EARLY ONE MORNING.........................
Liberal Democrat Councillor for Stansted North on Uttlesford District Council and former Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group Learn more
by Alan Dean on 6 February, 2016
The following letter that I wrote to the Dunmow & Stansted Observer was published in Thursday’s edition.
Sir
I have noticed several recent letters from readers opposing the UK’s continued membership of the European Union.
I cannot imagine a worse possible time for the UK to be casting itself adrift from its near neighbours. The Middle East and Northern Africa are in turmoil from war and terrorism. The movement of people is unprecedented since WWII. The international financial system may be on the brink of another man-made disaster. Here is the UK there is outrage at companies such as Google getting away with minimal tax of their profits that should pay for the public services people need. The solution is an new international agreement on taxation of global companies, which is most likely to be achieved by being part of the EU.
For the UK to retreat into a bunker and to lose its influence over these major concerns would, in my opinion, be far more than foolish. It would be a reckless act against the interests of future generations. I urge optimism, not pessimism; hope, not fear.
2 Comments
Sorry to disagree, but remaining in the sclerotic, corrupt, and deluded nonsense that is the EU would be ridiculous. As long as we remain shackled to this failed political experiment we cannot control our own borders. Why are the French allowing migrants to congregate on the Channel coast other than to facilitate their passage to the UK? Why has nothing been done to prevent the constant attempts to board trucks and trains?
Equally pertinent, why are we standing by while swarms of economic migrants cross from Turkey to Greece? They can hardly claim refugee status from Turkey.
The BBC particularly has made no attempt to engage intellectually in a debate about the migrant crisis, emotive pictures of drowned toddlers ‘fleeing’ Turkey are no substitute for recognising that the bulk of these migrants are economic and antithetical to the nations they hope to enter. Merkel’s insane decision to open German borders has backfired spectacularly, her countrywomen now find themselves at risk from aliens with a medieval attitude to sexual relations.
A sensible response to the migrant crisis would have been military intervention to remove the cause. Instead, our gutless, vacuous leaders have ignored the core problem and merely tinkered with consequences.
I spent time in Bosnia during the war and it was obvious then that European governments had no understanding of the root problems, and consequently no prospect of solving them. A handful of mercenaries could achieve far more, in a shorter time frame, than blundering interventions by foreign governments. I would back my judgement against a clown like Cameron any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
This article tries to address the dilemma: http://gu.com/p/4gf78?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other