Britannist

Yes, Blank Frackis, you are right. That is what I mean. Switzerland would have about 1% of the vote in areas where there is no veto (if Switzerland were a full member of the EU).

Britannist

I would have to reply by pointing out that under present arrangements we (the UK) are paying huge amounts to the EU for the possibility of getting them to make minor changes to legislation from the EU (on the 'single market' for instance) which we (and certainly British businesses) don't want anyway.

We have a massive trading deficit (to the advantage of competitor countries) with the EU (which did not exist before we entered the EEC/EU) and yet pay more into the EU than any other EU nation for the small chance of getting cosmetic changes to EU legislation which our Parliament can't stop.

Can I also just add that we have more chance of getting changes to EU regulations/directives regarding the 'Single Market' by being outside the EU. This is for two reasons:

1. The EU takes its trade with the UK for granted (since the UK is under its economic control by being an EU member). It sells us 2.5 times more than we sell it. The EU has the huge British market of 60 million people (a wealthy market) right on its doorstep. The nations of the EU would desperately need access to the UK market even if we were not in the EU - much more so than the British need access to the markets of Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Imposition of too many restrictions, rules and regulations by the EU may be something the UK has to put up with inside the EU. But outside the EU the situation changes. The countries of continental europe would have no automatic right to access to the rich British market and the EU would have to listen very carefully to our objections to areas of legislation. We are not a small nation like Norway or Switzerland. We are number 4 in the world ranking.

2. The UK - either alone - or as part of EFTA and/or the North American Free Trade Area is perfectly capable of playing at the same 'game' as the EU in the imposition of tough rules, regulations and directives with regard to imports. In the EU, the UK has to put up with these costly directives. Outside the EU, if the EU keeps on passing such rules which prove costly to British businesses the UK Government would come to take the view that the EU is doing it deliberately to make things difficult for British companies exporting to EU nations and it (the UK) could rsepond by introducing similar strict regulations and directives with regards to imports to the UK from EU countries.

In other words, the UK by being outside the EU could force the EU to amend rules and regulations with regard to imports to EU nations from the UK. The irony being, the UK, outside the EU, could end up having to obey less rules with regard to its imports to the EU than nations in the EU exporting to each other.

The UK can only stop costly EU Directives outside the EU - not in it.

Stephen Booth

A disturbing trend, in my view, is the way that fronts for Europe, for example the regional Government Office for the North West and other bodies tend to usurp the functions of other local councils, or government ministries etc.

There is a tendency for unelected quango cross-departmental type organisations like these 'Local Area Agreements' (LAA's) to be set up and trying to spend public money, to duplicate or take over various functions.

The GONW for example has produced a sort of masterplan the 'Regional Economic Strategy' and it has many objectives, targets, it asks the question 'Where are we now?' and then 'Where do we want to be?' and has objectives, milestones, and outputs which cover all sorts of areas including enterprise, innovation, science, R & D, ICT, basic skills, education infrastructure, health, population change, transport, land use, planning, energy, culture, community, the environment and sustainability.

I feel it is quite disturbing that a group which is not elected is quietly squirrelling away at all of these areas.

It is social engineering really, and I suspect there is very little public awareness or discussion of this, it just sort of happens.

It seems to me though that if this essentially European front is capable of planning at this sort of level, there ought to be a similar planning in depth by the people who oppose the EC, to take us out of Europe.

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Britain Out of Europe Now !

Hartlepool

Sneaky bustards have removed the word "Regional" from the Northeast Regional Assembly,its now touted as the NEA"North East Assembly".

Check your own area/Region out,it may be being quietly done everywhere.