The winning logo for next year’s celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome:
“The winner was named amid reports that the EU is scaling back celebration plans, fearing public ridicule.”
*sigh*
They really do themselves no favours, do they?
And that’s before I even attempt to start explaining the supposed costs of EU membership – which, short version, it is pretty much impossible to do without being able to put a definite figure on the benefits of membership (simple cost-benefit analysis, after all, would mean that if costs of £2000 a head lead to benefits of £3000 a head, we’re doing pretty well). Sadly, it is entirely impossible to put a firm financial figure on the benefits of EU membership, because so many aspects of the claimed benefits are entirely unknowable…
Ho hum. Back to the grindstone…
October 17, 2006 at 3:53 pm
NM,
I’ll try to find the link, but in his speech to the Open Europe group (whom I would assume that you support, as they advocate membership but reform of the EU?) Hague put the benefits at �20 billion per year.
According to the Civitas report on the issue, 79% of all of our trade is done within Britain. Only 10% of our trade and services have their end destination in EU countries.
DK
October 17, 2006 at 5:07 pm
That cost assumes that we would have none of those regulations without the EU. I doubt it – I imagine Whitehall would be capable of coming up with quite a few regulations of its own accord even if we weren’t a member.
And anyway, yes, the regulations may cost money, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find a lot of those pesky regulations are actually there protecting silly trivial things like the environment, health and safety, workers rights and so on.
October 17, 2006 at 5:27 pm
Geoff,
What is definitely damaging is the fact that we are unable to negotiate trade agreements outwith the EU: this is reckoned to cost as much as �100 billion per year.
DK
October 19, 2006 at 6:15 pm
Hague did say �20 billion- he said “it is widely accepted that the Single Market makes a contribution to the EU�s GDP of 1.8 per cent a year, worth �20 billion annually to Britain and an average increase of wealth in a European household of �3,800.”
Cant remember if this figure is based on Open Europe’s research or official government figures.
If your interested in looking at cost to business, have a look at MiFiD- if you can understand it- this directive will/ has down a great deal of damage to the UK.