Letter: An Indictment of the EU from German Professors

Published on: 17 May, 2016
Updated on: 17 May, 2016

From Gordon Bridger

Hon Alderman and former Mayor of Guildford

We must remain aware that the phalanx of advice from the “great and the good” seeking to terrify us into continuing to stay in the EU is emanating from institutions that are not British and which do not have to bear the problematic high cost of uncontrolled frontiers and lack of democratic accountability that we face.

For the larger British institutions cheap labour from uncontrolled EU migration has been a boon. Their claims of the of the beneficial economic consequences are grossly exaggerated as it is in the EU’s economic interest to continue as normal: their trade surpluses are huge and they cannot risk creating even higher levels of unemployment than at present. Even if there is disruption these shorter term consequences have to be weighed against massive immigration and a lack of accountability.

What about the costs of “remaining”? Readers should be aware of what seven German professors, mainly lawyers from London, specialising in EU law, one from our twin town Freiburg, or from other universities, plus a former president of the German Federation of Industry, have written in the Sunday Times (May 15):

David Cameron’s claim that we are not committed to ever closer union is challenged by them. They wrote: “ …there is nothing in this deal which protects the UK from the European Court of Justice’s further activism”. They go on to point out that: “once the million or more immigrants in the union are naturalised there is nothing to prevent them coming to Britain”.

While they would wish Britain to stay in the union, “it is a choice of disembarking from the EU train now or staying on as it hurtles towards further integration which threatens to undermine rather than uphold the liberty and prosperity of our continent”.

I have never come across such a devastating indictment of the EU from such involved and concerned expert professional.

Responses to Letter: An Indictment of the EU from German Professors

George Potter Reply

May 18, 2016 at 9:14 am

What Gordon Bridger seems to forget is that under UK law there has to be another in out referendum if there is any future transfer of power from the UK to the EU.

So it’s very much the case that if the EU does turn into something we don’t like in future then we can leave then.

In the meantime I’m not sure why I should take the word of two German academics (who might well have no special knowledge of the EU whatsoever) over the word of the IMF, the Governor of the Bank of England, the Financial Times, Barack Obama, the Treasury, the Confederation of British Industry, the Trade Union Congress, the Directors of MI5 and MI6, and leading independent economists who have all warned that leaving the EU would destroy jobs, strip us of the employment rights that we currently enjoy and make us poorer, less influential and less safe than we are now.

It’s all very well for retired people in big houses to ignore the unemployment and recession that leaving would most likely bring but for my generation those things matter a great deal and I’m more likely to take the word of experts who know what they’re talking about than let a couple of German academics convince me of a decison that would destroy this country’s future.
- John Perkins Reply
  
  May 21, 2016 at 12:04 pm
  
  The independence of the Governor of the Bank of England, the Treasury, the directors of MI5 and MI6 has been questioned. They all rely on the government for their livelihood and their employer has taken a clear position against leaving, even to the point of claiming that it might lead to war.
  
  The head of the IMF, Christine Lagarde, was strongly backed by George Osborne in her application for her position. More recently, she apologised to him for a statement made by her chief economist. She can be said to ‘owe’ him.
  
  Barack Obama is a foreign president who’s first loyalty is to his own country and who has consistently displayed hostility to this country. His judgement is best regarded as tainted.
  
  The TUC and CBI both receive money directly from the EU and the latter represents big businesses that are able to take advantage of EU tax laws to avoid paying UK tax. They are unlikely to bite the hand that feeds them.
  
  None of these people should be considered independent.
  
  There are an equal and opposite number of independent economists who make outrageous claims about what will happen if the UK remains in the EU. The truth is that nobody actually knows because the future cannot be predicted. Those suggesting horrendous outcomes are simply scaremongering.
Chris Fox Reply

May 18, 2016 at 9:47 am

Presumably Mr Bridger realises he behaves exactly like the great and the good who give the advice he so deprecates. He seeks to terrify us about massive immigration and lack of accountability in a manner exactly like those whom he criticises.
Gordon Bridger Reply

May 22, 2016 at 8:20 am

Mr Potter who has missed the point that the nine German experts were making i.e: “Take the declaration that the UK is not committed to ever closer union. There is not a single important judgement where the European Court of Justice has relied on this verbal formula as the exclusive basis for driving EU integration. There is nothing in this deal that protects the UK from Luxembourg’s further activism.”

As for economic issues, Chris Fox and George Potter do not seem to be aware that since 1995 to 2015 our trade deficit with the EU has increased from £11 billion to around £77 billion, while our exports to the EU have increased by 3.6 per cent per year to other countries they has increased by 6.5 per cent. So we have a trade deficit with the EU and surplus with the rest of the world – mainly thanks to “Services”. Surprised?

For Germany or France to start a trade war with the UK, with whom they have a huge trade surplus, would not make any sense and claims that we would lose our whisky exports or Ryanair would be denied cheap flights to the EU are fantasy. In fact, it is a myth that we have done well economically out of joining the EU. We have paid heavily by agreeing to subsidise French and German agriculture and lost most of our fisheries in a deal which has not benefited our trade as was assumed. Many other countries not part of the EU have increased trade far more than we have.

So all these economic horror stories should be taken with a pinch of salt. It is true however that confusion and misinformation is making investors uncertain about the future – but a lower value £ is just what we need to remedy our balance of payments deficit.

Incidentally, I note that Aston Martin have agreed to start a new car factory in Wales. Economically I believe the UK has a far better future on its own rather than as part of sinking EU state which has absorbed too many countries. It is not only Greece who has problems, so has Italy and France. The EU is no longer an engine of growth and remaining a member we will find ourselves dragged into economic and social problems not of our making and which we cannot solve.

As for immigration – the net rate is now claimed to 335,000 each year up from just 50,000 in 1995. While immigrants who have integrated have been important and even essential to our welfare the scale is now so colossal that, as has been found in other parts of the EU, it is causing serious social disruption, and putting a huge stress on our housing, education and health facilities. We need to be able to really control our borders and have a selective immigration policy.