Brexit is the nonsensical word on the tip of everyone's tongue right now, and with good reason. The EU Referendum is, by quite a wide margin, one of the most important democratic decisions most of us will ever have to make. By this point you probably know where you stand on the issue, but where do the top brass of the creative industries stand?
A survey of the UK's Creative Industries Federation members has revealed that 96% are in favour of remaining in the European Union. This means that only a paltry 4% of the membership organisation sided with the leave campaign, which would see a British exit from the EU following the referendum on 23 June.
John Sorrell
Devised by designer, philanthropist and London Design Festival co-founder John Sorrell in 2014, CIF is an independent body that represents the interests of the UK's broad creative sector. Its survey also revealed that CIF members believe the EU referendum will have a direct impact on them, with 84% saying the outcome is important to the future success of their organisation. So some might argue there is an element of selfishness at play with their decisions, but is that not true of us all ultimately? The survey results were released to coincide with an open letter supporting the EU signed by nearly 300 high-profile creatives. Architects David Chipperfield, Amanda Levete, Richard Rogers and David Adjaye and designers Ron Arad, John Pawson, Ilse Crawford and Thomas Heatherwick were among the signatories on the letter, which argued that Britain's global creative success would be severely weakened if it was to leave the EU.
Paul Williams
Paul Williams of London architectural firm Stanton Williams, one of the CIF's many high-profile members and one of the letter's signatories, said of the reasoning behind the findings: “It is quite obvious that the architecture industry will be badly damaged if the UK leaves the European Union. Although an island, culturally Britain is inextricably woven into the fabric of Europe's rich and varied landscape, it is unthinkable to imagine a future adrift.” John Sorrell said of his personal reasons for wanting to remain in the EU: “The UK creative industries are key to the way we are seen by the world and deliver a massive £84.1 billion to our economy. Our position as a vital European creative hub is a huge part of this success. We benefit from a vast network of talented people, companies and institutions across Europe."
While CIF members are nearly completely in consensus about the question of whether or not to remain in the EU, general polling suggests the vote will be a close one, with two recent Guardian/ICM polls showing voters split 52-48 in favour of Brexit. The Remain campaign is being spearheaded by cross-party group Britain Stronger in Europe and supported by the UK government through online, TV and print media adverts. On the opposing side are two organisations: Vote Leave, associated with former London mayor Boris Johnson, and Leave. EU, supported by the right-wing UK Independence Party (UKIP). Where do you stand on Brexit? Do you agree with the 96% of the big wigs surveyed? Or are you something of a creative anomaly with a more positive opinion of the leave campaign, and what an EU exit could mean for our creative industries? Feel free to sound off in the comments below, but keep it clean!
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and struggling musician from the dark heart of Kidderminster in the UK. He will be voting in, as he's at least 60% sure it's the right choice!
Matt Drake June 5th, 2016, in the evening
You can get polls to say anything you like.What this article fails to mention is that this referendum is undemocratic, but so is the EU, so why is that a surprise? Or what about the fact the EU is corrupt? And elitist?
Or is it just nonsensical of me to point these out?
(N.B. You want me to keep it clean, but this article is crap.)