Lots of commentators are making the point that there is an air of negativity and fear surrounding both the stay in and leave now campaigns for Britain's future in the EU. For me there is nothing to fear if Britain were stay or leave; our country has the ability to prosper either way.
I would like to think that the EU leaders have a vision for Europe which will improve the cultural, economic and environmental prospects for all of its citizens. That there will be an improvement of the living standards for everyone. Unfortunately no such vision exists any longer.
The EU is no longer an organisation where enlightened self interest drives policies forward. It is now a quasi-state where only self interest dominates the debate. Britain is one of the worst offenders along with some other recent joiners. The refugee problem sums this all up. The refugee crisis is not a crisis for Europe it is only a crisis for the refugees. The problem is easily resolvable if rich European nations are prepared to work together but they are not. Selfishness has turned a humanitarian issue into a "crisis" for Europe because all the nations of the EU do not have the will or moral fibre to resolve problems - we have become decadent. Nations have taken to navel gazing and lashing out at strangers rather than showing the will or ingenuity to work together to solve problems.
Unfortunately, my own country has got involved in intense navel gazing. We are disturbed by Romanians and Bulgarians coming to work in our country under the terms of the freedom of movement treaty. The best resolution to this problem would be to make Romania and Bulgaria and other Eastern European Union countries richer. Most people do not want to leave their homeland, families and friends behind. If we could achieve some form of economic equality then only the adventurous would come to Britain and other European countries. Many adventurous youngsters from Britain would then migrate to Poland, Romania and Bulgaria and there would be a balance or a happy medium.
It is within the power of the EU to create healthy economic, social and cultural conditions in all of our countries. Why is this not happening? It is pure selfishness. We have forgotten the enlightened part of selfishness.
Whilst there are economic imbalances within the EU there will always be movement of people. Britain cannot avoid this whether we are in or out.
It is no use to be negative or fearful so why not work together to play our part in solving the problems of Europe?
Britain is stronger when it cooperates with people that have the same cultural, economic and social interests. We even have very similar political interests. We could be a a powerful voice for peace. With especial regard to Syria, there would hardly be any refugees coming to Europe, Turkey, Lebanon or Jordan if there was no war. This is so obvious. It is also obvious that all the powers involved in the war should set aside their self interest and look to the interests of the common people of Syria not Syria's elite. The warring powers should seek peace immediately. When there is peace, Britain and the EU must play a full part in establishing economic security for Syria. The refugees will then return home voluntarily to rebuild the nation.
Sanctions against people who leave their homeland because of war will not work. Only peace will work; Britain should stop navel gazing and it should work with its European neighbours to ensure that peace and economic security presides both in Syria, the EU and everywhere else for that matter.
Will this happen? I fear not whilst Britain and its fellow EU members wallow in self-interest and navel gazing. This is why there is an air of negativity and fear.
If Britain votes to leave the EU then nothing much will change but the navel gazing will become even more intense. There might be another economic crisis if we vote to leave and then a sudden and national volte- face. Our country could then be left in a weaker position.
If we vote to stay we will remain begrudging members of the EU and in 20 years time there will be another referendum. Nothing will change if we do not change our attitude.
Every now and then a wave of optimism hits me and this is the only reason why I shall vote to stay with Europe; hopefully one day all the negativity will evaporate.
Wednesday, 17 February 2016
Wednesday, 10 February 2016
European Union Referendum - why bother ?
The arguments are beginning to hot up. There are a few realities which have to be faced. There is very little debate about what will happen if Britain decides to leave the EU.
Just like 1975, when we last had a referendum about the EU there are two very vocal camps who want to leave.
There are the traditionalists and the very left wing activists. In 1975 they joined forces to get Britain to leave the EU but of course they had two very different visions for the future. Both camps need a reality check.
Many very left wing activists believe that the EU prevents the UK from becoming a socialist state. If we leave the EU it would be easier to campaign for socialism and achieve it - so they think. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many left wing activists act with almost a religious fervour which is not appealing to the voters of the UK who are rather secularist in their opinions. It is highly unlikely that British people will ever vote for the types of left activists who advocate hard line socialism in a general election. The hard line activists are deluding themselves if they think that leaving the EU will help their cause.
The "hard left" has made an unholy alliance with a group of right wingers who somehow think that Britain can return to its past glories, when Britain ruled the waves and could control what was happening. They believe that everybody except the British should do what they are told. They believe that Britain should dictate the terms in Europe. This, for them, means pure free trade only but free trade based on favourable terms for Britain. Free movement of goods, services and capital but without "johnny foreigner" being allowed to come to Britain and do what he likes or scrounge off us. The Brits should have freedom to travel anywhere they like, however. What these little Englanders have forgotten is that Britain no longer has either the military power or economic weight to influence anybody. Britain cannot push around the USA, China and Russia because they have got bigger nuclear arsenals, bigger armies and navies than us. And, more importantly bigger economies.
We can't even push around the French any more in a military sense. France has got a bigger army than Britain with troops which are just as well trained and equipped. France has got nuclear weapons too. France has got an aircraft carrier with fighter/ bomber jets. Britain has got an aircraft carrier with just helicopters on board. It will be no use sending a gunboat to Calais if the French don't do as they are told.
The harsh reality which everyone in Britain has to face whether they are hard left activists or little Englanders or just middle of the road centrists, is you cannot always get what you want. Sometimes you have to negotiate and sometimes it is best to co-operate with other people who have similar interests to you.
So what happens if Britain votes to leave the EU? There are two possibilities. We join the EEA or we go it alone completely and negotiate trade agreements and freedom of movement with the individual countries of the EU; but that is if the other countries want to play ball.
Joining the EEA is an option and it is probably the preferred option of the government for economic reasons. British industry will be horrified if tariffs are drawn up against us. The finance industry will be wary that large banks etc. will move their head quarters to Frankfurt. Germany would love to see this happening.
If we negotiate to join the EEA then we will have to agree to the free movement of people across the EEA and EU. Xenophobes will be horrified by this. We will have to pay billions into the EU budget to join the free trade area but none of money comes back - much of our contribution to the EU ends up coming back. We shall end up paying more. We shall have to implement EU regulations, just like Norway, with no say how those regulations are formulated. Britain does not really have that much economic power to insist upon better terms especially with disgruntled neighbours. Many Euro-sceptics may insist on another referendum about whether we want to join the EEA or not. It will take years to negotiate our exit from the EU and this negotiation will be added to by an application to join the EEA. Does our nation really want all this?
Do we want Britain to have less power and to implement the regulations of the EU without any say? At the moment Britain has a veto to stop EU regulations which really go against our national intereests. We were not forced to join either the Euro or the Schengen agreement. To join the EEA to protect our economy we might be forced to join Schengen - if it still exists. Heaven forbid, we might be forced to join the Euro.
What happens if we go it alone without the EU or the EEA? Do you really think that we can do what we like ? With regard to migrants, economics will dictate that we shall have to accept a substantial number of EU citizens to help keep our economy going. Britons are reluctant to become farm workers and they don't have the skills. Who is going to pick our strawberries?
We could introduce a work permit and visa system to prevent migration. But, if we introduce a visa system for EU and EEA citizens to be allowed into the country, then do you think that the EEA and the EU will not reciprocate? What happens when British lorry drivers are stuck in long queues having their passports checked? What happens if vital components are stuck in a queue whilst French lorry drivers wait to have their documents checked at Dover? Yes, at Dover, because the French will not implement a treaty which holds up their businessmen and traders on French soil. France will move the British borders back to Dover and Folkstone, if we try to get tough. Belgium will do the same. It is unrealistic to turn the clock back; we have to allow free movement of people whether we are in Europe or not.
Who is going to come to Britain for a holiday if they have to get a visa? I suggest not many. Who is going to have cultural exchanges with us if we have to get visas? No one is.
At the moment all EEA and EU citizens are allowed to open businesses in each others countries and sit as company directors. What will it do for Britain's trade if this stops? It will only decline. What EU or EEA citizen is going to trade with a country which demands work permits and visas and prevents foreigners from easily running a business?
If we leave the EU and EEA we will have to negotiate some form of customs arrangement otherwise vital goods and components will be stuck in the queue whilst customs officers on both sides of the channel examine the documentation -that's good for trade isn't it?
Going it alone and getting tough on migration will not work. You cannot have free movement of goods, capital and services without free movement of people. People drive business and where there are no people there is no business.
Yes, the EU imposes lots of bureaucracy but we will have to impose all sorts of bureaucracy if we cannot negotiate an effective customs union and system for allowing people to move freely.
All in all going it alone will be a terrible option and we would still be forced to accept free movement of people. The xenophobes will be disappointed as they voted for change and they could stir up trouble if they don't get their way.
We will have to negotiate a customs union. We will keep our head of state and drive on the left . We will keep the Houses of Parliament , the Church of England and the judiciary. The major aspects of our life will not change as they didn't when we joined the EU. We will still play cricket and drink warm beer on a Sunday. We will still go to French and Italian restaurants and drink wine instead of beer if we want to. We will still have free speech in or out of the EU.
Nothing much will change.
Of course, leaving will keep the little Englanders happy along with their hard line socialist bedfellows. But, the reality could be that we could be heading for niggling trouble.
If we leave altogether then bureaucrats will see to it that life will be made more difficult for all British and EU citizens. There will be immigration queues where they really check your passports as you go on holiday. Business men and women will end up wasting time in immigration queues. Property rights for British citizens in the EU will be made more difficult. Husbands and wives and children might have to join different queues at borders where one spouse is British and the other is French or German . You will have to pay duty when you come home with a boot full of wine.
If we really get tough and ask all 3 million EU citizens to go home then 3 million British will be sent back. That means that 6 million people and their families will be mighty annoyed with British politicians and the British people in general.
There will be other problems. What happens if Scotland votes to stay in the EU? Will there be another referendum to decide if Scotland leaves the UK? And what happens if it votes to leave? There will more negotiations. Britain leaving the EU and Scotland leaving the UK. This is a recipe for chaos it could take 10 to 12 years to sort out all this mess. Wales could follow suit and Northern Ireland too. Little England could be left out in the cold.
Why not accept your fate and vote to stay in and enjoy free travel and come home with a boot full of wine to drown your sorrows. Why not enjoy your strawberries and cream by courtesy of a Bulgarian farm hand. Just go down the road and enjoy a curry at your local Indian restaurant but courtesy of a Bangladeshi waiter - would your meal be the same if it was served by a disgruntled Brit? And, if you really don't like developments in England then you will still have the right to sell up and move to a forest in France where there is no-one to disturb you; you can have a little England in France.
Just like 1975, when we last had a referendum about the EU there are two very vocal camps who want to leave.
There are the traditionalists and the very left wing activists. In 1975 they joined forces to get Britain to leave the EU but of course they had two very different visions for the future. Both camps need a reality check.
Many very left wing activists believe that the EU prevents the UK from becoming a socialist state. If we leave the EU it would be easier to campaign for socialism and achieve it - so they think. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many left wing activists act with almost a religious fervour which is not appealing to the voters of the UK who are rather secularist in their opinions. It is highly unlikely that British people will ever vote for the types of left activists who advocate hard line socialism in a general election. The hard line activists are deluding themselves if they think that leaving the EU will help their cause.
The "hard left" has made an unholy alliance with a group of right wingers who somehow think that Britain can return to its past glories, when Britain ruled the waves and could control what was happening. They believe that everybody except the British should do what they are told. They believe that Britain should dictate the terms in Europe. This, for them, means pure free trade only but free trade based on favourable terms for Britain. Free movement of goods, services and capital but without "johnny foreigner" being allowed to come to Britain and do what he likes or scrounge off us. The Brits should have freedom to travel anywhere they like, however. What these little Englanders have forgotten is that Britain no longer has either the military power or economic weight to influence anybody. Britain cannot push around the USA, China and Russia because they have got bigger nuclear arsenals, bigger armies and navies than us. And, more importantly bigger economies.
We can't even push around the French any more in a military sense. France has got a bigger army than Britain with troops which are just as well trained and equipped. France has got nuclear weapons too. France has got an aircraft carrier with fighter/ bomber jets. Britain has got an aircraft carrier with just helicopters on board. It will be no use sending a gunboat to Calais if the French don't do as they are told.
The harsh reality which everyone in Britain has to face whether they are hard left activists or little Englanders or just middle of the road centrists, is you cannot always get what you want. Sometimes you have to negotiate and sometimes it is best to co-operate with other people who have similar interests to you.
So what happens if Britain votes to leave the EU? There are two possibilities. We join the EEA or we go it alone completely and negotiate trade agreements and freedom of movement with the individual countries of the EU; but that is if the other countries want to play ball.
Joining the EEA is an option and it is probably the preferred option of the government for economic reasons. British industry will be horrified if tariffs are drawn up against us. The finance industry will be wary that large banks etc. will move their head quarters to Frankfurt. Germany would love to see this happening.
If we negotiate to join the EEA then we will have to agree to the free movement of people across the EEA and EU. Xenophobes will be horrified by this. We will have to pay billions into the EU budget to join the free trade area but none of money comes back - much of our contribution to the EU ends up coming back. We shall end up paying more. We shall have to implement EU regulations, just like Norway, with no say how those regulations are formulated. Britain does not really have that much economic power to insist upon better terms especially with disgruntled neighbours. Many Euro-sceptics may insist on another referendum about whether we want to join the EEA or not. It will take years to negotiate our exit from the EU and this negotiation will be added to by an application to join the EEA. Does our nation really want all this?
Do we want Britain to have less power and to implement the regulations of the EU without any say? At the moment Britain has a veto to stop EU regulations which really go against our national intereests. We were not forced to join either the Euro or the Schengen agreement. To join the EEA to protect our economy we might be forced to join Schengen - if it still exists. Heaven forbid, we might be forced to join the Euro.
What happens if we go it alone without the EU or the EEA? Do you really think that we can do what we like ? With regard to migrants, economics will dictate that we shall have to accept a substantial number of EU citizens to help keep our economy going. Britons are reluctant to become farm workers and they don't have the skills. Who is going to pick our strawberries?
We could introduce a work permit and visa system to prevent migration. But, if we introduce a visa system for EU and EEA citizens to be allowed into the country, then do you think that the EEA and the EU will not reciprocate? What happens when British lorry drivers are stuck in long queues having their passports checked? What happens if vital components are stuck in a queue whilst French lorry drivers wait to have their documents checked at Dover? Yes, at Dover, because the French will not implement a treaty which holds up their businessmen and traders on French soil. France will move the British borders back to Dover and Folkstone, if we try to get tough. Belgium will do the same. It is unrealistic to turn the clock back; we have to allow free movement of people whether we are in Europe or not.
Who is going to come to Britain for a holiday if they have to get a visa? I suggest not many. Who is going to have cultural exchanges with us if we have to get visas? No one is.
At the moment all EEA and EU citizens are allowed to open businesses in each others countries and sit as company directors. What will it do for Britain's trade if this stops? It will only decline. What EU or EEA citizen is going to trade with a country which demands work permits and visas and prevents foreigners from easily running a business?
If we leave the EU and EEA we will have to negotiate some form of customs arrangement otherwise vital goods and components will be stuck in the queue whilst customs officers on both sides of the channel examine the documentation -that's good for trade isn't it?
Going it alone and getting tough on migration will not work. You cannot have free movement of goods, capital and services without free movement of people. People drive business and where there are no people there is no business.
Yes, the EU imposes lots of bureaucracy but we will have to impose all sorts of bureaucracy if we cannot negotiate an effective customs union and system for allowing people to move freely.
All in all going it alone will be a terrible option and we would still be forced to accept free movement of people. The xenophobes will be disappointed as they voted for change and they could stir up trouble if they don't get their way.
We will have to negotiate a customs union. We will keep our head of state and drive on the left . We will keep the Houses of Parliament , the Church of England and the judiciary. The major aspects of our life will not change as they didn't when we joined the EU. We will still play cricket and drink warm beer on a Sunday. We will still go to French and Italian restaurants and drink wine instead of beer if we want to. We will still have free speech in or out of the EU.
Nothing much will change.
Of course, leaving will keep the little Englanders happy along with their hard line socialist bedfellows. But, the reality could be that we could be heading for niggling trouble.
If we leave altogether then bureaucrats will see to it that life will be made more difficult for all British and EU citizens. There will be immigration queues where they really check your passports as you go on holiday. Business men and women will end up wasting time in immigration queues. Property rights for British citizens in the EU will be made more difficult. Husbands and wives and children might have to join different queues at borders where one spouse is British and the other is French or German . You will have to pay duty when you come home with a boot full of wine.
If we really get tough and ask all 3 million EU citizens to go home then 3 million British will be sent back. That means that 6 million people and their families will be mighty annoyed with British politicians and the British people in general.
There will be other problems. What happens if Scotland votes to stay in the EU? Will there be another referendum to decide if Scotland leaves the UK? And what happens if it votes to leave? There will more negotiations. Britain leaving the EU and Scotland leaving the UK. This is a recipe for chaos it could take 10 to 12 years to sort out all this mess. Wales could follow suit and Northern Ireland too. Little England could be left out in the cold.
Why not accept your fate and vote to stay in and enjoy free travel and come home with a boot full of wine to drown your sorrows. Why not enjoy your strawberries and cream by courtesy of a Bulgarian farm hand. Just go down the road and enjoy a curry at your local Indian restaurant but courtesy of a Bangladeshi waiter - would your meal be the same if it was served by a disgruntled Brit? And, if you really don't like developments in England then you will still have the right to sell up and move to a forest in France where there is no-one to disturb you; you can have a little England in France.
Wednesday, 3 February 2016
Cologne - Sexual Assaults on Women
The New Year's eve sexual attacks on women in Cologne raise a number of human rights issues for all European countries.
All women have the right not to be molested by men - or women for that matter. No woman should be a target for assault because she is young or dressed in a particular way. No one should be attacked because of the way they are dressed or because of their skin colour. All this should be obvious.
It should also be obvious that prejudicial behaviour is not just limited to white skinned Europeans. So called "racists" exist in all of the world's communities.
It is clear that only a small minority of the refugees who have fled to Europe are miscreants. The misbehaviour of a small minority migrants should not reflect upon the vast majority of refugees who seek peaceful and lawful sanctuary.
The young females, in Cologne, were targeted by young men who come from societies where women are not allowed to dress as they please - on the streets. In North Africa and the Middle East there is a strict dress code based upon strict religious mores; women who wear revealing clothes are looked down upon. Young women who are dressed in short skirts might even be regarded as prostitutes.
Cairo used to be a fairly secular society but there were still strong religious and cultural opinions held about how anyone should behave. Young men were expected not to have sex with their girl friends before they got married and couples were often chaperoned. These strictures even applied to Christians. Any form of homosexuality was strictly frowned upon. Christians and Muslims alike would rarely be seen drinking alcohol in public.
Is it any wonder that some young men who come from this type of society might go off the rails when they come to the free and easy West? But young men, tempted to behave badly, should be aware that they do not have the right to assault anyone no matter how they or dressed and no matter how they behave. The young ladies in Cologne were innocently going on a night out and they were entitled to have a good time without being molested.
It should be noted, however, that most attacks against women are committed at home by fathers, husbands and boyfriends. It is probably safer from a statistical point of view for a woman to walk the streets rather than be at home. All men have a duty not molest or assault women.
If young ladies in Cologne have the right not to be molested then so do migrants and refugees have the right not to be attacked. This should also be axiomatic. Revenge and tit for tat attacks are completely unjustified and they should be dealt with firmly by the police and prosecuting authorities. Everyone has a civic duty to show tolerance.
The police should be allowed to report the nature of attacks openly and without political interference for fear of upsetting sectional interests. Let us all know what is happening so that everyone can be treated fairly.
Anyone suspected of assault should be prosecuted and tried. A refugee or migrant who is convicted of a serious crime should be subject to deportation and this should be made clear to him when he arrives.
The refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan can easily be accommodated by western society even if we have no religion and the migrants do. Equally, all migrants should be aware that they cannot impose their religious and moral views on a secular society. We should all have one value in common and that is the desire for peace.
All women have the right not to be molested by men - or women for that matter. No woman should be a target for assault because she is young or dressed in a particular way. No one should be attacked because of the way they are dressed or because of their skin colour. All this should be obvious.
It should also be obvious that prejudicial behaviour is not just limited to white skinned Europeans. So called "racists" exist in all of the world's communities.
It is clear that only a small minority of the refugees who have fled to Europe are miscreants. The misbehaviour of a small minority migrants should not reflect upon the vast majority of refugees who seek peaceful and lawful sanctuary.
The young females, in Cologne, were targeted by young men who come from societies where women are not allowed to dress as they please - on the streets. In North Africa and the Middle East there is a strict dress code based upon strict religious mores; women who wear revealing clothes are looked down upon. Young women who are dressed in short skirts might even be regarded as prostitutes.
Cairo used to be a fairly secular society but there were still strong religious and cultural opinions held about how anyone should behave. Young men were expected not to have sex with their girl friends before they got married and couples were often chaperoned. These strictures even applied to Christians. Any form of homosexuality was strictly frowned upon. Christians and Muslims alike would rarely be seen drinking alcohol in public.
Is it any wonder that some young men who come from this type of society might go off the rails when they come to the free and easy West? But young men, tempted to behave badly, should be aware that they do not have the right to assault anyone no matter how they or dressed and no matter how they behave. The young ladies in Cologne were innocently going on a night out and they were entitled to have a good time without being molested.
It should be noted, however, that most attacks against women are committed at home by fathers, husbands and boyfriends. It is probably safer from a statistical point of view for a woman to walk the streets rather than be at home. All men have a duty not molest or assault women.
If young ladies in Cologne have the right not to be molested then so do migrants and refugees have the right not to be attacked. This should also be axiomatic. Revenge and tit for tat attacks are completely unjustified and they should be dealt with firmly by the police and prosecuting authorities. Everyone has a civic duty to show tolerance.
The police should be allowed to report the nature of attacks openly and without political interference for fear of upsetting sectional interests. Let us all know what is happening so that everyone can be treated fairly.
Anyone suspected of assault should be prosecuted and tried. A refugee or migrant who is convicted of a serious crime should be subject to deportation and this should be made clear to him when he arrives.
The refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan can easily be accommodated by western society even if we have no religion and the migrants do. Equally, all migrants should be aware that they cannot impose their religious and moral views on a secular society. We should all have one value in common and that is the desire for peace.
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