EU referendum: JD Wetherspoon has printed new Brexit beer mats – this time they’re directed at George Osborne
Clearly not content with offering just one round of Brexit beer mats, JD Wetherspoon has printed another set – and this time George Osborne is in the firing line.
The pub group, led by the staunchly pro-Brexit Tim Martin, has printed 500,000 of the new beer mats for use across its 920 UK pubs ahead of the referendum this Thursday, titled "Cronyism is bad for Britain – a few questions for George Osborne".
JD Wetherspoon's latest effort to swing the referendum has a message on both sides and is signed by founder and chairman Martin.
The mat reads:
Dear Mr Osborne,
You say that you won the economic argument. Many strongly disagree.
Democracy leads to prosperity and freedom – and the EU is increasingly undemocratic, with awful results in Greece, Spain and Portugal and 15 years’ stagnation in Italy.
Our European friends are being dragged down by Brussels’ bureaucracy.
I think that you are relying too much on cronies, whose organisations did not predict the last downturn and who don’t realise what they don’t know.
Read more: Wetherspoon boss: EU is doomed because it lacks democracy
IMF bashing
The reverse of the beer mat blasts George Osborne's relationship with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), carrying on the same theme as its previous round of beer mats, released at the end of May, as well as other major economic organisations.
"You rely on the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), HM Treasury and the Bank of England to support the 'Remain' case, yet:
"1. You officially nominated your friend (in January) Christine Lagarde, as head of the IMF.
"2. The OECD is funded by the EU, and you are a friend of its head – Jose Angel Gurria.
"3. You, George Osborne, are the boss of HM Treasury.
"4. You employed Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England.
"Does the nation not deserve more independent advice?"
"Scare stories"
Tim Martin added: "Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne have tried to fool the public using scare stories from cronies or subordinates.
"Their main economic case relies on these people and their views are not independent or believable.
"In an interview reported yesterday (Sunday June 19), Cameron said that ignoring the above ‘expert’ views on Brexit would be like taking ‘a risk with your family getting into a faulty car’ on a motorway and to jumping ‘out of the aeroplane.’ Cameron yet again deliberately uses images of fear and destruction.
"He is underestimating the intelligence of the public, who will not swallow this guff."
JD Wetherspoon printed 200,000 of the previous round of beer mats (below), a week after Tim Martin announced he would undertake a pub crawl 100 of the company's pubs in the run-up to campaign personally for a Leave vote.
The pub boss has also printed 280,000 copies of a special edition Wetherspoon News magazine on the EU, and 500,000 copies of an EU magazine showcasing the arguments of key figures of the Remain and Leave camps.