Answer To A Europhile
Reader Ellee Seymour, posted a comment yesterday, that begs for an answer:
Andrew Duff, Lib Dem MEP, has a letter published to today's East Anglian Daily Press about Douglas Carswell and Co saying they cannot say how an independent Britain could possibly stand up politically to the US or compete economically in an open, global market. He goes on to add that neither can they tell us how they would seek to influence decisions in Brussels without the engagement there of British MEPs, ministers and officials. He concludes by saying that UKIP and its fellow travellers in the Tory party would sell Britain short.So as not to let Ellee down, here is my response to Andrew Duff. Standing up politically to the US:Over to you...
- It may be painful to Mr Duff, but the UK is more often than not on the same side as the USA.
- Even if we weren’t the EU is impotent in such matters.
- Countries do not compete against each other, companies and individuals do.
- The EU hobbles our companies with regulations that damage their competitiveness. No amount of joined up lobbying clout can make up for this.
- In fact, when it comes to trade issues, the EU is largely pushing for things that are not in British interests, so we are not even benefiting from the EU’s size.
- If we were not a member, only the proportion of our trade that is with the EU would be subject to EU rules. Domestic trade and other international trade would not be affected. So why would we need to worry.
- A cynic could also add that we currently seem to have zero impact in Brussels anyway. The train is going to a destination that we don’t want, so at best we are able to slow it down.
9 comments:
Can I add one?
The idea that we need to be bigger to negociate better trade positions is a false one. Mercantilist thinking that treated trade as a zero sum game was debunked by (Tory MP) David Ricardo 200 years ago. Trade makes everyone richer even if its adopted unilaterally.
It is interesting to note that the "standing up for Britain's Rights" argument doesn't wash.
Peter Mandelson, Brit, did not follow Blair's committment to a smaller CAP at the world trade talks. Instead, he followed the 'official' French and German EU line.
Even the Brits don't have any real power in Brussels
"Countries do not compete against each other, companies and individuals do." Well said.
The UK could become part of the USA. No more Brussel sprouts to worry about.
"The UK could become part of the USA.
A little extreme don't you think? I don't think I could have made it to 21 without alcohol.
The drinking age in the US is legislated at the state level, not federal.
Thanks for running this. For those who don't know, Andrew Duff MEP as being one of the original writers of the European Constitution, and he is trying hard to breath some new life into this.
You may like to know what Jeffrey Titford MEP (UKIP) said in reply to Duff's comments:
"Britain would be hugely better off out of the EU, free to re-establish and strengthen trading linkns with the Commonwealth and across the world.
"As the fourth largest economy in the world, we do not need to be locked away into a dated, crimnally expsnevie, hopelessly bureaucratci and thoroughly undemoncratic EU, which is in serious decline".
In the period 2000-2004, the Treasury paid out some £9.1 billion over and above its contributions to the main EU budget. Thats 9.1 billion reasons to leave.
Anonomous,
The drinking age is legislated at a state level but states that do not legislate a minimum age of 21 cannot recieve federal transport funding (the biggest source of pork barrel) - hence they all do.
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