Blog Archive

Tuesday 23 May 2017

Against HATE


19 June 2017

Campaign for Europe condemns 'hate crimes' of any type,
against any persons for any reason.



22 May 2017
3 June 2017



Friday 19 May 2017

Following Erasmus






Erasmus was a Dutch-born scholar and philosopher who studied and worked all over Europe. He was against the tendency of some to lay down principles as undeniably true, without consideration of evidence or the opinions of others. In the ‘spirit’ of free- thinking and international cooperation, the Erasmus Scheme was founded 30 years ago this year. It has allowed students from many European Union member states (and also some from outside the EU) to follow ‘in the footsteps’ of Erasmus by gaining not only academic but also cultural and social learning in a country other than that of their birth or usual residence.



The Erasmus Programme (now known as Erasmus+) facilitates international study, work and training for students across the European Union by providing funding to students. For some, an ‘Erasmus semester or year’ is voluntary as part of their Bachelors or Masters programme and many appreciate the benefits it can bring to them in ‘rounding’ their studies and outlook on life. An ‘Erasmus year’ is mandatory for most British students studying European languages in the UK and, as a languages undergraduate, I had the chance to take part in it. As my degree was in three languages, which were equally weighted, I was lucky enough to complete three Erasmus placements, which I shall detail below.



I started my Erasmus year by spending the first semester studying in Madrid, Spain. This was a fantastic experience, not only because of the fact that Madrid is an amazing city to live in, but also because the university I went to, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, offered small classes; so I really got to know my classmates and teachers. Furthermore, as all my classes, apart from my ‘Spanish as a Foreign Language’ course, were with Spanish students, I got to experience the Spanish higher education system first hand. My major subject whilst in Spain was translation.


Next, I spent the second semester in Toulouse, France. This
was also a great experience because there I mostly took ‘French as a Foreign Language’ classes with other international students. This meant that I got to meet people from all over the world. In addition, I took translation classes with French students.



Finally, I completed an internship in Germany, working as an in-house translator and proof-reader for a famous car manufacturer. This was a fantastic opportunity because I could use my knowledge, gained through my translation classes in the UK and abroad, in a professional context. I mastered translation tools, which I originally learnt how to use in Spain, and got to see if translation really is a career option for me (and it is!). Moreover, in my spare time, I visited several cities in Germany, which allowed me to experience different parts of the country.




Finishing my Erasmus year was quite a sad moment for me. Within one year, I had lived in three countries, switched between three languages, and immersed myself in three cultures. Even though I was already an independent person before embarking on my year abroad,
Erasmus allowed me to grow even more because I found myself in new situations in quite different places. It also made me feel even more European as it was a real ‘European’ experience.
Trying to find exchange programmes on your own, or even through the Erasmus Mundus scheme, can be difficult and costly. Furthermore, generations of British students could lose out on this amazing opportunity which brings with it so many advantages. I am therefore saddened by the potential bar on British students taking part in the Erasmus+ programme. I honestly believe that my Erasmus year was the best of my life and it genuinely helped me grow as a person.



Matt is a UK citizen, currently living in France, who works as an ‘English as a Foreign Language’ and Translation teacher.  

Although he believes that the EU does need to be reformed, he fully supports it and does not want to see the UK leave the Union. He is very passionate about the Erasmus Programme and does not want future generations of British students to be deprived of this wonderful opportunity to study and work in other EU countries as part of their degrees.  

Matt’s qualifications and experience can be seen on his LinkedIN  profile: Matt Higgins





More information about the Erasmus+ and Erasmus Mundus programmes can be found at:










Tuesday 9 May 2017

Why we love the European Union



The graphic above was created several weeks ago by Campaign for Europe members. On Europe day, some decided to share what they love about the EU:

©       Peace, cooperation, freedom amongst diverse yet closely related neighbouring countries. Protection of the environment, food standards, employment rights, human rights. A sense of a progressive common purpose. Employment and education opportunities, scientific collaboration, legal convergence and cross-border legal certainty – Adam



©       Shared goals, integration, celebration of difference whilst supporting the whole, the Euro, the European Parliament, Schengen Zone, EHIC cards, Cornish Pasties, Champagne, Parma Ham, freedom of travel, freedom of thought. – Alistair



©       Living in Europe meant, up until June 24th 2016, that I was a member of a massive, chaotic, cacophonic, creative, colourful community. – Gemma



©       Europe has been and remains a major contributor to World peace and the UK are very lucky to be part of it – Peter



©       I love the EU because it promotes peace and cooperation between countries. On a personal level, I love the EU because it has enabled me to study and work abroad without visas through my freedom of movement rights which I treasure. The Erasmus programme provided me with invaluable academic, professional and life experiences and I want British students to continue benefiting from it for generations to come as EU citizens – Matt



©       I love the strong sense of shared cultural heritage. Be it the big events and philosophies that have influenced us all and shaped us both so differently and yet so undeniably European. Or the little ones like food and fairy tales that started somewhere but spread and became just a little more distinct with each local twist and interpretation, but remained recognisable and helped to unify when treaties could not. Europe offers a rich journey through commonality and differences, sometimes with easy acceptance, sometimes a little more challenging, but always worth it. Especially when you see young people, who compared to my generation have a distant relationship to WW I & II, embrace the core ideals of the EU. - Babette

Friday 5 May 2017

Let Love Rule – Changing 'Little Britain'




Update:  Post- UK general election, non-partisan crusader Peter Cook continues to campaign for a peaceful, united Europe within which the UK is still a part.
He says that the UK has paid the EU approximately 30 pence a day, or half a Mars bar, for 70 years of peace, nearly 50% of UK trade and free and easy access to Europe. This will change under ‘Brexit’.

Peter has made a video about himself, the campaign and his views about the European Union; it’s well worth a watch all the way through (approx. 5 minutes). 


Peter’s interesting, original article about why the UK should not leave the EU is below; (there is a link at the end if you wish to support Peter’s campaign).


I have been deeply saddened by the ‘terrorist’ attacks in Europe and confess I don't understand what motivates people to do such things. When hate rules over love, we are in a very dangerous place in terms of hope for humanity.

Modern politics merely confirms my view that we need to unite the world through acts of kindness and love. True leaders do not bend backwards when confronted by people who seek to use the lowest forms of influence to make their point. Rather, they lean forward to set new standards of human behaviour.

What the world needs now is love and great leadership.


The politics of fear are a powerful driving force in the world of work. In politics, they have potentially even more damaging impacts. The UnHoly Trinity of Donald Trump, Theresa May and Nigel Farage exploited fear and uncertainty to make them electable. Such forces gain traction in hard times, when people are fearful for their jobs, the economy, their well-being, that of their children and so on. And early implication of our local elections in the UK is “Vote Conservative, Get UKIP”. If this is replicated in UK General Elections, we will complete our slow sleepwalk into Little Britain. I’m campaigning to stop our repeat performance of the 1933 eugenic and fascist movement that hit all of Europe and gripped Germany through its ‘strong and stable’ leader.


For some time now, we have been tormented with the circularity of the phrase "Brexit Means Brexit" by the UK Prime Minister. It continues to be meaningless and hopelessly ambiguous. Brexit is a classic "wicked problem", characterised by uncertainty over the destination and the means to reach the destination. Clearly the reductionism of this phrase makes it appealing at a superficial level in our Gutter Press but, on closer inspection, the phrase is content free. Nearly one year on and we have no idea whether we are having a clean Brexit, a Red, White and Blue Xenophobic  Brexit, Deal or No Deal and other vapid platitudes from Theresa May. To describe her as a ‘Strong and Stable’ leader only serves to emphasise the lack of ethical and authentic leadership at this point in our history. Wicked problems are not resolved by just "getting on with it" since we don't know what "it" is ... The smart leader pushes the STOP button and understands the problem before rushing to a superficial solution.

The sleepwalk into ‘Hardcore Brexit’ threatens us socially, technologically, economically, politically, legally and ethically. The UK faces an economy of zero hour contracts and low wages and is already seeing the first signs of this as inflation outpaces wage rises this year. Great Britain is also seeing the early signs of the breakup of the UK via Scotland’s desire to maintain EU membership, Northern Ireland’s precarious fall back into an era of sectarianism and Wales’s desire to become an independent nation.

In terms of the ability to be a technology leader, the quality of scientific research and the UK science base is also in jeopardy. There are early signs that UK scientists are being refused participation in European funded projects and current joint collaborations may be shelved. Despite assurances and sweeteners from the UK Government, to scientific communities about funding, the situation remains nuanced. At risk are some €75 billion of funding from Horizon 2020 programs. The Erasmus Scheme is also in doubt for UK students, meaning that our children will not be able to enjoy an
education in Europe.
Most organisational studies show that, sadly, history repeats itself. How then can we stop these dangerous developments, which have far too many echoes of 1930s xenophobia and 'nationalism'?  Thoughts and ideas please .... there is no time to delay ... What the world needs now is love and great leadership. Please support me on my ‘UK Question Time’ tour and let's make Britain a Great part of Europe again! 





Peter Cook is an author and Keynote speaker at The Academy of Rock and Human Dynamics .
He is a passionate supporter of a 'Strong and Stable' EU. Even though, like some UK citizens who voted to ‘leave’, he believes that there should be some reforms.
Peter is currently campaigning for the EU and ‘tactical voting’ through his Change Little Britain project. (Take a look at the slideshow!)