Magnifique!
The EU is one of those issues where the ruling elite systematically ignores the wishes of the British people. As the Major is forever reminding me, our rulers have led us into the clutches of an anti-democratic superstate on the false pretence that it was going to make us richer.
The truth - as we've blogged many times - is that right now, today, we'd be just as well off economically if we withdrew. Indeed, there is considerable evidence that we'd be better off, because we'd escape all the membership costs.
Now the TPA has produced a brilliant cinema ad (above) highlighting the largest of those costs. They include:
- £10.3 bn pa on the Common Agricultural Policy (higher prices, state aid, and additional bureaucracy)
- £2.8 bn pa on the Common Fisheries Policy
- £80bn pa from EU-wide VAT fraud
- £1.8m pa for each MEP
- £500bn pa from the extra admin burden placed on EU companies
You don't believe it?
The figures are all documented in a new book by the very excellent Dr Lee Rotherham - Ten Years On: Britain without the EU (normally it will cost you £5.99, but if you're very quick you can get one free - yes, FREE - from those nice people at the TPA. And a jaw-dropping read it is too.
Now, the economic costs are bad enough, but there is also the cost in terms of our freedom. The EU has never been driven by democracy and never will be. It is rule by an unelected commissariat.
It is supremely ironic that the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down has been marked by huge celebrations on the BBC, St Bonio himself presiding over festivities in Berlin. Yet as Pravda points out, rule by EU is chillingly similar to Soviet rule:
"As recently as 2006, a most eloquent and insightful warning was given by former Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky. Traumatized by the experience of living in the Soviet Union, Bukovsky noted the deeply disturbing similarities between the old Soviet Union and the blueprints for the EU super state. The European Commission, he noted, was the exact equivalent of the old Soviet Politbureau, in terms of the secretive way power was exercised, the recruitment and personalities of its members and the scope and reach of its decisions. The “European Parliament” today (and under the terms of the Lisbon Treaty) is a mere rubber stamp institution, just like the “Supreme Soviet” of the old USSR.
As a matter of fact, there are so many similarities between the old Soviet Union and the EU that mere coincidence is unlikely. Bukovsky argues the EU was designed to be like the old USSR. The architects of the EU? Mostly social democrats, whom Stalin quite aptly called “Social Fascists.”
And on Not Born Yesterday, John Ward makes a similar point:
"The people of East Germany (and those of other former Soviet satellites who have joined the EU) are, I do not doubt, happier than they were under the USSR. But looked at objectively, their change of sides will, I fear, be seen in time as exchanging one rigid oligarchy for another."
Is it surprising that so many of us want to stop this right now? Even after nearly four decades in the EU, two-thirds of us favour either a looser relationship based on trade, or complete withdrawal.
But how do we get our ruling elite to listen?
How do we force them to act?
A referendum is the obvious step. But with Mr Cam now having ruled it out, how do we get one?
There are alas, no easy answers. It will be a long hard slog to persude our politicos it would be in their own best interests to listen to the people.
But in the short term we should at least all contact our MPs and make sure they are under no illusions as to where we stand.
And on that front, a new campaign has just started - The Albion Alliance - that is campaigning for a referendum. We suggest you pop over and join, as we've just done.
There are no easy answers, but every little bit will help.
PS Talking of issues where the ruling elite completely ignore our views, over the weekend there was an interesting poll in the Times. Despite all the expensive propaganda from the BBC and the government, 60% of us still do not believe man is primarily responsible for climate change. And yet the Copenhagen circus continues on its pointless way, and all the chief climate commissar could say was: “The overwhelming body of scientific information is stacked up against the deniers and shows us that climate change is man-made and is happening now. We know that we still have a way to go in informing people about climate change and that is why we make no apologies about pushing forward with our new Act on CO2 campaign.” So it doesn't matter that their published "evidence" is wafer thin, mainly comprising the output of various dodgy forecasting models. Somehow we're just meant to take the word of big government politicos and their terminally conflicted climate change bureaucrats.WTF would we do that?
