Richard Laming fails to mention that the benefits of the European Single Market he mentions in his interview apply to everybody trading in the EU. The Japanese, the Chinese and the USA all benefit from a single set of rules and gain the advantage of not needing to comply with them in their home market. Indeed they can male their own rules to keep out goods made in the EU provided the WTC rules are not broken. The UK would gain just as much as it does today without the expense of being a member and the UK would have the flexibility to set policies to help UK industry.
It’s not the Single Market per se that benefits us, Paul (Clieu), but taking part in the Internal Single Market, with all its concomitant savings and opportunities. This is why Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland pay very dearly indeed for access to the Internal Market without membership of the EU, and have to incorporate large swathes of EU law without the chance to influence EU decision-making. We would have to pay dearly too, or lose those benefits; and would almost certainly have to rejoin them in EFTA (which together with the EU makes up the European Economic Area). Norway (oil) and Switzerland (banking) have thought the price worth paying, but for how much longer? The last Norwegian referendum rejected membership by only 4 percentage points. In 2005 the Swiss voted to join the Schegen treaty and open their borders (as Norway and Iceland have already done; Iceland, of course, is now an EU candidate), and the Social Democrats and Greens have both renewed their push for EU membership.
Paul Clieu
29. Dec, 2009
I think you may have missed the point. Britain gains from the European Single market and loses by opening its market to the Europeans. The advantage, if any, of influencing the rules of that market is simply not worth the annual membership fee and the annual trade deficit.
The UK Government and diplomats have not shown an iota of competence in standing up for the interests of British business in any forum and certainly not in the EU.
Petros
18. Nov, 2009
Paul Cliue you seem to forget that as part of the EU the UK has a say on the adoption of the single market rules you mentioned. Would you rather be outside the EU, with no influence over legislation that affects British business and British consumers?
I think Richard Laming is a very persuasive and articulate advocate for the EU. After 60 years of peace between the main European powers- and with the majority of Member States sharing a currency that works well, in a Single Market, it would be absurd to retreat, let alone withdraw- and it’s pretty irresponsible to keep bleating from the side lines! Well done Richard-da iawn!
I do not want my country swollowed up under the EU banner. The EU is trying to swamp the British isels with foreigners so they can assit to water down the nation and vote for the EU. A GANSTERS paradise.
I will be voting UKIP. If we do not start to listen to the mass of the British nation, I can see a British based terrorist cell starting up.Democracy is worth keeping.
What a mendacious interview! He talked about the EU as if it was purely about trade, and seemed to see nothing of the political superstructure and vast costs that have been built up over the years. To promote trade, do we need an EU President and Foreign Minister? Do we need an EU constitution, flag, anthem, police force, embryo army and all the other trappings of a superstate? Do we need the Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fisheries policy? Do we need 80% of our laws to come from the EU?
He also based his argument for increasing our influence through the EU on the proposition that we have similar interests to the other EU countries. In fact our economy is very different from the main continental EU countries. We have a higher proportion of overseas trade, different trade patterns, more financial services and less manufacturing, few small farmers, and a much more open and “anglo-saxon” way of doing business, as they constantly tell us. Our interests very seldom coincide.
Finally he has the nerve to talk about democracy in the EU. The Lisbon Treaty demonstrated just how contemptuous of democracy the EU is. France and Holland voted against the EU constitution, so they bring it back as the Lisbon Treaty. Ireland votes No, so they are bullied into voting again. Would they have been asked to vote again if they had voted Yes? How about best of three? No chance.
The President and Foreign Minister of the EU are selected behind closed doors by EU leaders, whose main motivation seems to have been not to have anyone who might upstage them. In that at least they have done a good job, but it’s the only one they have done.
If this is the great debate then you can see how all the existing bastards got us to where we are now.
If we do not get things moving and encourage others to do likewise then we are going to end up like sheep in the fold with nobody but ourselves to blame
Can we organise a YouGov type survey to ask everyone in the UK and EU to say
1) Do you trust your government not to renage on its `promises, not to steal your pension and not to spy on you?
2) Do you think you live in as democracy with freedom of speach and movement or do you think you live in a dictatorship where the governmant is not interested in your vies and if you complain they will just ignore you or lock you up?
3) Do you think that the increasing levels of taxation you are paying, despite the fact that the level of services and benefits is being constantly reduced is excessive?
4) Do you think that the State Education system should have a health warning to let students know that their government will do everything in its power to misslead them, defraud them and deny them fair oportunities in life?
Lets stop pussyfooting about and get bold questions out there so that the public is in no doubt what everyone thinks of the present dictatorship.
Paul Giles
15. Nov, 2009
The interviewer should have asked Mr Laming what he understood by the phrase “ever-closer union”. He didn’t appear to have heard of it.
Paul Clieu
16. Nov, 2009
Richard Laming fails to mention that the benefits of the European Single Market he mentions in his interview apply to everybody trading in the EU. The Japanese, the Chinese and the USA all benefit from a single set of rules and gain the advantage of not needing to comply with them in their home market. Indeed they can male their own rules to keep out goods made in the EU provided the WTC rules are not broken. The UK would gain just as much as it does today without the expense of being a member and the UK would have the flexibility to set policies to help UK industry.
Graham Jones
18. Nov, 2009
It’s not the Single Market per se that benefits us, Paul (Clieu), but taking part in the Internal Single Market, with all its concomitant savings and opportunities. This is why Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland pay very dearly indeed for access to the Internal Market without membership of the EU, and have to incorporate large swathes of EU law without the chance to influence EU decision-making. We would have to pay dearly too, or lose those benefits; and would almost certainly have to rejoin them in EFTA (which together with the EU makes up the European Economic Area). Norway (oil) and Switzerland (banking) have thought the price worth paying, but for how much longer? The last Norwegian referendum rejected membership by only 4 percentage points. In 2005 the Swiss voted to join the Schegen treaty and open their borders (as Norway and Iceland have already done; Iceland, of course, is now an EU candidate), and the Social Democrats and Greens have both renewed their push for EU membership.
Paul Clieu
29. Dec, 2009
I think you may have missed the point. Britain gains from the European Single market and loses by opening its market to the Europeans. The advantage, if any, of influencing the rules of that market is simply not worth the annual membership fee and the annual trade deficit.
The UK Government and diplomats have not shown an iota of competence in standing up for the interests of British business in any forum and certainly not in the EU.
Petros
18. Nov, 2009
Paul Cliue you seem to forget that as part of the EU the UK has a say on the adoption of the single market rules you mentioned. Would you rather be outside the EU, with no influence over legislation that affects British business and British consumers?
Owain Tomos Williams
19. Nov, 2009
I think Richard Laming is a very persuasive and articulate advocate for the EU. After 60 years of peace between the main European powers- and with the majority of Member States sharing a currency that works well, in a Single Market, it would be absurd to retreat, let alone withdraw- and it’s pretty irresponsible to keep bleating from the side lines! Well done Richard-da iawn!
MARTIN
23. Nov, 2009
GET OUT OF THE EU.
I do not want my country swollowed up under the EU banner. The EU is trying to swamp the British isels with foreigners so they can assit to water down the nation and vote for the EU. A GANSTERS paradise.
I will be voting UKIP. If we do not start to listen to the mass of the British nation, I can see a British based terrorist cell starting up.Democracy is worth keeping.
I just hope we vote to leave this mess.
Ken Worthy
24. Nov, 2009
What a mendacious interview! He talked about the EU as if it was purely about trade, and seemed to see nothing of the political superstructure and vast costs that have been built up over the years. To promote trade, do we need an EU President and Foreign Minister? Do we need an EU constitution, flag, anthem, police force, embryo army and all the other trappings of a superstate? Do we need the Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fisheries policy? Do we need 80% of our laws to come from the EU?
He also based his argument for increasing our influence through the EU on the proposition that we have similar interests to the other EU countries. In fact our economy is very different from the main continental EU countries. We have a higher proportion of overseas trade, different trade patterns, more financial services and less manufacturing, few small farmers, and a much more open and “anglo-saxon” way of doing business, as they constantly tell us. Our interests very seldom coincide.
Finally he has the nerve to talk about democracy in the EU. The Lisbon Treaty demonstrated just how contemptuous of democracy the EU is. France and Holland voted against the EU constitution, so they bring it back as the Lisbon Treaty. Ireland votes No, so they are bullied into voting again. Would they have been asked to vote again if they had voted Yes? How about best of three? No chance.
The President and Foreign Minister of the EU are selected behind closed doors by EU leaders, whose main motivation seems to have been not to have anyone who might upstage them. In that at least they have done a good job, but it’s the only one they have done.
alaric
01. Dec, 2009
Hey, where is everyone?
If this is the great debate then you can see how all the existing bastards got us to where we are now.
If we do not get things moving and encourage others to do likewise then we are going to end up like sheep in the fold with nobody but ourselves to blame
Can we organise a YouGov type survey to ask everyone in the UK and EU to say
1) Do you trust your government not to renage on its `promises, not to steal your pension and not to spy on you?
2) Do you think you live in as democracy with freedom of speach and movement or do you think you live in a dictatorship where the governmant is not interested in your vies and if you complain they will just ignore you or lock you up?
3) Do you think that the increasing levels of taxation you are paying, despite the fact that the level of services and benefits is being constantly reduced is excessive?
4) Do you think that the State Education system should have a health warning to let students know that their government will do everything in its power to misslead them, defraud them and deny them fair oportunities in life?
Lets stop pussyfooting about and get bold questions out there so that the public is in no doubt what everyone thinks of the present dictatorship.