Better Off Out (Continued)

A.          History - How did we stray into this quicksand?

1.    The post-war ideas which inspired European integration are now obsolete. These were largely (a) to resist the growing menace of the Soviet Union, and (b) to stop Germany going to war again. (See point 28).

2.    During the 1960s & '70s Britain had two other reasons for wanting to join what was then the European Common Market.  These were (a) to emulate Germany's industrial success and (b) as a hedge against our far left taking power.' These aims are now also redundant.

3.    The 19~7 Treaty of Rdme, which set up the European Common Market, had as its goal 'the ever closer union of the peoples of Europe'. The other signatories have always understood this to mean the gradual creation of an EU megastate. Only British Governments, both Labour and Conservative, have consistently fudged the issue.

4.     Edward Heath agreed the Treaty in 1972 and took us into the Common Market, sacrificing our fisheries behind Parliament's back. (See point 22).

5.     During the 1975 referendum, when the British people voted to stay in the Common Market, the Labour Government sent a leaflet to every household in the land, saying: "There was a threat to employment in Britain from the movement in the Common Market towards an Economic and Monetary Union.  This could have forced us to accept fixed exchange rates for the poun&, restricting industrial growth and so putting jobs at risk. This threat has been removed."

6.    Radio 4 has confessed that the BBC was heavily biased in favour of a 'yes' vote before and during the 1975 campaign. The 'yes' campaign was also generously funded by the CIA. The BBC and Independent Television remain biased in favour of our EU membership today.

7.       All subsequent amendments to the Treaty have increased the power of 'Brussels' at the expense of national sovereignty. These amendments were: the Single European Act of 1985, the Treaty on European Union  'Maastricht' - of 1992, and the Amsterdam Treaty of 1997, (collectively referred to as the 'Treaty of Rome'). Thus the original European Common Market has been subtly changed into the European Union of today, without the peoples' understanding or consent.

8.       Of all the Treaty changes, the Single European Act has turned out to be the most destructive, because it set up the Single Market (not to be confused with the former Common Market) and gave control of our industry, commerce and environment to majority voting in Brussels. (See chart opposite).

9.       There are 87 'qualified majority' votes among the 15 member states. 62 votes are required to pass a law and 26 to block one. The UK has 10. This is the mechanism which has allowed so many British interests to be damaged or destroyed by Brussels' harmonising craze. We often cannot muster the extra 16 votes to form a blocking minority because our partners' do not share our international trading perspective. Current examples of our damaged commercial interests are our very valuable international art market, thanks to increased VAT and a levy on the re-sale of art; and our mergers and acquisitions industry, thanks to the Takeover Directive.

10.      Other British interests which have suffered the cancerous influence of "Brussels" include our air space, armed forces, boat builders, bridges, cheese-makers, civil service, chocolate,- condoms, dairy farmers, duty-free shopping, euro-bonds, freedom of religion, hallmarks, hedgerows, herbal medicines, legal system, lorries, market gardeners, oak trees, paper rounds, pheasant shooting, ponies, postal service, race relations, sexual discrimination and harrassment, slaughter houses, taxation, taxis, wa' ste disposal, water, whisky, working week, the roast beef of Old England, the London bus and the excellent lavatory designed by Thomas Crapper.

11.    John Major believed he had negotiated a measure of national independence at Maastricht (1992), when the 'subsidiarity' clause was inserted into the Treaty. He believed this meant that Brussels would only dominate when the nation states could not do something better on their own.  He even claimed that 25% of all EU legislation would be withdrawn under this triumph, but not one comma has been changed. The catch was in the third line. The EU agreed to allow the states to do their own thing only 'in areas which do not fall within its exclusive competence

12.     The question as to whether we should stay in the EU has scarcely featured in any General Election campaign since 1983.