European meddling?

Europe doesn't seem to want any EU countries to make their own budgets without prior approval - or that's what it looks like.

The European Commission is calling for EU powers to vet budgets of the 27 member states before the draft laws have been presented to the House of Commons, the Tweede Kamer, the Folketing, the Bundestag, the Assemblee nationale, or other national parliaments. It applies to Britain even though we are not in EMU.

Read the rest, it's a long article.

....

Powerless to reject Lisbon?

‘we are legally completely powerless to reject Lisbon.’

Hmm. And if we did? I can hear the bullhorn now, ‘OK Britain, this is the EU police, come out with your hands up, we have got the whole place surrounded!!’.

If this country ever grew a pair and we simply ignored them, and more importantly stopped giving them 45 million quid a DAY, they would soon get bored and sod off. We are only stuck in the EU if we keep playing their silly game.

A comment over at Guido's place, which raises an interesting question or two.

EHCR, for example, which we all know is separate from the EU, told Britain to stop storing innocent people's DNA - the (Labour) government said they would do what they want, and ignored the ruling, even though EHCR's Human Rights legislation is enshrined in British law (at least Mrs R thinks it is).

Nothing happened. As far as we know there have been no sanctions - Britain could choose to do what it wanted.

So, if British people truly thought they would be better off outside the EU, and if the British government of the day decided to go along with the idea - what would happen? What, actually could, and would, the EU try to do to a country that decides to opt out, decides to secede from the Union and go it alone?

Would they try to make us pay massive fines? - If so, who will enforce them?

Would they try to stop trading with us? - Trade embargo? Who will enforce it - and the rest of the world is very big!

Would they block travel routes? - How?

Would we have tanks and guns rolling through the tunnel, or would the EU military try to surround us, and make us surrender? - That's been tried before, it failed.

Actually, let's look at the military. There's all this lot :-

European Union battlegroups (EUBG)

European Union Military Staff (EUMS)

Eurocorps

Eurofor

European Gendarmerie Force

Mrs Rigby found all these with a little help from Wikipedia. She notes that none of these 'forces' includes all nations of the EU, and none are allowed to do anything unless there's been a committee meeting of some sort.

So, no real problem there then, which just leaves posturing politicians and their warlike words and threats.

So, come on somebody in charge of a political party.

Mrs Rigby issues you a challenge.

The Berlin Wall came down and CCCP/USSR was broken up, so why can't Britain leave the EU?

Who's up for it?

(As an aside, there are hints that some US states are either thinking about, or are preparing to, secede from the union - Texas, Maryland, Vermont, Alaska - are all mentioned, but the reality is that they probably won't do anything, at least not in Mrs Rigby's lifetime.)

....

Taking the 'Pis'.

Thanks to David Charter and Graham Keeley in the Times and Mary Ellen Synon in the Mail maybe we now know why the Belgians, with their world-famous Manneken Pis statue, don't think much of the British.

A Libre Belgique reader believes

"The English are cretins, whose arrogance is only equalled by their mediocrity of spirit."

How much of this current bad-mouthing is down to Mr Farage's outburst against Von Rompuy and how much is to do with the esteemed Baroness Ashton has to be open to debate.

The Baroness, you may recall, was chosen to be the first ever EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. She is also the First-Vice-President of the European Commission. She has, therefore, significantly greater powers and greater authority than any elected representative, so you'd think she would take her job very seriously, and make sure she always does the right thing for the EU, such as going to Haiti after the terrible earthquake, or even attending important meetings related to her role.

Err, no. Fail on both counts.

She hasn't turned up to important defence meetings, her most recent excuse being that she had a prior engagement, to attend

... the inauguration of the new Ukrainian president

Perhaps the EU choosers were having a little joke, taking the 'Pis' when they chose somebody previously strongly affiliated to CND and, possibly also with the Soviets, when she was selected for her job of Defence Minister?

Daniel Korski, a defence analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said: “She has not really shown herself to be particularly interested in the defence portfolio.”

So, why is she still in the job?

....

ID cards are not passports

Following a trail from no2id Mrs R found this article in the Manchester Evening News, which says that

Some 1,736 people in Greater Manchester have bought the £30 cards after the Home Office promised they could be used to travel in Europe.

Unfortunately it would seem that the Home Office didn't bother to tell immigration staff or airlines in other European countries, including Germany, who

said they would not accept the cards until they had been officially recognised by the German federal authorities.

and

Cyrus Nayeri was treated like a criminal when he used his new ID card to travel to Bonn

So - it's important to remember that if you choose to spend £30 on an ID card (that will lock you into a pernicious system of checks, rules, and fines for non-compliance) it offers no advantage whatsoever outside UK - because nobody else knows what it's for.

At £30 the ID card may be relatively inexpensive, now, but it cannot be used as a cheap substitute for a Passport. It has to be used alongside a passport.

It seems to be reaching the time that UK has to become a full signatory of the Schengen Agreement. Failing to do so has meant this country cannot fully access the database, and pretending reluctance is related to "protecting our borders" has proved a fruitless exercise because, with hundreds of miles of unpoliced coastline, it's like trying to keep water out of a sponge.

Being a full signatory to Schengen would also make travel easier, both to and from other European countries - which would ease congestion, possibly reduce costs and would also make employment in other EU states an easier option for British nationals - if they can speak the language (but that's a wholly different subject for discussion.)

Interesting EU petition.

There is an EU petition, mentioned in the Indy, that so far has around 38,000 signatures.

This is where it is

This is the background, which is provided in each of the languages of the European Union. Mrs Rigby has chosen to share the English version :-

Petition [EN]: We, European citizens of all origins and of all political persuasions, wish to express our total opposition to the nomination of Tony Blair to the Presidency of the European Council. To sign the petition, please go to the bottom of this page. follow this link

Whilst she would hesitate to influence, or appear to coerce, anybody who might chance upon this blog post, Mrs Rigby does think it is rather odd that such a huge 'democracy' as the EU does not give its' citizens the opportunity to vote for its' very first 'President'. Instead those already in authority have presumed that they are better placed to make that decision on our behalf.

Because of this Mrs Rigby urges you to read the full text of the petition and then make up your own mind - perhaps mulling over the relative merits of Mr Blair and the other 'candidates' for the job ...

Here's more from the Indy article :-

The alternative front-runners

Jan Peter Balkenende 4/1: Current Dutch PM, a Christian Democrat once described as a 'petit bourgeois Harry Potter'

Jean-Claude Juncker 5/1: Prime Minister of Luxembourg, author of the Maastricht Treaty and therefore creator of the euro

Paavo Lipponen 6/1: Former PM of Finland, a social democrat who supported the Iraq war but is not a toxic figure in Europe

Mary Robinson 8/1: Former president of Ireland and UN human rights chief whose odds at Ladbrokes shortened yesterday

Make your vote count!

Mrs Rigby encourages anybody who may be reading her blog to get down to the Polling Station and vote.

Why?

* Because it is a right, and a responsibility, to do so.

* If you don't put a big X in a box alongside a name, or Political Party, how can you complain about the result?

* Failing to vote could result in the election of somebody, or some political party, you personally detest.

* Failing to vote will mean you will have left it to others to decide, other people who could be bothered to use a few minutes of their time putting an X on a ballot paper. These people may think differently from you, they may have different priorities - would you be happy with their choice of elected representative?

Mrs Rigby firmly believes that her one vote could make all the difference.

Mrs R doesn't see the point in spoiling ballot papers, because once all the votes have been counted one man or woman will end up sitting in a chair, being paid a wage out of public money, and making decisions that affect people's lives. They will, in the case of MEPs, be there for the next five years and none will have been elected by those who spoil their ballot papers.

In Britain it wasn't until 1918 that all men over the age of 21 became eligible to vote and it was another ten years, in 1928, before women were given the same right - that of having a say in the election of MPs and local councillors, which has been extended to the selection of MEPs.

Mrs Rigby thinks that everybody should use their vote wisely. She thinks they should choose an individual and a political party whose manifesto matches what they, personally, hope for. It means taking some time to do a bit of reading, picking at the facts and figures to find out what they mean, but it's worth it in the end.

Voting as your grandparents or parents did, or voting the same as them-next-door, isn't making an informed decision - it's going along with the crowd or being a sheep, and people are not sheep, people are individuals with their own separate needs, wants and aspirations.

So, get out there and vote - before the Polling Station closes at 10:00 pm.

Party broadcasts.

Mrs Rigby and her family have watched, with interest, the latest video offering from the Labour Party. She thinks it's a Party Political Broadcast in advance of the European elections, although she isn't altogether sure because she didn't hear the word "Europe" mentioned, not once.

She's interested too in the way it concentrates on horrible things Mr Cameron will do - as if the speakers have a crystal ball. Mrs R didn't know he was standing for a seat in Europe, she thought he was happy enough here in UK.

She thinks the broadcast is all a bit odd, not only because David Cameron is just one person, but also because she knows there are lots of representatives of other parties standing for election to the European Parliament. She thought Labour would be hoping to trounce them all.

Anyhow, Mrs R was interested in what was said, because she has experience of some of the things the broadcast mentions.

1) "David Cameron would love to see people like me on the dole"
Well, OK, Mrs R wouldn't mind that actually.

When Mrs R lost her job she couldn't sign for anything because a) she is married b) her husband is in work c) Mr and Mrs R have been prudent and put a tiny bit of money into savings and d) she lost her job for the "wrong reason".

2) "David Cameron would cut support for families under real pressure in this recession"
Mrs R's family hasn't seen any support for families under "real" pressure in this recession, so she doesn't think there's much support to be cut!

Her own family hasn't seen any reduction in their living costs - in fact they've gone up because the house needs to be heated during the day. She hasn't seen any reduction in essential transport costs. She hasn't seen any reduction in food costs. What she has seen, with increases in fuel duty filtering outwards, is an increase in the cost of almost every single thing the Rigby family touches.

Mrs R knows families who are battling, unsuccessfully, with the system to get some help with their mortgage interest. She read somewhere or other that only one family in the whole country had made a successful claim since the scheme was set up, unfortunately she can't find the reference now.

3) "If David Cameron had been in power I wouldn't have an extra £60, a free TV license and a free bus pass."
Mrs R isn't old enough to qualify for any of these, but she has relatives and friends who do.

Almost without exception they quickly worked out that £60 a year is a teeny bit more than £1 a week, an insignificant amount in "real terms" when a load of bread costs more than £1. Those that don't have televisions don't benefit from the free license. Those who live in areas where public transport is poor, erratic or non-existent cannot benefit from a free bus pass.

All would have preferred to see their pension increased by a sum equivalent to the cost of the TV license and free bus pass, so they could choose for themselves where to spend this extra money; so they could choose whether or not to buy a television license; and maybe choose whether to use a bus or, in many cases, contribute towards somebody else's petrol or share a taxi with a neighbour so they can do their grocery shopping.

Has nobody in the Labour Party, suffering from arthritis or a gammy leg, ever tried to get onto a bus with a wheeled shopping trolley and a couple of shopping bags filled with unwieldy things like toilet rolls?

4) "David Cameron would scrap the right for every patient to see a cancer specialist within 2 weeks."
No, sorry, it doesn't even apply now.

If you go to your GP with a "scare" and it happens to be just before a public holiday - when an outpatients department could be closed for as long as two weeks due to staff holidays - you wait longer. Mrs R knows this from experience, and it resulted in a truly ghastly Christmas for all concerned.

5) "David Cameron would cut £160 million from crime fighting budgets right now, that is the equivalent of 3,500 Police Officers"
Maybe it is the "equivalent of 3,500 Police Officers", but it doesn't need to be.

Earlier this week the Chief Constable of Essex said he could save money AND increase manning by making small savings. Mrs R commented on it here.

She and her family, their friends and neighbours wouldn't notice if the Police budget was cut, because their local police station is closed most of the time. One early morning Mrs R tried to speak to the Police and found the station doors firmly locked shut. A telephone, in a box on the wall outside - that should have connected her to the "control room" - had been vandalised. She tried again when she got home, but the person on the other end didn't even know where Mrs R was, and wanted detailed directions. This sort of thing doesn't inspire confidence, and is possibly why some crime statistics are down - it's too hard for some people to report a problem.

The only uniformed people the Rigby family do see are called "Civilian Enforcement Officers", who give out fines for parking and littering, they aren't allowed to do anything else.

6) "Mr Cameron would give £200 to £300 to millionaires"
Really?

Mr Cameron would personally open public coffers and hand out that much money to people who are already "rich"? - To living people who've either worked damned hard all their lives, not spent their money and invested it in businesses etc.. Does this mean he'd hand over even more cash to professional politicians, entertainers or footballers?

No, on balance Mrs R thinks not. She thinks this is about Inheritance Tax, and is nothing about giving money to anybody, it's about not taking it from them.

Inheritance Tax is about taking money from the estates of people who have died. From the financial leavings of people who have paid taxes - on income, as National Insurance and property/car/contents insurance, in local community charges, on property transactions, on consumer goods - and they'll have done this all their lives, rarely if ever making a claim or asking for anything back from the state.

This is a tax that doesn't only apply to "millionaires" - it applies to ordinary families who happen to be dealing with the estate of a relative who happened to own a property, a property whose value may have risen in their lifetime simply due to rising prices. This horrible tax applies as much to the working person who scrimped and saved to buy their rented home, and who have beggared themselves to maintain it in their declining years, as to those who were born to well-off parents.

This tax is applied to the estates of those people who may have struggled to retain some vestige in independence in their later years, who resisted the need to sell their home to pay for care - an iniquitous thing, not done in Scotland where elderly care is free.

Mrs R thinks this is a punitive tax, with levels set deliberately low so that it captures the life savings of almost anybody who has been careful throughout their life and whose home has a residual value, often due to no more than a geographical or demographic accident.

So, that's what Mrs Rigby thinks about the video.

Even if all these claims were true, Mrs Rigby wants to know what these issues are to do with Europe.

Europe doesn't set the levels of UK unemployment benefit or taxation. Europe doesn't set the cost of UK television licenses, public transport strategies or fuel duties. Europe doesn't set the price for a UK television license, nor does it set the access standards for our healthcare. Europe doesn't set the UK Police budgets, and it doesn't dictate the levels of UK Inheritance Tax.

Last time Mrs R looked, all these things were dictated by her own government, with details decided either by small committees or following discussion within Parliament at Westminster, Brussels has nothing to do with these matters.

So, Mrs Rigby would like somebody who knows more about these things than she does to, please, tell her precisely what this broadcast has to do with the European Elections.