EU BENEFITS ARE IMAGINED.

Back in June 2016, the 'Independent' newspaper listed a number of supposed benefits of membership of the European Union. These were :

 - The freedom to live, work and retire anywhere in Europe

 - That the EU sustains many jobs in the UK due to trading arrangements and freedoms.

 - That holiday arrangements are easier and safer due to factors such as access to healthcare and the         EU's monitoring of airline safety.

 - That consumers across Europe have enhanced protection from shopping 'scams'

 - That the EU provides enhanced protection from terrorists, paedophiles, people traffickers and               cyber-crime through cross-country coordination and cooperation.

 - That trading arrangements with the EU are a major benefit for UK businesses.

 - That membership of the EU gives the UK greater influence in world affairs than it would otherwise     have.

Now, I may be a curmudgeonly old fogey but I can see nothing in this list which justifies handing the EU power over our law making or power over our courts. I can see nothing which justifies handing that institution some £13bn each year so that it can run its bloated administration and fund all manner of pet schemes, while failing to produce acceptable accounts. 

I find it interesting that the 'Independent' did not list membership of the Common Agricultural Policy or the Common Fisheries Policy as benefits of membership. It didn't mention the imposition of all manner of common rules and regulations which have been implemented by majority decisions only and which may have been detrimental not only to the UK but also to other member states. It didn't mention the overbearing and even dictatorial attitude of the EU to a whole raft of financial issues which, admittedly, have had greater effect on users of the Euro but have, nonetheless, impacted on the entire organisation.

There is nothing in the list which seems of over-riding importance or, indeed, seems very significant. Freedoms to travel, work and live in the various EU countries is not dependent on continued UK membership, only on cross border agreements. Consumer protection is a matter for individual nations and most surely have well established systems in place anyway. Trading arrangements between nations are a matter for discussion and agreement to the benefit of all, being a member of the EU quite possibly interferes with the implementation of more wide-ranging arrangements. There is no reason why protection against an assortment of criminal activities has to be reliant on membership of the EU, surely this is just another for agreement between sovereign states. As for international influence, how does being allied to Bulgaria or Romania increase the UK's influence ? Only 2 of the other EU states - Germany and France - have any true international status and, for the most part, the UK outguns both of them when it comes to involvement in world affairs. 

So what is all the fuss about ? Membership of the EU brings little in the way of real benefits that could not be gained from outside of its sphere of influence and it may actually prevent the development of much wider access to the rest of the world. The people who benefit from it are the rich and powerful who love to play 'power politics', love the kudos of mixing with their fellow elitists, drink from the trough which the rest of us are expected to keep filled to the brim with our hard earned cash.

No, No, No, a million times NO ! The EU gives us nothing that we can't enjoy from outside of its boundaries. LEAVE SOONEST !