Back in February the Prime Minister went to Brussels to secure a better deal from the European Union. Unfortunately the other Members States were determined to deny us and watered everything down to the point where we were offered a lacklustre deal which would change almost nothing.
The Common Market we joined in 1973 to boost our trade and has morphed into something we can no longer stomach, a march towards the United States of Europe. The directives and laws which are sent out daily from Brussels hinder the UK’s small businesses as well as diminishing the power of our Parliament, therefore eroding our democracy. The Remain side have been using every trick in the book to scare voters into believing the future outside the EU would be catastrophic for Britain. Two points spring to mind. If we were being asked to join the EU now would we do so? I believe not. Also if the Prime Minister believed all of the “Remain’s” dire predictions for our economic future should we vote to leave the EU would he have entrusted the British voters with the decision in a referendum?
Admitting new EU members like Turkey would put the already fragile, wilting European economy at risk with them able to apply for money to bolster their weak economies which would threaten our rebate (already reduced by the previous Labour Government under Tony Blair). The £350 million we pay to the EU every week will no doubt have to increase to help stabilise and equalise the economies of new Member States as well as those current members like Greece and Spain, whose financial systems are already in turmoil. The future of remaining in the EU is very risky.
Uncontrolled EU immigration has got way out of hand, especially over the last ten years. Recent figures show we had over 330,000 people coming to live in the UK last year, and admitting new member states would only exacerbate this problem. There are currently 400,000 French people living in London alone, up from 200,000 four years ago, and that from a Country which has a developed economy and society. The strain this puts on housing, schools and our NHS is too much and over the coming years this will only increase with more uncontrolled immigration, and in South Derbyshire we do not want to build any more houses than are already required of us.
In my opinion Europe is more unstable and unsafe than it has been in decades. There are radical political Parties across Europe winning elections or coming a close second and dangerous riots happening across the continent causing unease. The UK’s security is so important and I believe we can only truly defend ourselves against radicals and other threatening entities taking hold in the UK by having control over our borders. We need our laws to be made in our parliament and not have them completely overridden by the European Court of Justice. Due to the ECJ and the European Convention on Human Rights terrorists like Abu Hamza were able to put off extradition for many years. We need to be governed by people we elect not faceless bureaucrats with no interest in the UK.
The EU is a failed experiment which imposes regulations on 100% of our businesses rather than on the less than 7% who actually export to the EU.
We are a great Country well able to take our place independently on the world stage. I urge you to vote to take back control of our borders, our democracy and our sovereignty and VOTE LEAVE on June 23rd.
(This piece was originally written for the Derby Telegraph).