What Is Your Position On Europe?

Europe will be one of the big political issues of the next Parliament.  In the event of a referendum, organisations, especially businesses, will come under pressure from politicians to state their position.  There will be no escape so plan now for what you will say and do.

We have already been provided with an insight into how those who wish to withdraw from the EU could approach the issue.  Speaking at a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference, John Redwood MP, who has long complained about the EU and may or may not have been one of the ‘euro bastards’ mentioned by John Major when he was Prime Minister, could not have been clearer.

Pro-EU businesses should be punished for ‘meddling in politics’  and that they would pay a ‘very dear economic and financial price’.  A full quote provided by the Huffington Post went onto say:

“If they don’t understand that now they will find those of us organising the ‘get out’ campaign will then make life difficult for them by making sure that their customers, their employees and their shareholders who disagree with them, and there will be a lot, will be expressing their views very forcefully and will be destablising their corporate governance.â€

These are the type of tactics often employed by activist groups when campaigning against organisations.  The focus is not necessarily just through the media but will see pressure applied at the AGM and throughout the supply chain.  In this way the activists hope to achieve a change in behaviour or of a policy.  It appears that Redwood believes that same tactics could be applied during an EU referendum.

Redwood provided a more detailed analysis on his blog but ends his post by urging business to try and stay out of the EU referendum.

There is no doubt though that the media will be interested in what business has to say.  Both the cases for and against continued membership of the EU has to consider the economic impact so better to comment than business?  The Scottish referendum provides a perfect example of how the business voice was brought into the debate.  Initially few wished to express an opinion but following a poll less than two weeks before the vote showing a majority in favour of Scottish independence Downing Street and others applied pressure on businesses to speak up.

Salmond complained that they had given into ‘intimidation from Westminster’ whilst a former deputy leader of the SNP, Jim Sillars, said those businesses faced a day of reckoning. Phrases such as ‘scaremongering’ were bandied around and this too chimed with a perception that the ‘No’ campaign had been too negative in its campaigning.  However, fears overs the economic consequences of independence featured highly amongst those who voted ‘No’.  A poll from Lord Ashcroft provided some background the final decision including a general disaffection with Westminster politics.

So the media, politicians and other stakeholders will want your views whilst others may be inclined to disagree with you vehemently.  Expressing a view one way or the other needs careful consideration but a simple ‘lets keep out of it’ but be taking too great a risk on the eventual outcome.  Instead, the risks need to be considered and balanced before a decision can be taken, messages devised and delivery methods considered.  As well as speaking as an organisation, senior executives could be involved on an individual basis and membership of an overarching campaign group may be appropriate as well.

Put simply there will be no getting away from this issue should the Conservatives form the next Government as they have pledged to hold a referendum.  This means it should, at the very least, be on an organisation’s risk register.  This means not just considering what they would do under either scenario – in or out – but also how they are going to react when stakeholders ask them what their position is.  The pressure will come.