EU is bleeding us dry
Peter Valentine is, yet again, extolling the virtues of that corrupt entity, the European Union (Mailbox, August 12).
He calls into question George West's figure of £7.6 billion cost of our EU membership by saying that £6 billion net is closer to the actual cost .
According to the chairman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, Mr West's figure is much nearer the mark .
According to this year's budget plans, current spending will rise from £600.6 billion (2009/10) to £692.7 billion in 2014/15, a rise of £1,500 for every man, woman and child in the country.
Furthermore, total spending, including capital, will rise from, £669.3 billion in 2009/10 to £737.5 billion, a rise of £68.2 billion. It is now 15 years since the auditors last "signed off" the account books of the EU, the reason being the amount of fraud and unaccountability EU spending.
The Public Accounts Committee chairman said of the EU last year: "Prominent among these unresolved difficulties is the high level of error in some key budget areas. A major factor leading to error is the inherent complexity of programme expenditure in some areas."
The EU Commission has proposed that the only solution is to tolerate higher levels of error in the more complex areas of expenditure. So, if you can't work within the fiscal rules, open them to even more "error", more fraud, and more auditors refusing to sign off the accounts !
In 2007 (the last report), member states reported irregularities to the EU Anti-Fraud Office totalling 1,425 million euros, including suspected frauds of 316 million euros (an irregularity is a failure to comply with the Commission's regulations and fraud is an irregularity committed intentionally which constitutes a criminal offence).
There are many more instances of hidden costs to Britain due to its ever increasing links to the EU such as the £124 billion it has cost us since 1998 in EU regulations – the Government's own figures .
Let's dump this monster before it bleeds us all dry .
James A Hutchinson, Leicester.
11 Comments
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by anon, anon
Thursday, September 02 2010, 1:20PM
“martin, le3, "I'll type a bit slower next time.".... what was your advice to me a while ago about being nicer???”
by Lee, East Leicester
Wednesday, September 01 2010, 5:56PM
“We should be given our democratic right to a yes/no referendum regarding our membership of the sinister EU.”
by Kulgan, Crydee
Wednesday, September 01 2010, 4:31PM
“RJ,
If you want to attribute the lack of war between Britain, France and Germany since the founding of the EU to anything, it would be down to those countries being members of NATO (which antecedent to the formation of the EU), nothing, repeat NOTHING to do with the EU.
I think Martin is right. We must type slower for those who think that the EU has stopped war between its members. Perhaps double-spacing and capital letters to!!!”
by martin, le3
Wednesday, September 01 2010, 3:46PM
“RJ - re-read it a few times, you might notice a whiff of irony? The "..." at the end of the first sentence? Followed by stating "the lack of war since 1945" - might be an obtuse reference to WWII mightn't it?
I'll type a bit slower next time.”
by R J, Leicester
Wednesday, September 01 2010, 3:36PM
“Kulgan, Crydee. Well has there been a war.
martin, "le3. its not like there has been any history of wars between the major European countries ..." So Britain has not been to war with any European country in the last one hundred years.
Sorry for my misunderstanding of history.”
by martin, le3
Wednesday, September 01 2010, 3:04PM
“Yes, utter rubbish, its not like there has been any history of wars between the major European countries ...
Not that I'd suggest that the EC/ECC/EU was responsible for the lack of war since 1945, there is simply no way of knowing.”
by Kulgan, Crydee
Wednesday, September 01 2010, 2:19PM
“RJ,
The EU has "prevented wars between Britain and France/Germany."
What absolute utter rubbish.”
by R J, Leicester
Wednesday, September 01 2010, 1:54PM
“It is for our MPs to sort out the financial cost of being in Europe. I am sure that they could get us a better deal. One of the problems is that every document is, or certainly was printed in every language used by member states. Having one EU wide language, e.g. neutral Esperanto would help. Let the EU cut down on the wasteful spending first and then lets see. All in all I would prefer to stay in the EU. It has certainly prevented wars between Britain and France/Germany.”
by David, Great Easton, Rural Leicestershire.
Wednesday, September 01 2010, 1:45PM
“The EU consumes a massive amount of taxpayers' money and unfortunately Mr.Valentine and any associated with it is simply unable to do anything about.
We complain bitterly, and rightly so, about our UK MPs wasting our money on expenses and allowances yet this juggernaut of a European Parliament is inexplicitly unable to control it's finances.
We may have put the brakes on the UK gravy train but the EU one is still racing away unabated!!”
by R.B., Leicester
Wednesday, September 01 2010, 10:19AM
“Bureaucracies are self-propagating, none more so than the 'juggernaut' bureaucracy that is the EU! The original concept of a free trading Europe has become the concept of a 'federal' Europe and will eventually become (they wish) a European 'superstate' ruled solely by Brussels. The concept of a 'federal' Europe was inherently flawed from day one, the concept of a European 'superstate' is a non-starter, as the 'Brussels club' will find to their cost.....and ours! Our coalition government have pledged not to cede any further powers to the EU (we shall see!), it's a pity so many were ceded at great cost by the Labour administration over the last thirteen years!”