Civitas Blog

1975 Government Leaflet copy and the Constitution

As a 50 year old businessperson I believe that the original rationale for joining the EEC and the vote to remain in were, at that time, correct. I now believe that it is the right time to review the position.

The EU is not the same animal that was presented to us 30 years ago. The early concept made reasonable commercial sense and came with the benefit of added security. At that time, the United Kingdom was still struggling with the cost in human and infrastructure terms of two world wars and as with any business, it was expedient to ‘merge’ with competitors. The object was to create a stronger entity.

Now the circumstances are different. It is right to re-consider the options because failure to do so will have far greater implications for British ‘human rights’ and ‘personal freedoms’ than any Al Qaeda attack.

The issue now goes beyond commercial and industrial activity and the need to protect jobs. The issue is the fundamental change in the way we govern ourselves. The United Kingdom and England in particular has prospered well in-spite of incompetent political interference. We govern ourselves reasonably well using our society, laws and traditions. They have, on the whole, produced good results.

No independent commentator could have missed the steady, almost viral growth of European style government over our own Parliament. Every action taken in the House seems neutered by the need to ‘comply with EU legislation’ or to fall in line with a ‘Treaty’ no matter how outside our interest it seems. There are grand gestures of independence like the Iraq War, but the vast majority of ‘dictats’ are waved through and re-clothed as home-spun policy.

At one time, I would have argued for dislocation from Europe on the basis of loss of economic independence and the fallacy of job losses. Now I am really concerned that instead of the re-imposition of the ‘Continental System’ so feared by the Foreign Office this country’s fate will be a vigorous struggle in the distant future to escape from a modern day equivalent of the Soviet Block. What our smiley politicians do not seem to understand is that Britons really ‘never, never will be slaves’.

This may sound terribly far-fetched but the early signs are there; a legislative authority without legitimate democratic mandate; media suppression of political parties that do not comply with the central dogma; the suppression of internal criticism; the formation of a fast reaction armed force; the extension of European style policing across borders.

I would rather my great grand-children were absorbed in employing their entrepreneurial skills to make a living in the world than forming ‘direct action’ cells fighting for independence from a New Socialist Union of Europe.