Apr 18th, 2016
The government’s EU leaflet: fact checked
By bex
This is the first of what will be many more fact checks to come – assessing claims made by both sides of the EU referendum. Together, 38 Degrees members chipped in for a team of experts to fact check the issues that matter to all of us this referendum.
Right now, government leaflets telling us why we should stay in the EU are dropping through the letterbox in homes across the UK. Politicians on both sides are using the leaflet to score points off each other. But between the media frenzy and political spin, it’s hard for ordinary people to know which bits of the leaflet are true.
That’s where we come in. Thousands of 38 Degrees members chipped in for independent fact-checkers to cut through the spin about this referendum. A team of experts has investigated the government leaflet line by line, and they’ve separated the facts from the fiction.
Political spin travels fast – but there are millions of us across the UK. If each of us shares the people-powered facts with our friends and family, we can make sure everyone has the information they need to make their decision in this referendum.
Can you help get the truth behind the government’s EU leaflet out?Just click the image below to see the facts for yourself, then share them with your friends and family:
The factsheet’s been put together using research from Full Fact – a group of independent fact-checkers who aren’t on anyone’s side. They use experts, research and investigations to check claims made by politicians and the media, so they’re in a good position to sort the facts from the half-truths.
Staying or leaving the EU is a huge decision for our country. It’s the kind of decision that’s just too important to leave to politicians – or to a shiny government leaflet telling us how to vote.
That’s why hundreds of thousands of 38 Degrees members decided together that we have an important role to play in the EU referendum:to stay neutral, keep out of the party politics, use people power to cut through the spin on both sides – and give voters the chance to get the real facts.
As 38 Degrees member Kate put it: “Everyone seems to have their own agenda, but what people need is the information to make a decision that’s right for them. 38 Degrees members can do this better than the politicians.”
Democracy works best when more of us get involved – and right now, it’s up to all of us to help get the facts out to everyone we know. If enough of us get involved, we can make sure that millions of people across the UK will see the facts that’ll help them to make their mind up about Europe. Can you help get the facts out? Click the image below to read the factsheet, then share it with your friends and family:
PS: This is the first of what will probably be many more leaflets landing on your doormat between now and the EU referendum. Whichever side it comes from, by sharing these people-powered fact checks we can make sure that no one is swindled into voting one way or the other without seeing the real information first. Please forward share this fact check your friends and family to expose the truth behind the government’s leaflets.
More about Full Fact
Full Fact is an independent, fact checking charity. They’re an organisation who use experts, research and investigations to check claims made by politicians and the media. You can find out more about Full Fact and the work they do on their website here.
And you can read the full fact check on the government’s EU leaflet here.
