaluate the evidence supporting them. He will also analyse the state of public opinion, explaining why some opinion polls are more trustworthy than others. He will look at who is likely to vote to Leave and who is likely to vote to Remain, and who are the swing voters. From this analysis he will consider who is likely to win on 23 June and what the implications might be for Britain and Europe. This talk is part of a wider initiative by the ‘UK in a Changing Europe Project’. This initiative is intended to promote high-quality and independent research into relationship between the UK and the EU. It provides non-partisan information, insights and analysis about UK-EU relations that stands aside from the politics surrounding the debate.

Simon Hix is the Harold Laski Professor of Political Science at the London School of Economics, Senior Fellow on the ESRC’s UK in a Changing Europe programme, and a Fellow of the British Academy. Simon is one of the leading researchers, teachers, and commentators on EU politics in the UK. He has published over 100 books and articles on European, British and comparative politics. He regularly gives evidence to committees in the House of Commons and House of Lords, and has advised the Cabinet Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office under both Labour and Conservative administrations. He has held visiting professor positions at many universities, including Stanford, Berkeley, UC San Diego, Sciences Po in Paris, the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, and the Korean Institute for International Economic Policy in Seoul. In 2013, on the 40th anniversary of the UK’s membership of the EU, EurActiv.com named Simon in their list of “the 40 most influential Brits on EU policy”. He is also a local boy as he was born and grew up in Crowborough, East Sussex. You can follow him on Twitter @simonjhix.

SimonHix

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