Paper 31 Talking about Money : Public Participation and Expert Knowledge in the Euro Referendum November , 2002

This paper uses the proposed UK referendum on the single european currency as a means of investigating the effect of democratising science on the scrutiny of conflicting expert advice. The paper provides a brief overview of the main campaign issues before exploring the organisation and campaign strategies of the main interest groups. The analysis shows that key groups on both sides of the debate are anticipating a campaign in which the political dimensions of the debate are actively minimised in order to avoid alienating the key ‘floating voters’ upon which success in the referendum depends. As a result, the campaign is expected to focus on the economic costs and benefits of the euro for individuals and households, with only limited discussion of issues relating to sovereignty. Whether or not the campaign groups, particularly those that oppose the euro can maintain this line remains to be seen but if there is a full and frank public debate about the economic, social and political stakes, then this will be despite the referendum rather than because of it. Robert Evans Centre for the Study of Knowledge Expertise and Science Cardiff University School of Social Sciences Glamorgan Building King Edward VII Avenue Cardiff CF10 3WT