I was against it from the start

NEW ZEALAND LAMB: I still remember it.

THE decision to join with Europe was political, not economic

I, OF course, am old enough to remember a United Kingdom without the leaden yolk of the European Union hanging from its neck.

A time when our Commonwealth partners were the integral centre of our trade and commerce. Who could forget the succulent New Zealand lamb, the delicious fruits and prime beef from Australia? The colourful high quality clothing from Canada and much, much more. We never in fact needed the common market. I was against it from the start. Frankly I couldn’t see the point. 

We had complete control of our borders and trade outlets and were barreling along very nicely thank you. The decision to join with Europe was political not economic.  They needed us far more than we needed them. 

When we joined up and dropped our ties with our Commonwealth partners, they felt betrayed and indeed, in some quarters our changes of direction lead to a great deal of hardship and job losses in the countries concerned. I sometimes doubt whether we’ve actually been truly forgiven to this day. 

This bunch of power-mad politicians and their ideas of free trade have restricted our fishing rights, led to mountains of wasted fruit and vegetables, created ludicrous food regulations. (A 27,000 word directive on the growth and sale of cabbages is a case in point!) And an open border policy which threatens our very existence. I simply find it hard to believe that so called intellectuals can actually be that stupid. 

I can’t help but feel there is some other, more sinister objective to their actions. Turkey, I find particularly unsettling. Who in their right mind would want to make a country with a 67,000,000 population, of which 99 per cent are Muslim, a part of the European Union? 

Millions of Muslims swarming into Europe with no restrictions whatsoever. No, I’m afraid something is severely amiss somewhere and the sooner the UK gets out and takes control of its own future the better. 

I still maintain they need us more than we need them, and rely heavily on the amount of trade and business that stems from British firms and institutions. Cameron’s scaremongering to the contrary is utter rubbish.

 

Keep the faith.
Love Leapy
leapylee2002@gmail.com

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Comments


    • the teddyboy

      12 March 2016 • 00:49

      Hi Lee
      Yes My Ol’ Mate it sure is Political & Politician cannot be that stupid.. So therefore they think we are.. Great one today Archbishop Canterbury said not Racist to be against Immigrants.. It is plain sense.. No Houses, No Jobs, NHS Overburdened, Schools etc. etc.
      Cameron comes back with If we leave EU Price of Socks & Gloves will go up !!!! Big Deal that surely will scare us to Death … Don’t he know China etc. Pushing them out in Pound Shop 4 Pairs a £1 ….. Take Care O/M/C

    • Tony Evans

      11 March 2016 • 08:00

      Hello Leapy,
      Spot on as usual. When I read your column every week I wonder how anyone so un-PC can keep a job. You are of the same mind as myself, getting more and more anti-establishment. I thank my lucky stars that I now live here permanently and am slowly cutting ties to the UK.
      Regards, Tony

    • Brian Eagleson

      11 March 2016 • 10:08

      I have pointed out elsewhere if Cameron loses the referendum one thing is for sure. Britain will lose its ability to veto Turkey or any other applicant. That is a loss of power and influence in anyone’s language. Spain will remain a member of the EU whatever way the referendum goes. So If your campaign is successful Graham, and everyone votes for the UK to leave, Spain’s borders will become wide open to the “67,000,000 population, of which 99 per cent are Muslim,” that you are talking about. Some readers may think it better for Britain to stay in and use its veto instead to keep Turkey out.

    • Brian Eagleson

      12 March 2016 • 13:57

      No mention of Spain. I’ve searched and searched. Nope, can’t find it. Considering you write for the Euro Weekly News, published in Spain, that’s more than a slight oversight Graham. Nothing at all about how a Brexit would affect us here in Spain.

       If there is one thing both sides can agree on, it is that the EU is deeply flawed and needs to be fixed. However, walking away from a problem will never fix it. Those who hark back to golden nostalgic times before the EU was born ignore the fact that its absence from the scene back then will not be repeated now. It will still be here! Warts and all. Whether we like it or not.

      We can not vote to abolish the EU. That’s not on the ballot paper.

      If the outcome is a Brexit, the major adverse effect for the hundreds of thousands of us British expats in Spain, will be Britain will cease to have any say in Brussels on our future at all. We will all be left behind INSIDE the EU, but no-one will be there to represent us anymore. Why would you want that to happen Graham? After all, you will still be living in an EU country – still greatly affected by EU decisions. It’s Britain that would be turning its back on YOU.

    • the teddyboy

      12 March 2016 • 15:25

      [quote]I have pointed out elsewhere if Cameron loses the referendum one thing is for sure. Britain will lose its ability to veto Turkey or any other applicant. That is a loss of power and influence in anyone’s language. Spain will remain a member of the EU whatever way the referendum goes. So If your campaign is successful Graham, and everyone votes for the UK to leave, Spain’s borders will become wide open to the “67,000,000 population, of which 99 per cent are Muslim,” that you are talking about. Some readers may think it better for Britain to stay in and use its veto instead to keep Turkey out.[/quote]
      Hi Brian
      What makes you think Britain will Veto Turkey ??? The British will have no say in the matter… Will be Just few Overpaid British Politian’s serving as Overpaid Euro MP who will Say Yes or No… NOT Britain as you state. !!!!!! I don’t remember British Public having a Yes/No Vote on Poland or other Countries that have been Voted in & “”Invaded”” UK…. So perhaps you could explain your comment stay in so Britain can keep Turkey out EU ???? Because we (Joe Public) sure wont get a vote

    • Mike in ESP

      12 March 2016 • 19:06

      I must admit it is more than slightly worrying that David Cameron has already stated: ‘I still want Turkey to join EU, despite migrant fears a European Union without Turkey is not stronger but weaker’. It is no secret Angela Merkel wants to let Turkey join and Donald Tusk in panic mode, is busy selling our souls while we are going about our daily business. What we need to remember is how Brussels and the EC functions, maybe that should be dysfunctions, I trust not one of them and would worry about anyone who does!

      Then of course after Turkey there are several more countries lining up and being considered to join the EU, 5 current membership applications although Iceland have just stated they will withdraw theirs.
      Iceland’s economy has recovered well outside the EU doing much better than the EU’s economy and that is after it was on brink of bankruptcy.

      It is delusional if anyone thinks the UK can change the EU significantly enough by remaining in, the EU is dysfunctional from top to bottom in fairly much everything it does. When something is Rotten in so many places you need to accept that it is beyond mending, the sooner you get rid of, the sooner and faster you can move on.

      The thought that a member country might use a veto to stop a country from joining doesn’t reassure me of anything, to be honest I wouldn’t be trusting of anyone in British politics to actually use it, no one knows who will replace David Cameron either not that I trust him… and that is the bottom line!

    • Brian Eagleson

      13 March 2016 • 06:16

      An open letter to David Cameron and Boris Johnson.

      I appeal to you, as the ‘de facto’ leaders of both sides in the referendum campaign, to put a stop to the divisive political rhetoric and spin and commit yourselves to giving us the simple facts. What we need is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

      This may be seen as perhaps the most important decision the British electorate has been faced with in a generation. So far, both campaigns have been noticeably empty of reliable facts and full of bull.

      Your are splitting the nation and the British expat community in two. Previously amiable families and friends are now at each others throats over issues that would not have required any consideration at all before the referendum was called. You are damaging the very cohesion of the United Kingdom itself and the expat communities too.

      If you wish to avoid further damage and obtain a reliable result you need to provide only reliable facts for us to base our decision on. If you do not, then you will be failing in your responsibilities towards the British people that you serve.

      Stop the war. Keep the peace.

      Sincerely
      Brian Eagleson.

    • Brian Eagleson

      13 March 2016 • 08:52

      To answer you as best I can, the teddyboy, this is taken from an item I posted previously on another thread about Turkey.

      “Cameron’s past position on Turkey is well known. That could change though if he wins the referendum and stays in power or even takes his knighthood and is replaced by say, Osborne. Why? Well, Turkey’s government is now becoming very different from what it seemed to be, or pretended to be, when Cameron first supported its membership of the EU.

      Turkey’s president Erdogan is turning into a despotic hard-liner – among other things closing down the free-speech media and supporting a stricter form of Islamic law. Many ordinary Turks do not like this and the riots in the streets are becoming a big issue threatening Turkey’s stability. If it descends into chaos like so many other Muslim nations before it, then its membership would be less likely. I’m not saying that is definite. However all it would take to keep Turkey out would be one veto by one member country – say Britain.

      I am fully aware there is a big ‘if’ in the above, but if Cameron loses the referendum one thing is for sure. Britain will lose its ability to veto Turkey or any other applicant. That is a loss of power and influence in anyone’s language.”

    • Brian Eagleson

      14 March 2016 • 11:07

      Short footnote: Osborne on Andrew Marr’s programme yesterday, “We have a veto over whether Turkey joins or not. We can set conditions and we have made it absolutely clear that we will not accept new member states to the European Union and give them unfettered free movement of people unless their economies are much closer in size and prosperity to ours.” He added, “I don’t frankly think Turkish accession is on the cards any time soon. We could, if we wanted to, veto it.”

    • the teddyboy

      14 March 2016 • 13:36

      Hi Brian ::::::::::
      Assume you are in Spain & I am in UK ..
      But do not understand your theory that by staying in we can Veto Turkeys acceptance..
      We the Public will never have a say in Turkey being accepted or Vetoed..If we stay in
      We have never had choice on any of Countries accepted !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
      It is all decided by Overpaid Politician’s in UK who got on EU Gravy Train…
      So Let Spain stay in… But Joe Public will not have a say on Who Joins & who cannot !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Brian Eagleson

      14 March 2016 • 23:06

      Hi again teddyboy. No problem. I haven’t suggested anywhere ‘the Public’ would have a say. Things like vetoing a country from joining Europe are always decided by the political leaders we elect on our behalf. Not the best system of government perhaps, but its what we’re stuck with unfortunately. Can’t have a referendum on every single political decision I suppose. One’s bad enough never mind hundreds 😉 I don’t think any of us would want to be bothered with that, would we?

      No, all I’ve been saying is if we vote to take Britain out of Europe our politicians will have no power on our behalf inside Europe ever again. Kinda self-evident that. But Brussels will still exist. Europe will still exist. Turkey will still exist. At the moment British political leaders can use their veto to prevent Turkey (or any other country) from joining if they think it necessary, but if we vote them out of Europe they will lose that power – permanently. You’d be leaving those sorts of decisions entirely in the hands of foreigners.

      Do you trust those foreigners more than you trust your own British politicians to make the right decisions? Doesn’t matter what you think of politicians in general. It comes down to whether you trust British ones more than foreign ones to do the right thing over Turkey and whether or not you want to take that ability away from them.

    • Brian Eagleson

      15 March 2016 • 06:02

      Brexit in a nutshell. If you live in Britain your politicians will control everything. If you live in Spain they will control nothing. In Spain your future will be exclusively in the hands of foreigners. Brexit in a nutshell.

    • Mike in ESP

      15 March 2016 • 09:22

      Yes but I think it is the UK and the people there that are foremost in the Brexit vote, there are very few British here in Spain while there are millions in the UK, voting to sacrifice those millions in the UK to favour those living out of it seems a very silly and selfish way of looking at this to me!

      BTW, I don’t understand the issue with having ‘foreigners’ control things if you are outside the UK, is there some issue with that because I have no issue with it as many others don’t either… can’t understand a logic when there is something against foreigners controlling things outside the UK but not when they are controlling things for those in the UK! @@

      British politicians at the moment don’t seem to have much control of anything important inside the EU or the UK from what I can see apart from when they go with the flow and that is not control, so not much loss remaining in the EU there but then if we came out we get full control of the UK and its laws back again! Granted, I know that British politicians can be fools at times but I would rather the UK is run by our own fools than EU fools.

      I will go for the nutshell!

    • Brian Eagleson

      15 March 2016 • 14:40

      Most of the people who read this newspaper are expats in Spain, Mike. That’s the sole reason why I’m addressing the expat vote. You are starting the gratuitous insults again by writing “it seems a very silly and selfish way of looking at this to me!” Well, I’m not silly, nor am I selfish Mike. The Euro Weekly News is “Spain’s largest free local newspaper in English” as it says. If I want to address UK voters I write to UK newspapers and websites instead.

       Re “BTW, I don’t understand the issue with having ‘foreigners’ control things if you are outside the UK, is there some issue with that because I have no issue with it…” Yes you do have issues with that Mike – every time you complain about the EU and all it’s faults. Perhaps the following will explain my point better.

      We’re not being allowed to abolish the EU, so if British expats in Spain who have the vote were to go for a Brexit they would be voting to remove all their British representatives in Brussels from any further involvement in European legislation which would obviously continue to affect them after Britain leaves. The “foreigners” I am referring to are the remaining European politicians as opposed to the British ones who would no longer be there. Now Mike, if you actually prefer to have exclusively non-British politicians ruling your life in the continuing EU and no further involvement by Brits themselves then go ahead and continue to campaign for a Brexit. That’s your choice.

    • Mike in ESP

      15 March 2016 • 19:31

      You seem to forget this is available to everyone with internet access Brian… remember! Some of those posting are not in Spain, I am sure many of those reading are not in Spain with the majority of people who read the posts probably British, so it is reaching out further afield than Spain whether you like it or not!
      I might add that it is you who insults Brian… so calm down! Read what you said, I made the observation that it is silly and I stated that and you find that insulting @@

      You stated “If you live in Spain they “British politicians” will control nothing. In Spain your future will be exclusively in the hands of foreigners” which certainly sounds like you implying there is an issue with that, in fact I am sure that is the point you where trying to make!

      I do have an issue with “foreigners” controlling things that happen in the UK but I do not have an issue with foreigners controlling things in their country, I think that is a normal thing to accept without issue please do not try and turn what I said around! So I have no objection to have exclusively non-British politicians ruling my life if I live outside the UK “I would expect that” & no further involvement by British as I would prefer they ran the UK without the current Interference by ppl from the “foreigners” you refer to and I will go ahead and continue to campaign for a Brexit in my posts, that is why I reply to your post! Stay in the EU so British politicians can have an influence in your life in Spain! @@

    • Brian Eagleson

      16 March 2016 • 12:18

      There is no point in us continuing any further along this path Mike. We need to agree to disagree and leave it at that. Go ahead and campaign generally for a Brexit by all means, but stop addressing me directly and I will have the courtesy to do the same for you.

      The points you have just made have all been dealt with previously. I encourage you to look back over them again and you will find the answers.

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