from the BBC News, Wednesday 18 May: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36314814 Mr Tusk said the EU remained a “firewall” against conflict between European countries, saying the “banal” truth was that “the only alternative for the Union is political chaos, the return to national egoisms, and in consequence, the triumph of anti-democratic tendencies, which can lead to history repeating … More Tsk! Tusk
Mentioning Hitler in an argument is usually dangerous but sometimes justified, provided the purpose is not simply to smear an opponent. Here are examples of each and a comparative case from history concerning a common currency. Adolph Hitler is rightly regarded as the epitome of evil so it is dangerous to mention his name in … More What’s Hitler got to do with anything?
Why do most farmers want to leave the European Union? Everyone knows that farmers love the EU; all those CAP subsidies, some for setting aside fields and doing nothing – lovely. Well, it was a surprise to find a farming neighbour in far-west Cornwall who was all for leaving. West Penwith hasn’t the most productive … More Farm View
The EU, and later the EMU, were based on a vision outlined not long after the Second World War. The vision, that Europe needs to be integrated to avoid the possibility of its constituent nations going again to war with each other, has faded as economic and social ties have pushed such a possibility into … More Past, Present, Future
When Edward Heath explained to the public the implications for the UK of joining the Common Market he said there would be no loss of sovereignty. In fact the civil service had briefed the Cabinet differently – he lied. The briefing paper was released to the National Archives under the 30 year rule and we … More Our EU Entry was Prefaced with a Lie
Forecasts are almost always wrong, we should take them with a pinch of salt,” says Iain Duncan Smith (BBC interview, 12 May). Is he right? Yes. There are practical and theoretical reasons why economic models are poor predictors. Here are two examples of their failure: the IMF said the UK Coalition government’s … More Economic Forecasts are wrong
Time indeed! We’ve picked out some of the more honest quotations from Herr Juncker, which were included in a speech he gave in Strasbourg on 9 September 2015. We’ve tried to refrain from adding our comments as he makes our points well enough, though perhaps this was not his intention. ‘This is the moment for … More Still More Juncker
The website http://www.theunituk.org.uk has both background and up-to-date information on the EU, from a Brexit perspective. They trawl other sites and link to relevant stories. Here’s how they describe their site: “theunituk.org.uk reports on the latest news sourced from the European Union, and European Commission. As the EU Parliament works towards a Federal super state, … More Leave News
EU referendum issues guide: Explore the arguments A cheap and not-so-cheerful overview of key issues in the debate. The BBC highlights the main points under each heading and offers a few catchy impressions from the Leave and Remain sides of the debate. There are no comments (this is the BBC): http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36027205 Good for an overview … More A Balancing Act
“I have never understood why public opinion about European ideas should be taken into account.” Attributed to Raymond Barre, former French premier and European commissioner For us this quotation accurately, honestly and succinctly characterises both the original and the current attitudes that underpin the whole European Union project. From the Home page we discuss in … More Why Not Reform the EU?
This EU Won't Work 