Some people have asked me why I am voting 'Out' in the EU referendum .... I recall the referendum under Harold Wilson in 1975. It was fought under the banner of the fact that we had joined the EEC (European Economic Community) under Conservative PM Ted Heath in 1973, but with no referendum ....
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| European Union - UK In or Out? |
...... So off trotted Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson to 'renegotiate' our terms, and back he came with a bit of paper that 'met most of our demands', and he duly recommended that we remain in the EEC ..... sound familiar?
We had of course tried to join the EEC in 1963 and 1967, but had been
blocked by President Charles de Gaulle of France, who feared that
English would suddenly become the common language of the community. A
fact he was right on, even if the French still deny it.
So when we joined the EEC, it was ostensibly with trade as the main reason, and in fact the politicians denied categorically that there was any political union involved (this despite the fact that the accession treaty said 'ever closer political union'). But somehow, somewhere, that EEC suddenly morphed into the EU (European Union), an organisation that is very obviously a political union.
So when we joined the EEC, it was ostensibly with trade as the main reason, and in fact the politicians denied categorically that there was any political union involved (this despite the fact that the accession treaty said 'ever closer political union'). But somehow, somewhere, that EEC suddenly morphed into the EU (European Union), an organisation that is very obviously a political union.
Now in the latest referendum, I fear that too many have been suckered in by all the negative campaigning (by both sides), but particularly by the 'stay in or else face armageddon' brigade, where there has been no lie, half truth or smear too low for them ..... for instance spot the truth in any of these:
1. We would be out of all the European science projects and development.
2. It would take a decade for us to be able to renegotiate trade terms with the EU.
3. Asylum seekers would be setting up base camp in Dover.
4. All economic investment in the UK would cease.
5. The City of London would lose all its power and this would go to Frankfurt.
6. We would all need visa's to go on holiday inside the EU.
7. We would be defenceless against attacks by I.S. or Russia.
8. We would have to sacrifice virgins every wet Wednesday.
9. No one would talk to us anymore ... forever and ever.
You name it, then it would be worse if we leave the blessed safe haven of the EU .... and all of it the biggest pack of lies, by the worst set of fellow travellers of the 'European Project', you could ever hope to meet.
I could spend forever rebutting every lie or half truth in that list, but will stick to just challenging the real ones from above.
1. We are of course members of all the major science projects such as CERN and the European Space Agency, as a sovereign nation, and not as an EU member ... we would remain in all of those as we pay a lot of the funds to run them.
2. We actually trade at a deficit with the EU generally, and with Germany in particular (to the tune of billions of pounds pa), ... so if anyone is stupid enough to think that the EU wouldn't want to resume that trade on much the same terms asap, then they are a fool. They are hardly going to stop or hinder our goods, if we could do the same to theirs ... killing the goose that lays the golden egg comes to mind.
3. The French have been allowing illegal immigrants free passage across France (as long as they don't try to claim asylum), and breaking all the international agreements in doing so ... that's how the camps of Calais grew, so how would that differ if we left? They will continue to cross the channel unimpeded by the French
4. As we have the most productive car plants in the EU, and the EU can't block our car exports without us doing the same to German and French cars (see point 2), there would be no reason to stop investing in the plants.
5. The City of London would actually now be free of EU control and its 'Robin Hood taxes', and would thrive, unlike Frankfurt which could be ever more expensive to trade in.
6. I can't actually recall not having to have a passport to travel to the EU, as we are not in the (now broken) Schengen free travel zone ... the visa cost is usually a small fee, and one which all the EU countries would simply either let travel companies apply, or to be downloaded, from their national websites ...(just like Turkey or Tunisia in fact).
7. Err, this is an even madder claim, we are 4th biggest world encompassing armed forces in the world, and the best inside Western Europe. As a founder Member of NATO, we are not going to be defenceless .... the EU would be the ones who had more to worry about if we took the hump.
8. We would be lucky to find any (joke).
9. Frankly who cares, they are mostly Euro liars in the first case (See Greece entering the Eurozone, See Mother Markel's, one woman speaks for the EU immigration policies) ....
So there you are ... my opening shot in the EU referendum debate .... there will be at least one or two more posts, which I will publish later, and one of which is a real eye opener, but that will near enough be it for me on the subject. Its depressing that there has been little positive campaigning, especially from the Stay In campaign, who have not been able to list the ways in which we have benefited from membership of the EU (apart from the right to live in southern Spain).
Let the people decide ... I am but one vote for the out group (however I am no Nostradamus, and I don't know which way the vote will go, nor indeed which is the best course for the UK, but I can see no compelling reason to stay in)
1. We would be out of all the European science projects and development.
2. It would take a decade for us to be able to renegotiate trade terms with the EU.
3. Asylum seekers would be setting up base camp in Dover.
4. All economic investment in the UK would cease.
5. The City of London would lose all its power and this would go to Frankfurt.
6. We would all need visa's to go on holiday inside the EU.
7. We would be defenceless against attacks by I.S. or Russia.
8. We would have to sacrifice virgins every wet Wednesday.
9. No one would talk to us anymore ... forever and ever.
You name it, then it would be worse if we leave the blessed safe haven of the EU .... and all of it the biggest pack of lies, by the worst set of fellow travellers of the 'European Project', you could ever hope to meet.
I could spend forever rebutting every lie or half truth in that list, but will stick to just challenging the real ones from above.
1. We are of course members of all the major science projects such as CERN and the European Space Agency, as a sovereign nation, and not as an EU member ... we would remain in all of those as we pay a lot of the funds to run them.
2. We actually trade at a deficit with the EU generally, and with Germany in particular (to the tune of billions of pounds pa), ... so if anyone is stupid enough to think that the EU wouldn't want to resume that trade on much the same terms asap, then they are a fool. They are hardly going to stop or hinder our goods, if we could do the same to theirs ... killing the goose that lays the golden egg comes to mind.
3. The French have been allowing illegal immigrants free passage across France (as long as they don't try to claim asylum), and breaking all the international agreements in doing so ... that's how the camps of Calais grew, so how would that differ if we left? They will continue to cross the channel unimpeded by the French
4. As we have the most productive car plants in the EU, and the EU can't block our car exports without us doing the same to German and French cars (see point 2), there would be no reason to stop investing in the plants.
5. The City of London would actually now be free of EU control and its 'Robin Hood taxes', and would thrive, unlike Frankfurt which could be ever more expensive to trade in.
6. I can't actually recall not having to have a passport to travel to the EU, as we are not in the (now broken) Schengen free travel zone ... the visa cost is usually a small fee, and one which all the EU countries would simply either let travel companies apply, or to be downloaded, from their national websites ...(just like Turkey or Tunisia in fact).
7. Err, this is an even madder claim, we are 4th biggest world encompassing armed forces in the world, and the best inside Western Europe. As a founder Member of NATO, we are not going to be defenceless .... the EU would be the ones who had more to worry about if we took the hump.
8. We would be lucky to find any (joke).
9. Frankly who cares, they are mostly Euro liars in the first case (See Greece entering the Eurozone, See Mother Markel's, one woman speaks for the EU immigration policies) ....
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| Schengen Area - We Will Still Be able To Travel |
So there you are ... my opening shot in the EU referendum debate .... there will be at least one or two more posts, which I will publish later, and one of which is a real eye opener, but that will near enough be it for me on the subject. Its depressing that there has been little positive campaigning, especially from the Stay In campaign, who have not been able to list the ways in which we have benefited from membership of the EU (apart from the right to live in southern Spain).
Let the people decide ... I am but one vote for the out group (however I am no Nostradamus, and I don't know which way the vote will go, nor indeed which is the best course for the UK, but I can see no compelling reason to stay in)
Not being very knowledgeable in matters of the EU, even I could see the weaknesses of such arguments. I don't know which side of the balance sheet weighs heavier and I don't know who does but there are worse places to get the facts from than PC Towers.
ReplyDeleteThanks ... I can't claim to be wholly unbiased as I have nailed my colours to the mast, but I do try to be balanced in my posts.
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