Letter: Like it Or Not, We Are Part of Europe

Published on: 30 Mar, 2016
Updated on: 30 Mar, 2016

From Richard Peters

Whether we like it or not we are part of Europe.

I don’t pretend that the EU is an effective organisation, it has many failings, but what happens or doesn’t happen in the EU is important to Europe as a whole, including us.

So it seems sensible, in my view, that we should take part in decisions which affect Europe and play our part in trying to shape it in what we feel is the ‘right’ way.

To argue whether we are better off in or out is a sterile argument. Some people will be better off in, others better off out.

Politically we are in an increasingly unstable world. Putin is trying to regain the ‘empire’ Russia lost when the Iron Curtain came down. He’s invaded Georgia, Crimea and eastern Ukraine. He is threatening other East European countries. He needs to be confronted politically as well as militarily.

A united Europe under the EU umbrella will be more difficult for him to push around than a divided Europe.

Many of the challenges we face: avoidance of tax by multinationals, global warming and immigration, are challenges which are better tackled by a united Europe rather than individual countries.

Much has been written about immigration. Mass movement of people is a phenomenon of our age. Immigrants who come her to work and who pay taxes, contributing towards to state pensions of our growing number of pensioners, are welcome.

Care homes and the NHS, to name just two, could not do without them. Coming out of the EU would not reduce the numbers wanting to come in and many would continue, and succeed, in entering illegally.

No one can tell us what would happen if we came out, or how long it would take to leave. Despite the fact that many member states would be anxious to trade with us, those who want to discourage other member states from leaving would do their utmost to ensure that any deal we negotiated on our exit would not look attractive for other potential leavers.

Responses to Letter: Like it Or Not, We Are Part of Europe

Stephen Mansbridge Reply

March 30, 2016 at 11:35 pm

Surely the point is that neither side has yet set out a plausible argument. We have had scare tactics on economics, trade and immigration from both camps, but we have yet to see the real points of discussion.

I believe that we have to vote out in order to renegotiate, but I also believe that our Commonwealth is an opportunity that may slip beneath our bows in the Queen’s 90th year – a huge missed and wasted opportunity of the 60s-90s.

We need our MEPs and MPs to be clear on their views and to lead us through strong debate towards informed decisions. Other than Michael Gove, there is non-decision.
Stuart Barnes Reply

March 31, 2016 at 9:54 am

There will never be “a united Europe” except under compulsion. The failed experiment called the EU has proved its incompetence, for example over its handling of the floods of immigrants and the associated terrorism and its failure even to keep proper accounts so that its external auditors, for 19 years in succession, have refused to sign them off, as true and fair, must cause even more alarm.

It is obvious the the IN crowd are getting ever more desperate with a new ludicrous “project fear” story appearing every day in their mouthpiece, the “unbiased” BBC. Of course the money and big business is all for the status quo and can afford to put out scare leaflets but we can ignore such things and think for ourselves.

We must grasp this opportunity to get back control of our country, our borders, and our culture for the sake of our children and grandchildren and vote OUT. Don’t let our descendants look back on this historic opportunity and wonder why we did not have enough pride in the great history of our country and its people to take back its destiny from an unelected and failed foreign institution.
Garry Walton Reply

March 31, 2016 at 1:04 pm

The problem with Europe is that it means different things.

Let’s try to leave scaremongering out and show some facts. (And some of the facts are scary.)

Geographically we are part of Europe. Before the EU we successfully traveled and traded with all of its countries.

The Common Market, the original version of the EU, that we voted to join in 1970s was a trading community.

The EU has become the federal government of Europe. It makes laws that our parliament must implement.

Laws that mean we cannot normally prevent EU citizens from entering and staying in UK so we now have uncontrolled immigration. (Net immigration into the UK from EU in 2015 was 257,000. – Source: Migration Watch.)

All citizens of any country that joins the EU are entitled to move to the UK. Turkey has been promised fast track status to membership.

Next year we will pay over £13 billion gross for the pleasure of continuing to be a net contributor to the EU.

There are 11 net contributors and 15 net recipients. Two member states break even.

UK is the second largest EU contributor after Germany and more than France. Our total trade with EU is negative 60/40.

The EU provides no European security force. That role is provided by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation).

We can only do trade deals with the Commonwealth through the EU.

EU Legislation is influenced by multinational companies and incorporated into legislation by Brussels. (See a short film called ‘The Brussels Business’.)

UK has no power at the EU bargaining table as it has one vote out of 28.

There are 195 countries in the world the UK could trade with including the other 27 in the EU.

In the interests of our country I will be voting to leave the EU and embrace Europe along with the rest of the world.