I Got a Letter from My MP Today

Westcountryman · 04-06-2007, 11:41 AM

I got a letter from my MP today, it read:

Quote:

Dear Mr. Staples,

Many thanks indeed for sending me the card from the “Better Off Out” campaign.

I think this campaign is operating on a misunderstanding however. As you probably know, the majority of Britain's trades and goods are for the European Union. For Countries in the European area especially those like us dependant on trade with other European Countries (both going in and out) it is necessary to have arrangements with other European Countries on the standards that these goods have to be manufactured to (otherwise they cannot be sold in Europe) and to avoid tariff barriers that apply to Countries outside the European area who seek to trade with Europe.

Therefore if we were not to be Members of the European Union, have to reach an alternative arrangement. The alternative arrangements within the EU are that Countries seeking to trade tariff free have to pay the full membership fee of the European Union even if they don't wish to join, and they have to agree to the European Standards. Given that this means that we have to accept European rules but without having any say in them I think that would be a worse deal for Britain – especially since they can currently get a substantial rebate on the membership fee and therefore it would actually cost us more to be outside the European Union or trading with Europe, than to be within it. In other words the campaign “Better Off Out” would be better made “Worse Off Out” since it would cost us more, and give us no say over the standards that we have to apply to our goods and services.

Yours Sincerely,

Matthew Taylor MP.

I intend to send a reply.

Points I am going to include thus far:

Subsidiarity of British law, and the consequent effect on British sovereignty (and how he thinks it's acceptable not to be able to make our own laws, to decide our own path.) Mention Factortame and the profound effect on British fishing industry, emphasizing the SW.

Despite not being in a single market, the USA is our largest trading partner, and makes up 15.1% of our exports, showing the EU as an entity is in fact not needed.

We import more from the EU than we export, leading to a damaging trade deficit, whereas we export more to the USA than we import.

The EU is undemocratic, people not elected by the British people are deciding our laws, which is unacceptable.

Raise his own points regarding tariffs - the EU is supposed to be a free-trade bloc, not a protectionist customs union.

What else can I include?

eublues · 04-06-2007, 12:09 PM

Tell him about Switzerland. They worked out that full membership of the EU would cost them 9 times more than present arrangements for no benefit.

harryaldridge · 04-06-2007, 12:13 PM

I would seriously flag him up on his single market point. If we were outside the EU we could have free trade at no cost. There would only be a cost if we wanted to remain in the single market and so have to pay for it and adopt common regulations. Real free trade does not require countires to have harmonised regulations and standards but simply open access to their markets.

A british company might produce a product to meet UK regs and then modify it to meet EU regs in order to sell it there. That is free trade but not a single market.

In fact, if the UK left the EU but the other 26 member states remained inside the EU, then the benefit to the UK would be massive since British companies would still benefit from the economies of scale of a single market with harmonised regs (i.e. not having to deal with 26 different national standards and regs) SHOULD THEY DESIRE TO TRADE WITH THE EU COUNTRIES (a lot of companies might not have any business interestes there and so benefit from not having the EU regs stifling their business).

Britannist · 04-06-2007, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ModernUKIP

I got a letter from my MP today, it read:

Quote:

Dear Mr.

In other words the campaign “Better Off Out” would be better made “Worse Off Out” since it would cost us more, and give us no say over the standards that we have to apply to our goods and services.

Yours Sincerely,

Matthew Taylor MP.

I intend to send a reply.

Points I am going to include thus far:

Despite not being in a single market, the USA is our largest trading partner, and makes up 15.1% of our exports, showing the EU as an entity is in fact not needed.

What else can I include?

Modern UKIP - As a footnote to your excellent draft letter, you might ask this man Taylor if he is still against the euro.

I think, before the euro was launched, he spoke against it, and may have then (allegedly) been asked by his party not to speak openly against it.

I think he has said little or nothing against the euro since.

His party, the Liberal Dims, are officially committed to going into the euro (although, of course, they try to keep quiet about that at the moment).

"Do you support your party's policy of entering the european single currency?" and also "Do you want the Pound to be replaced with the euro as the currency used by your constituents?" are just the sort of 'unhelpful' questions Taylor will not want to find in letters addressed to him :twisted: .

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

04-06-2007, 12:09 PM	#2 (permalink)
eublues Uber Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 3,100	Tell him about Switzerland. They worked out that full membership of the EU would cost them 9 times more than present arrangements for no benefit.

04-06-2007, 12:13 PM	#3 (permalink)
harryaldridge Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: West Sussex Posts: 1,912	I would seriously flag him up on his single market point. If we were outside the EU we could have free trade at no cost. There would only be a cost if we wanted to remain in the single market and so have to pay for it and adopt common regulations. Real free trade does not require countires to have harmonised regulations and standards but simply open access to their markets. A british company might produce a product to meet UK regs and then modify it to meet EU regs in order to sell it there. That is free trade but not a single market. In fact, if the UK left the EU but the other 26 member states remained inside the EU, then the benefit to the UK would be massive since British companies would still benefit from the economies of scale of a single market with harmonised regs (i.e. not having to deal with 26 different national standards and regs) SHOULD THEY DESIRE TO TRADE WITH THE EU COUNTRIES (a lot of companies might not have any business interestes there and so benefit from not having the EU regs stifling their business).