City grandees support an in/out referendum

I reproduce below their letter to today's DT

SIR – We write as City supporters of the People's Pledge, alongside the 87 MPs and 130,000 individuals who have also declared their support for an in-out EU referendum.

As the world's dominant financial centre, the City of London leads a financial services industry that employs 1.2 million people and generates an annual trade surplus in excess of £40 billion, compared with Britain's annual trade deficit with the EU of £55 billion.

Pressure is growing for a referendum on our EU membership, not least because of the movement towards full banking and political union within the next five years.

The pro-European lobby, apparently speaking on behalf of British business as a whole, has argued in generalities. We believe that members of the public should be given specific figures, not platitudes, so they can make an informed decision about whether Britain should remain in the EU.

The City has for 1,000 years been at the heart of developing British wealth and democracy. We are determined that the people of Britain be given a clear choice.

Adam Fleming
Lord Flight
Robert Hiscox
Daniel Hodson
Jon Moulton
David Reid Scott
John Robins
Lord Vinson 
Stanislas Yassukovich

Its a great letter and makes the great point that we deserve specifics not the vague generalities that come from Branson, Heseltine, Clarke and the Lib Dems. One of the latter, Julian Huppert  MP for Cambridge was skewered by AN today on the Daily Politics. Neil asked him to name one firm that changed an investment decision in England because of the claimed uncertainty of the UK referendum  or Scotland because of their referendum. Huppert could not name a single firm!

This is exactly the point made by these sharp guys in their letter. We deserve specifics not hot air from pompous Sirs & Lords promoting their own interest.

Note their use of our huge trade deficit with the EU of £55bn. Thats why they all want us to stay. They are ripping us off to the tune of £55bn pa. Its very bad for the UK but the propagandists always like the big lie.

These are serious City people. I give a brief Google based description of them below.

Jon Moulton runs private equity fund Better Capital and appeared only last week on AN's Daily Politics debunking the wooly generalities of the paid EU philes.

Rober Hiscox runs the big insurance broker that bears his name.

Stanislas Yassukovich has held around 15 big city jobs, chairnan of Merril Lynch etc

Lord Flight 40 years in financial services starting in Rothschilds

Daniel Hodson former deputy CEO Nationwide BS

David Reid Scott veteran wealth fund manager

John Robins Deutsche Asset management

Lord Vinson small business expert.On the 4 August 2012, Lord Vinson threatened to defect to UKIP unless the Conservatives took a more Better Off Out approach toEurope.

These are exactly the sort of people those who want a referendum should be contacting to appear on Euro realist platforms. Lets hope they do.