ENSLAVED TO THE EU

The tale of why I became involved in the anti-EU campaign is one I have most probably told on this blog more than once, but here’s another dose anyway. For me it all began in 1991 after the toppling of Margaret Thatcher and the instalment of the grey man, John Major.

Up until that time, like most the Common Market, EEC, EU and whatever else we heard reference to was of little concern to me, I had voted to stay in the Common Market during the 1975 referendum because we were told it was for trade only and there would no laws made in Europe and no loss of sovereignty. However, in those dark and worrying recessionary days of the early nineties, while I was struggling to keep our small family business afloat, I was horrified when the Chancellor raised VAT from 15% to 17.5%. I promptly wrote to request VAT be dropped, rather than raised, and the new level should be around 8% to 10%.

When the reply came a week or two later I was aghast, his office informed me that because we were in the EU 15% was the lowest VAT rate the EU would allow. Now considering vast numbers of people, myself included, had placed our referendum votes to stay in the Common Market based on the assertion that such control over us would not happen, I was mortified and could not get over the fact my elected Government was under the orders of a foreign organisation which the British electorate had no democratic control over. The rest as they say is history and one of the far too many reasons for this blog.

This now brings me to the point, in my last posting on this blog a comment was made by Harry L that we need evidence that around 75% of all British laws were made by the EU, he also gave a link to a Parliament web-site which links to a PDF document for Members of Parliament to refer to help them dispute how much EU law there is.

The first thing you notice when looking at this document, right at its start there is more or less a disclaimer stating: “This information is provided to Members of Parliament in support of their parliamentary duties and is not intended to address the specific circumstances of any particular individual. It should not be relied upon as being up to date; the law or policies may have changed since it was last updated; and it should not be relied upon as legal or professional advice or as a substitute for it. A suitably qualified professional should be consulted if specific advice or information is required.”

However, as Edward Spalton, who is a long serving campaigner with the Campaign for an Independent Britain and other pro-democracy anti-EU organisations points out, there is a great deal of EU legislation which is never specific and remains unidentified.

Currently there is a great deal of debate about the introduction of high speed rail with HS2, in all the debates and TV programmes covering this you never see any mention that this has anything to do with it. As far as the press, media and many others are concerned this is an initiative set up by our own Government – but in reality it is our Government obey the wishes of the EU – all you have to do is look at the EU’s Ten T project covering transport. Indecently, Ten T also wants the introduction of road tolls, that too has been in the news of late with talk of motorway widening with fast moving toll lanes – and no reference to the EU.

This then is how 75% of EU laws impact upon us without many people even realising the EU is behind them. As Edward further explains: “This happens when the EU issues a DIRECTIVE which requires parliaments in member states to put certain laws onto their national statute books.

The government never, or hardly ever, identifies such Bills, or clauses in Bills, as having their origin from an EU Directive. Supposedly eurosceptic newspapers rarely take the trouble to find out. I have lost count of the times I have seen reports of " new government initiatives"which were, in fact, Brussels initiatives.

Peter Lilley made a telling remark that governments go to Brussels determined to oppose some measure, then find they are in a minority(often of one). They come back home and introduce a Bill to enforce the directive as enthusiastically as if it were their own idea. They don't say "We have to do this because of such-and-such Directive" and most MPs will not know either. Peter Lilley likened this to a cuckolded husband accepting the fruit of his wife's infidelity rather than facing the real
situation publicly.

In the last parliament, a Tory MP, Mark Harper, brought in a ten minute rule Bill which would have required the government to state on the face of a Bill (and presumably of clauses introduced into larger Bills, or of statutory instruments) a statement to the effect "This Bill/Clause/Instrument is made to comply with EU Directive XYZ."

Mr. Harper's Bill received a fair amount of support, even from some europhiles, but the Labour government bought out the payroll vote and squashed it (probably to the relief of Conservative & Lib-Dem leaderships).

Some of us who tried to contact Mr. Harper to congratulate him on his attempt found he was unavailable - gone to ground. This was at the time when Mr. Cameron was discouraging MPs from "banging on about Europe". Anyway, he has the reward of his quietness now - as a government
minister.

I don't know how you would identify the huge number of Bills and clauses to Bills made in this way, as originating from the EU. I suspect that a lengthy process of Freedom of Information requests might be necessary. If you could go back 38 years, the number would be colossal.”

So, there we have it, the EU is now in every part of our lives, if you suddenly find a good useful chemical product vanishes from sale – the chances are it has been banned by the EU’s REACH directive, when you pass a pub and see a few cold people huddled in a doorway puffing on their fags, that is because the EU wanted to ban smoking in public places. When you look at the empty premises where your handy Post Office used to be, it was closed down because of the effects of the EU Postal Directives. Even if you try to get away from it all and fly away to some foreign destination, you will be flying through EU controlled air space (we don’t have any British air space anymore), it’s no use using ferries our boats either as these now sail on EU seas which has fish that can only be caught under EU quotas. We are not just well and truly governed by the EU – we are as good as enslaved to it.