Thread by @CiaraMcMillan4

I hear so many people who say they "knew what they were voting for", but I've learned so much about the EU over the past few years. Here's a selection of things #iDidNotKnow on 23 June 2016:

THREAD 1/11

#iDidNotKnow how much we rely on the EU for everyday life.
Yes, I knew about my own area (medicine), and everyone talks about trade. But in fact there are regulations that govern aviation… not to mention our huge reliance in the fight against crime.
independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…
2/11

#iDidNotKnow so many people believed the myth of "an EU run by unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats”.

We elect MEPs (Farage was one!), who go on to elect higher positions. (Simplification; see: fullfact.org/europe/eu-fact… for more).

* Image from

https://twitter.com/lunaperla/status/947448610710573056

3/11

#iDidNotKnow how rarely the UK disagreed with EU proposals. Brexiters would have you believe the EU were "dictating our laws". In fact, only 4,514 out of 34,105 UK laws were influenced by EU (13%). We disagreed with the EU in 72 cases (0.2%).

https://twitter.com/mac_puck/status/1087365509509713920

4/11

#iDidNotKnow that there’s no such thing as an “EU Benefit Scrounger”. We are already entitled to place conditions on those who don’t come here to work.
5/11

#iDidNotKnow that Article 7 of the Citizens Rights Directive states that “the right of residence for Union citizens and their family members for periods in excess of three months should be subject to conditions”
eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/Lex…
6/11

#iDidNotKnow that European migrants living in the UK contribute £2,300 MORE to the public purse each year than the average adult, giving a net contribution of £78,000 to the exchequer over their lifespan in the UK.
oxfordeconomics.com/recent-release…
7/11

#iDidNotKnow how wildly the Brexiters exaggerated the UK's financial contribution to the EU. In 2017, UK Net contribution to EU was £8.9bn (see link). This represents 1.1% of total government spending (£802bn), or 0.04% of UK GDP (£2.04 trillion)

researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefi…
8/11

#iDidNotKnow that Leave campaigners would abandon their promises so quickly. Nigel Farage distanced himself from the "£350m/week Brexit Bus" the very day after the referendum!
independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…
9/11

#iDidNotKnow that a "No Deal" scenario was ever on the cards. The Leave campaign promised a deal "before we start any process to leave".

The phrase "No Deal Brexit" doesn't even *appear* on Google Trends until one year after the referendum.

trends.google.com/trends/explore…
10/11

Finally, #iDidNotKnow that we would ever be in a situation where the prospect of letting people vote on their future would ever be described as "undemocratic".

There are lots of things that #iDidNotKnow - are YOU prepared to admit that there were things you didn't know?

11/11

Some other things #iDidNotKnow:
80% of our environmental laws come from the EU. The UK government opposed the Clean Air Act and Climate Change Act. Before we joined the EU, we had dirty beaches, smog, and acid rain. As recently as 2010, we were dumping raw sewage in the sea.

#iDidNotKnow that the European Working Time Directive was opposed by the UK government!

The directive introduced a 48 hour/week cap on working hours, safe rest periods, and paid annual leave of 5.6 wk/yr. Previously, there was no legal right to this.

fullfact.org/europe/eu-and-…

Bonus #iDidNotKnow:
Here's a list of Tory MPs opposed the EWTD after Brexit.
huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/working-…

And here's @Jacob_Rees_Mogg saying he thinks the working time directive should be scrapped:

Bonus #iDidNotKnow:
The 4th most common reason people say they voted "Leave" was as a protest vote against @David_Cameron and "the establishment". The irony is that #brexit is handing more power than ever to "the establishment". Martial Law, anyone?

A trivial one, but it's amusing.

We could have had blue passports as EU members. At the time of the referendum, #iDidNotKnow this.

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

#iDidNotKnow that the UK had so much power within the EU. The tabloid press would have you believe that the EU bullies us into doing things we don't want. Not true.