Let me begin by restating again my position. I am emotionally and by blood attached to Europe. I think it imperfect but a powerful force for good. I think Britain should have joined right at the beginning (I seem to remember it began as the European Iron and Steel Community or some such). I think we should have joined the Euro and be a full member of everything without any opt outs or concessions. I think Britain would be a better, more united and more prosperous country and the undoubted primary leader, with France and Germany, of what would be the third great force in the world, the greatest political union and the largest economy. We would have a better balanced economy in the UK, higher GDP, a better manufacturing and industrial base and a good deal more money for services and up to date infrastructure.
Instead we are like the troublesome guest, self absorbed and demanding, who will come to the party if they approve the guest list, you alter the menu to suit their fads, and if they are exempted from the dress code and the no smoking edict. Yet you put up with it because without that wretched person the party is just not quite the same. That sums up the UK relationship with Europe. It is borne of anxiety and fear fanned by prejudice and led by noisy politicians with small horizons.
The truth of the matter is that I cannot think of a single piece of European regulation which has adversely impacted either me or my family. On the other hand everybody has been affected by the cumulative effect of thoroughly bad Westminster government from both parties over the last thirty years which has resulted in vast national debt and debt per household, ludicrous house price inflation skewing the whole economy, a huge trade deficit, never ending target missing austerity, a widening gap between rich and poor, a failure to renew power generation capacity and the loss of industrial and construction skills, failures in education leading to just about the lowest literacy and numeracy levels in the developed world, failures in health care at all levels and and NHS in deficit with doctors striking out of frustration, inadequate flood defences,and of course all those pointless and costly wars which have caused so much suffering to so many.
The notion that the parliament which has orchestrated this state of affairs should be given more power is at the very least contentious with this Blog, which would support it having less. As for democracy, the first past the post system beloved by this country for its parliamentary elections, there is no less democratic democracy in all of Europe. At this moment we have a majority government with less than 25% of the votes of those entitled to vote actually supporting them. This is a fix not a mandate.
It is therefore this Blog’s position that we should remain in Europe, the re-negotiation is pointless and does not alter the principle, which overrides everything. We should get stuck in there and do our bit to make Europe the greatest power for good on earth. There is an obligation to do just that after the centuries of bad which have gone before.