So true. I remember back in the 90's when Portillo et al where strongly campaigning against the minimum wage.

The EU lot may be too 'Guardian' and a bit lefty but they will certainly look after the masses a lot better than the right of centre gang.

Leave the EU and we will soon be back to polluted rivers and £3 an hour and the Victorian world that some see, wrongly, as 'Great'.

Big chest and massive boobs

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Michael, I cannot find any EU law that enforces a minimum wage. There are EU laws that enforce maternity/paternity leave, paid holiday and dispute resolution in the workplace but no EU law that appears to state what is the minimum wage.

Curiously, given the status that member states either pass their own laws stating a minimum wage or enter into a collective bargaining agreement with workers bodies, it appears that the UK minimum wage is more generous than some other EU countries. It is not the top minimum wage in the EU, neither the bottom.

Furthermore, there is plenty of criticism from a cursory web check on EU employment law on how the small to medium business sector feels contained, in some cases 'strangled', by EU employment law red tape and if this red tape were removed, the sector would benefit enormously and would employ more people as a result.

Please, read this for yourself. After that you may wish to revise your apparent unfounded scaremongering that jobs will be lost and wages reduced as a result of Brexit.

"That was fun and to round off the day, I am off to steal a charity collection box and then desecrate a place of worship.” - Smokey, The Selhurst Arms, 26/02/02

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"Regulation is perhaps the Eurosceptics’ biggest bugbear. When trying to show how much Britain might gain from leaving the EU, they tot up all the costs of EU regulation, assert that there are no benefits from it and assume that, after Brexit, the whole lot could be scrapped. The OECD club of mostly rich countries has compared the extent of regulation in product and labour markets among its members and finds that Britain is among the least regulated countries in Europe.Indeed, Britain compares favourably with non-EU countries such as America, Australia and Canada. And there is little to suggest that, if it were to leave the EU, it would tear up many rules. Moreover, if a post-Brexit Britain wanted to retain full access to the single European market, it would almost certainly have to stick with most of the accompanying rules."

You are right. My assertion was an indirect reference leading to, in my view, the likely erosion of positive acts implemented by the social charter and the lessening of workers' rights and environmental standards under a Non EU aligned Tory government in the future. I'm talking five, ten, twenty years down the line.

The minimum wage whilst not an EU directive will be too much of a hot potato to touch today anyway. Also, It has been successful.

But It just wouldn't surprise me one jot if some employers were enabled again, somehow, to pay crap wages within five years - The "£3 an hour" - without the social conscience of Europe reining in the more socially irresponsible of The Conservative party. Care through osmosis if you will.

But Michael Howard did say back in the nineties "two million jobs will be lost" because of the minimum wage.

His judgement can be trusted on all matters economical then. What's he voting for in June again?

Basically, poverty levels and social problems go up under Conservative governments. So why make matters potentially worse?Osborne is convinced that there will be a negative economic shock on Brexit. He is Chancellor. Why would he scaremonger? Would he not just say what he believed?

So if he is right, even a bit, why leave? What is the point? It's lemming politics.

We know where we stand in the EU. Not liked by some. They have a chance to voice that and vote in favour of that dislike.

But we really don't know if we are going to be better off without the EU. Even Boris was torn and only just came down in favour of an ''out" as it stands. And the actual real life economist on these boards thinks an 'out' is a mistake.

I will leave the 'out' vote for you chancers.

Big chest and massive boobs

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So faced with the facts, you are changing your stance on the EU vote from 'Brexit will mean jobs are lost, companies bankrupted and the minimum wage severely reduced, with millions living in workhouses' to 'Brexit could be bad but I w I'll not comment on the potential benefits of Brexit as this is counter to my ideologically based decision to vote to stay in the EU'?

"That was fun and to round off the day, I am off to steal a charity collection box and then desecrate a place of worship.” - Smokey, The Selhurst Arms, 26/02/02

"I doubt that many, if any other situation, Oy would use the Economist to try and win a debate".

You indeed appear jet lagged.

Personally,I buy the Economist every week,for its non- UK coverage...

Perhaps being willing to consider arguments not just coming from one's own particular political persuasion might be thought a positive rather than a negative Matthew? Try it some time

Edited by legaleagle (27 Feb 2016 10.09am)