Sunday 21 February 2016

Risky Business

Iain Duncan Smith was the "Leader" of the "Opposition" that supported the Iraq War, which damaged the national security of this country more than anything else since 1945.

Meanwhile, we are being told up here that EU membership is "the basis of the North East's prosperity". What prosperity? That has gone away entirely during the period since accession to the EU.

There is a reason why the Durham Miners' Association continues to find the money to fund the Morning Star, why one of Northumberland's ex-miner MPs is campaigning for withdrawal from the EU, and why the other is not actively campaigning to stay in it.

We are hardly unique. The Cities of Glasgow and Liverpool collapsed, along with their wider areas, as a result of the EU membership that was so aggressively promoted by Margaret Thatcher. Port cities on the West Coast are of no use for or to the Continent.

A bulwark against Thatcherism? What did the EU prevent, or even ameliorate? A bulwark against Cameronism? What is the EU preventing, or even ameliorating? Just look at Iain Duncan Smith.

3 comments:

  1. ""A bulwark against Thatcherism? What did the EU prevent, or even ameliorate? A bulwark against Cameronism? What is the EU preventing, or even ameliorating?""

    Rather alot, as it happens. We can't even control our welfare state, as Cameron has discovered. The "emergency brake" is entirely

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  2. Apologies, I accidentally posted that comment too early.

    What does the EU prevent or ameliorate?

    Well, a great deal. Look at the huge list of broken Cameron promises-reproduced on ConservativeHome-that he's had to abandon to get his "deal".

    Repatriating control of social and employment law, withdrawing from the Charter of Fundamental Rights, preventing the EU Court of Justice interfering in our criminal law, banning immigrants from coming here unless they have a job to go to, scrapping benefits for immigrants.

    The list of things the EU has "prevented and ameliorated" is endless.

    Even the "emergency brake" is entirely in the hands of the European Commission, not our Government.

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