THE regular correspondence appearing on this page criticising the European Union goes largely unanswered.
This ill informed nonsense asserts that we pay huge sums in and get nothing out.
Some real information is needed. Here goes.
In return for a net £7bn (one per cent of government expenditure) we get:
Fifty-seven per cent of our trade, structural funding for areas hit by industrial decline, European arrest warrants, cross border policing to combat human, drugs and gun trafficking, counter terrorism intelligence; clean beaches and rivers; cleaner air; lead free petrol; landfill restrictions; cheaper mobile phone and air transport charges; improved consumer protection and food labelling; better product safety; breaking up monopolies; Europe wide patent and copyright protection, removed currency commissions on transactions, freedom to travel, live and work across Europe, student funds for study abroad, labour protection and enhanced social welfare, children free from being beaten in schools, equal pay laws, limits to working hours, access to health care abroad, no trade paperwork or customs, representation in international forums, and much more.
And it is wilful blindness to believe we would have that lot anyway.
Which bits of it would you wish to “repatriate?”
The Bullingdon boys have only been in power for five minutes and they have cut the food control inspectorate so that we end up with horse carcase rendered rubbish in our kids’ burgers.
Every time they are asked which of the EU laws they want to change, top of the list is to cut workers’ rights.
What else would you expect from millionaire toffs?
There will always be a need for improvement in EU processes and it certainly was a stroke of genius on Gordon Brown’s part to keep us out of the euro when Tories like Heseltine and Ken Clarke were yapping for us to join.
However “in” or “out” of the EU?
After nearly 70 years of peace in Europe, it’s a no-brainer.
Rob Meggs,
Forester Close,
Hartlepool.
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