Mione Goldspink's article for the Flyer, June 2016
June 2016
Local Matters with Mione Goldspink
I make no apologies for writing about the EU Referendum again. The decision which we as a Nation will make on 23rd June is really important and it will affect us all at an International level, National level, and at the Local level as well.
I believe that we will all be better off if we Remain IN the European Union. We will be more prosperous: - over 3 million jobs are linked to our trade with the EU (source: HMG), 200,000 U.K. businesses trade with Europe and the EU takes almost half of our exports (source HGM and ONS). There will still be lower prices for goods and services, as competition between businesses across all of Europe means lower prices in UK shops, cheaper airfares and lower energy bills. (source: European Commission and CEBR) The Vote Leave campaigners would put all this prosperity at risk. They claim that we should take control and negotiate our own separate trade deals with all the other EU members, in the same way as Norway does. Yes, we could; but we would have to pay the EU a large amount of money for the privilege of overcoming the tariffs to gain entry to the Common Market. We would also be compelled to allow free movement of all EU citizens, and we would have to obey all the EU rules and regulations, just as we do now. BUT, we would have no say whatsoever in the drafting and setting of those regulations. So why should we go to all that trouble, risk, and expense for absolutely no benefit?
There is a popular notion, promoted by the anti-Europe newspapers, that the EU laws are made by unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats in Brussels. But, this is not true. Legislation (for EU matters only) can be proposed either by the European Council, which is made up of the democratically elected Heads of States of all the member countries, or by the Council (elected Ministers of all countries), or by the Commissioners, or by the European Parliament (made up of 751 directly elected MEPs), or by any group of European citizens. Once a topic for legislation has been agreed, the Commissioners do the research, and draft the law. This is then debated in the European Parliament and voted on by the 751 MEPs. The UK has 73, France 74, Germany 96, Croatia 11, Greece 21 and Bulgaria 17. So to say that the UK is ruled by Brussels is completely untrue.
With regard to immigration, as I wrote in the May edition, we do actually have control of our Borders when it really matters. We are not part of the Schengen agreement, and have, therefore, been able to refuse entry to 6000 EU undesirable citizens, and 60,000 people from across the world since 2010. Freedom of movement benefits UK citizens; about 2 million of us are now living in other European countries (about the same number as Europeans living here). Of those who come here, about 80% are working and paying taxes (estimated to total one third more than the benefits that some claim (UCL)). These EU citizens work hard and contribute to our society: - they work in our Care Homes, our Hospitals and on our farms, and we benefit enormously.
There are several independent internet sites which you may find helpful: www.fullfact.org/Europe, www.infacts.org , www.ukandeu.ac.uk and, of course, we Lib Dems still have a voice at www.LibDems/org.uk/europe
Please vote to stay IN on June 23rd.
Mione Goldspink. (Chairman Bishop's Stortford Liberal Democrats).
email: mionegoldspink@hotmail.com