EU - thought you like to see this -two opinions I received today - it makes interesting reading.
Rona Cant
- I feel as much European as English. The culture which I value so highly as part of my ‘identity’ - its artistic, architectural and musical history, and its developed and developing ethical and democratic structures – is essentially European. This is in no way to devalue other cultures, but I appreciate them as a visitor, rather than as a resident.
- The net cost to us of belonging to the EU, after what we receive in return, is about £8bn. This amounts to about 1.04% of UK government expenditure (£772 bn.) In exchange we get open access to a market of 508m. people, greater than the whole of North America. This seems like incredibly good value.
- In order for an open market to be fair it has to have regulations which prevent unfair competition which would result from cost saving through exploitation of workers and through disparate standards of safety and quality. Most of the regulation from Europe is in the form of directives, which specify the goals but not necessarily the means of getting there. UK is famous for devising the most complex and onerous ways of getting from A to B, so we finish up with ‘gold-plated’ legislation. This is devised by British civil servants, with scrutiny from Parliament. This is a mirror of what happens with the EU – civil servants propose, Ministers and Parliament scrutinise and agree or veto.
- If we left the EU we would have to negotiate trade terms. We sell nearly 40% of our exported goods and services to EU countries; collectively they sell less than 4% of theirs to us. Who is in the better negotiating position? Norway, was originally cited as an example of what we could do, but recently was dropped from the Brexit argument when it was realised that Norway paid to the EU, per capita, half as much as the UK and had to accept most of the EU regulations, including freedom of labour, but they have no say in how the EU is run.
- Sadly the debate seems to have revolved around immigration. 80% of male EU immigrants are in paid employment, slightly higher than the figures for those born in the UK. They represent a vital part of the labour market, and many sectors of our economy are now dependent on them: agriculture, medicine and health care, social care, transport and the food industries in particular. The loss of these excellent workers would be a devastating blow to the economy and to our way of life.
- If we came ‘out’ France would have no interest in stopping migrants leaving their North coast: in fact they would probably encourage it.
- We may lose some of the Police and security service co-operation that we get now from the other member states.
- We are now a small player on the world stage in our own right, but a very important one as a member of the EU. That is why theUS wants us to stay in. Without us the EU would be weaker, and so would we. In an age when we may well face the prospect of a Putin-Trump axis creating mayhem we need to hold on to the values of co-operation, conciliation and unity to have any chance of standing up, as we did in 1939, to the tyrannies that may envelope the world.
- Finally, there has been much talk of ‘taking back control’. Pausing to consider how that might manifest itself you may conclude that the last thing you want is more control in the hands of such as Nigel Farrage, and others who may exhibit demagogic* tendencies.
Nobody has asked me for my opinion. They’ve asked David Beckham, Gerry Adams, but oddly my soundbite has been omitted. So here goes. My only request is that everyone gets out and votes. And that we accept that there are shades of grey and arguments on both sides. And once we’ve finished voting, we all have to be friends and continue, regardless of the outcome. And find a way of making that outcome work.
1. I love Europe and all it’s beauty. I have countless European friends, my daughters Godparent is French, and I have great memories from travelling our beautiful continent. One of the beauties of the continent is that every country is unique. The culture which I value so highly - its artistic and architectural and musical history, and its ethical and democratic structures – are being crushed into one centralised bureaucratic and oligarchic melange with an increasing centralisation of power and rules removing the wonderful tapestry. Centralised power to unaccountable bureaucrats is not healthy. Especially when they are failed domestic politicians who the electorate have often just rejected e.g. Neil Kinnock who has a job for life. This is anti-democracy at work. Had you even heard of the current EU President, Mr Juncker, until the day he became your leader?
2. An Oligarchy is a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution. Over the past twenty year there have been 72 occasions in the Council of Ministers where the United Kingdom has opposed a particular measure. Of those 72 occasions, we have been successful precisely 0 times and we have lost 72 times. Your MEP makes zero impact and this is the façade of democracy. Furthermore whatever a UK party proposes in a manifesto can always be overruled by an EU court and there are numerous occasions where this has happened. The Remain argument appears to be consistently arguing that not many rules and regulations are actually made in the EU. The facts on both sides appear contestable, however if this is truly the case, then why advocate the EU. On the basis that it doesn’t actually do anything?
3. There is a single focus for the Remain campaign on the economy. Not about the strength of the European economy, but about how our economy will suffer with multiple scare stories. Life is of course about more than money. But to put it in context most of those scare stories have come from the leaders of large organisations. And if you view the risk registers of these large corporations you’ll spot one consistent item. The “risk” of EU disintegration to the corporations will result in a direct increase in wage demands as fluid labour movement is restricted. The 1% are the winners from the EU. 50% of growth since the inception of the EU has been funnelled into the 1% whilst wages have been suppressed.
Charity says only higher wages, crackdown on tax dodging and higher investment in public services can stop divide widening
4. If you are voting to protect the economy all you do is protect the rich bankers and multinational corporations (the 1%) not the likes of the majority. Small to Medium business employ 85% of the workforce and they will be able to trade freely with the rest of the world and not be tied up by the red tape in Brussels. Why protect the elite from a possible short time hit to the economy? Democracy is worth more than short term economic certainty.
5. The economists who advocate the EU are the same ones who didn’t predict the recession and advocated joining the highly unsuccessful Euro which is close to implosion. Economic models do not work particularly well when applied to countries with significant differences geo-politically, economically and culturally. Greece and Germany are a perfect example of how fractious such models can become. The EU is very badly broken. It has destroyed the Southern European countries and there is massive youth unemployment: Greece 50% Spain 40%. Huge toxic debts heading for the richer countries. Italy is going to default 300BN Euros of toxic debt, Greece needs another bailout.
6. Why have the EU accounts, in its entire history, never been signed off without significant errors? As an Auditor myself that’s mindblowing.https://fullfact.org/europe/did-auditors-sign-eu-budget/. On a side note there is something very dysfunctional about an ideology that sees us paying huge amounts of money to an institution that uses it to provide grants to relocate our industry to other parts of the Union.
7. The EU as a trading block is declining rapidly. Because we are 28 countries who require consensus we are unable to negotiate a trade deal with the US, China, and multiple BLOC countries despite working on it for 8 years. This is restricting trade in a protectionist model. And whilst all this has been happening, in a trading block where many countries are stagnating or regressing, UK trade with the EU continues to decline. To negotiate new trade deals would be far simpler with just one nation agreeing terms, and of course we have a two year holding period to negotiate these. The level of exports from the EU to the UK means that there is no way they will not continue to trade with us, just as they trade with Canada, Australia and others. We are the 5th largest economy in the world.
8. And just today the Remain arguments core argument went up in absolute smoke. The Germans have already provided assurance that they would still want to trade with us. It makes no sense to imply that we’re too small to survive whilst equally insinuating the world economy will go up in smoke because one trade agreement is renegotiated. http://www.bbc.com/news/business-36596060
9. Tony Benn in 1976 stated “In practice, Britain will be governed by a European coalition government that we cannot change, dedicated to a capitalist or market economy theology. This policy is to be sold to us by projecting an unjustified optimism about the Community, and an unjustified pessimism about the United Kingdom, designed to frighten us in”. We voted for a common market. Nothing more. But the scrope creep has been astronomical without true consultation to the people until now. And the EU does not hide its intent to further integrate. It wants to. And it will. Bureaucrats careers and personal success rely on it in Brussels. You are not only voting for todays EU. But the future EU and the monster oligarchy it intends to become.
10. Immigration is a good thing. Uncontrolled immigration is not a good thing. It is divisive, unfair on domestic populations, and fuels the far right. Especially when it is managed through ill-managed systems and inadequate monitoring processes. A points based system and process to absorb legitimate refugees is fair. The idea that immigration is not a resource strain is extraordinary.
England's population density - 419 per km2.
• For Germany it is 228/sq.km
• Poland 130.
• France 105.
• Spain 94.
To match England's population density -
• Germany would need to take 68.8 million immigrants.
• Poland 86 million
• France 197 million
• Spain 161 million
Wonder why house prices have rocketed and the younger generations are denied fair access to everyones right of a home to call their own?
11. Mass immigration is diminishing the liberalism of the UK. This is wider than the EU as an issue, but the current levels of immigration are seeing a hardening of views against liberal ideals in many areas of the country. This is particularly the case in Eastern European countries and also beyond. The likely long term accession of Ukraine and Turkey will add to this. An increasingly illiberal and homophobic country is not one I wish to see. Slower levels of immigration allow for more integration and a more sustainable adaptation to the host culture and ideals. Rapid transitions do not tend to work effectively with the psychology of the masses, regardless of whether that is right or wrong.
12. The UK has been completely unable to enact change within at a time when its hand is strongest with the threat to leave. David Cameron achieved almost nothing. So why do advocates continually suggest that we are better off acting from within. Even when one of its biggest net-financial sponsors is threatening to leave there is almost zero reform. And it is not just the UK that is unhappy with the EU. Swedish, French, Dutch and Finnish also heading towards referendums based on polling. And 47% of all Europeans (the actual people not politicians and bureaucrats) now have an unfavourable view of the EU.
13. The current EU immigration policy is racist. It prioritises white western hegemony and it’s people over non-white people globally, including our many dear friends from across the commonwealth and many current and future trading partners.
14. There is no security threat. International security agencies will not stop co-operating against the many external threats we face based on petty political point scoring that politicians enter into. These organisations are already embedded and interwoven together and it is nobodys interest to end that co-operation. There is a security benefit from having closer control on who can and cannot have access to your country. Currently, free movement allows any one of 28 countries to grant a passport and long term residency to the UK. Background, security and immigration checks vary by country to significant degrees. And if you’re Germany and Angela Merkel, where there is a population decline stifling future economic growth, then you tend to just invite everyone that’s willing.
15. The Swiss and Norwegians are happy enough outside. In fact the Swiss withdrew their longstanding insurance policy application recently. The Australians are happy too although they do seem to be muscling in on Eurovision!
https://www.rt.com/news/346884-switzerland-eu-membership-application-rejected/
16. Is this an organisation you would really join today? Is it something where the Remain campaign have convinced you of the benefits of membership? Do you think your voice is heard and democracy is working? The organisation is dysfunctional. It’s breaking rapidly. And there is plenty to be proud and confident about with regards the UK. It is one of the homes of democracy that the rest of the world looks up to. It is the fifth largest economy in the world. And it can quite happily continue to be that whilst trading with its brothers and sisters across Europe and the World.
There are always shades of grey and there are of course plenty of arguments for the EU. It just so happens that I’m not convinced by them and think on the weight of balance we’ll be better off outside of the EU.
