EUROPE
Sir Roger
Gale MP (Cons North Thanet) writes in his January newsletter…..
….. Boris Johnson,
suggests that David Cameron must hold an “In/Out” referendum and that it should
be held before the next general election. …………………………. …………..
with polls suggesting that today more than 50% of the electorate would
vote for the exit door it`s easy to see where the Mayor of London is coming
from. That Herman Van Rompuy believes that the “EU would fall apart if
countries were allowed to pick and choose” which policies they would like to
endorse indicates a triumph of bureaucracy over democracy. The people? Choose? Perish the thought.
“The single Market”, says Rumpy Pumpy “would unravel”. Now there are
those of us who were naive enough to believe that it was a single market and
not a Federal United States of Europe, that we were joining all those years ago. And yet curiously,
it is the arch-federalist Jacques “Up Yours” Delors, three-times President of
the European Commission, who comes out of the woodwork to suggest that the UK
could enjoy a “partnership” in a European Free-Trade Area without
necessarily remaining a member of the EU.
Get out of Europe?
The Britons who live in Europe
must seriously understand the pressure that is building to take Britain
out of the Union.
At its extreme this could be a disaster.
At its best it means a re-appraisal of circumstances for all Britons in Europe. As things stand none of these Britons have
any political voice whatsoever in whatever decisions are made, yet these
Britons are those most closely affected.
The situation is not democratic.
Consider the worst scenario – That
is to say complete secession from the European Union. Britons would then have much the same status
as Americans in Europe.
Britons would no longer be European
Citizens – the passports would all revert to Citizens of the British
Isles (or England & Wales, Scotland, etc….)
Freedom to live and move at will in continental Europe, to freely own
property, transfer funds without hindrance would cease [The four freedoms of Movement of Goods, Capital, Services and People]. Winter Fuel Payments would cease, perhaps difficulties
with other benefits (?); automatic medical support would cease, The use of the
EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) would cease, which would affect all
British Citizens holidaying in Europe.
This worst scenario is surely unlikely. Yet is that what the anti-unionists are
proposing? (that is --- Exit from the EU)
It is suggested by some that
Britain could have a status similar to Switzerland
or Norway (so
called European Free Trade Association States).
These countries are not in the Union as such but
the difference in actuality is really quite slight.
Looking at EFTA Status for Britain?
The following is
condensed from the WIKIPEDIA reference
on the EFTA nations
***************
The
EFTA nations (Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and also Switzerland) adhere to the same "four freedoms" as the EU -goods, persons, services, and capital, and
in consequence these countries have accepted in this regard the Laws of the European Union. BUT they have
little influence on the decision-making processes in Brussels,
because they are not members of the EU, though members of the EEA (European
Economic Area)
The
EFTA countries do not bear the financial burdens of EU membership, although
they contribute financially to the European single
market.
After
the EU/EEA enlargement of 2004, there was a tenfold increase in the financial
contribution of the EEA States, in particular Norway, to social
and economic cohesion in the Internal Market (€1167 million over five
years).
EFTA
countries do not receive any funding from EU policies and development funds.
**************
Could Britain be like Switzerland or Norway?
The outer ring of EFTA members within the
umbrella of the European Economic Area still come under EU directives without
being fully involved in their construction.
What then is the advantage of not being full members? That is difficult to understand – perhaps it
is just an emotional idea. It is surely
odd to be subject to the EU regulations and not be able to participate in their
formulation? These countries, much
smaller than the UK, have essentially accepted a less democratic association with the EU
just to remain part of the single market. This weakening of the influence
of the UK in a
similar association with the EU would certainly suit Jacques Delors, not known
in the past for his support of Britain.
What do those people in Britain
who wish to see Britain
‘out of the EU’ actually seek? There is
no clear vision from them but only negative criticism.
If they want to see the country leave fully and
completely then truly it could well be a monumental shock which all British
Citizens on the continent would regret. It is unrealistic to expect a smooth
withdrawal from the EU (with a bonfire of all agreements), and a belief that
this would result in a flourishing British economy.
To quote from a blog on the site of the
influential organisation ‘TheCityUK’ –representing finance firms. “The
UK’s financial
and professional services sector benefits greatly not only from access to the
Single Market within the EU but also from the global opportunities that the EU,
negotiating globally from a position of market strength, can bring.” The
Chairman of ‘TheCityUK’ says – ‘We have not made the case strongly enough how
important it is that the UK
remains the EU's financial centre.’
If Britain
seceded from the Union, then International Banks would
probably move their operations to Europe. The British GDP
could lose 25 billion in trade.
Should it not be the role of Britain
to play a full part in the development of Europe? With
the European Commission’s trade directorate at this time proposing
comprehensive trade negotiations with the US
and Japan,
shouldn’t the UK
be involved in such talks between equivalent economic weight trading areas, as
part of the EU?
Britain
should take a lead in helping to correct the failings of Europe
and willingly and wholeheartedly
bring to the European nations the expertise and leadership for which Britain
ought to be famed. The Nations of
Europe deplore the weakness of Britain
in Europe. Britain
should get ‘stuck in’ and take a lead. No longer should it pussyfoot in the
wings.
Should not the British Citizens who live on the
Continent and are profoundly affected be consulted? Why does the British Government not consider them? Are more than a million British Citizens to be
ignored?
Should not British Citizens in Europe
shake off their British apathy and take action?
We should demand that our voices are heard.
***************************************
Take Action.
Select politicians (MPs &
Lords) of your choosing from the address
list. One of our correspondents has
written to 22 MPs. Our future depends on
this kind of action.
Affix this whole message and send.
“Please consider the needs of the one million
British Citizens in Europe. We need to remain part of the European
Union. Furthermore we need a democratic
voice through a democratic principle to vote for an elected representative, so
that our voice is always to be heard when the British Government makes decisions
which affect us.”
**********************
No comments:
Post a Comment