“If we quit the EU, we could go global”: Really?
The Leave campaign claims that we could get better trade deals if we negotiated them separately as Britain. But it’s not as easy as that.
Richard
Author Archives
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“Unelected judges are telling us what to do”: Really?
Not true. The court doesn’t make political decisions, but it does sometimes have to remind politicians of what they have agreed!
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“The EU imposed austerity on Greece”: Really?
Anyone who has actually looked into the figures and the details of this saga will know that it isn’t so simple.
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“We can’t control our borders”: Really?
Not true. We retain full border controls as an EU member — along with Ireland, we are outside the borderless Schengen area.
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Made in Leeds
I was interested to see that a new local TV station, Made In Leeds, has set up shop not too far from my constituency office. Any media outlet that can offer a genuinely independent, local perspective is very welcome. But when local TV stations have popped up in Yorkshire at various times over the past […]
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“The EU is shoving an undemocratic trade deal down our throats”: Really?
Not true. Indeed, we are likely to win this battle precisely because it’s being fought at EU level.
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“If we left the EU, other countries would be desperate for a deal”: Really?
Not true. It is the relative importance of trade to each side, not the absolute value of that trade, that matters.
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Cracking down on tax dodging
The total amount lost to national exchequers through tax evasion and tax avoidance is greater than all the public deficits of national governments in Europe added together. Dodging tax, whether illegally or via legal loopholes, is immoral not only in itself but also because of the damage it does to our economy. So Labour MEPs […]
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“Britain is regularly outvoted by other countries”: Really?
The figures show this isn’t anywhere near true. In fact, we almost always win votes through finding common ground with other countries.
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“The EU harms the NHS”: Really?
This is absolute nonsense. How we organise our health service, and how we pay for it, is a matter for our own government.
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“The EU has ignored referendum results” Really?
This is an attempt to conjure up a conspiracy in an area where many people aren’t familiar with the details.
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A loophole on redundancy?
An unwelcome opinion on redundancy law expressed today by an advocate of the European Court is not the end of the story, says Richard Corbett MEP. Common Europe-wide rules protect workers from unfair treatment in the event their employer intends to make them redundant. Among other rights, these rules guarantee the right to consultation about […]
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Voter registration: use it or lose it
As the old adage goes: decisions are made by those who show up. Sadly though, many people in the UK are unaware that in order to show up to vote on the big day, you first must be entered into the electoral register. National Voter Registration Day (5 February) has thus been created as a […]
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Commission work plan
Question Can the Commission indicate what proportion of the legislation in its 2015 Work Programme consists of proposals to amend, update or adapt existing EU legislation, rather than to legislate in new fields? Answer The Commission Work Programme (CWP) 2015 [COM(2014) 910 final] reflects the Commission’s commitment to prioritise its work and to strengthen better […]
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Council use of impact assessments
Question Could the Council list the impact assessments it has conducted in accordance with the 2005 interinstitutional common approach to impact assessment (Council Ref. 14901/05), in which each institution was deemed to be responsible for assessing its own proposals/modifications [paragraph 3] and the Council (and Parliament) undertook to carry out impact assessments when they consider […]
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Even UK deems Cameron’s reforms “unnecessary”
An interesting — if somewhat surprising — document landed on my desk last week. In the second half of last year, EU member states quietly set up a working group to discuss how to improve the functioning of the EU. This was not some ad-hoc campaign organisation or think-tank. Rather, it was an official series […]
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Only 13.2% of UK laws come from what we agree in Europe
The House of Commons Library has just updated its report on the percentage of law affecting the UK that’s agreed at European level. By looking at all Acts of Parliament and implementing measures passed in the last 20 years, they have come to the conclusion that an average of 1.4% of Acts and 12.9% of […]
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European Semester and falling energy prices
Question In the context of the European Semester, what policy adjustment will the Commission advocate as a response to the significant fall in oil prices? Does the Commission consider that this windfall should be passed on entirely to consumers of fossil fuels, or does it consider that the benefit should be shared? In particular, does […]
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The plight of Greece: beware facile comparisons
Greece’s patience with austerity has snapped is the verdict of the Guardian. But has patience with Greece from its creditors also snapped? There is much sympathy for the plight of ordinary Greek citizens after one of the biggest drops in the standard of living in modern times, mass unemployment and cuts to even basic public […]
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Angling for bass protection
When we talk about the impact of fisheries policy in Europe, it’s natural for us to automatically think of the influence it has on smaller scale fishing in our coastal towns, or the huge trawlers that head out into the deep sea. It’s important to remember, though, that fisheries policy also has a great impact […]
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New Zealand free trade agreement
Question What time scale does the Commission consider feasible for, at last, opening talks on a free trade agreement with New Zealand? Answer Following a request from New Zealand to pursue a free trade agreement with the European Union a joint declaration of 25 March 2014 launched a reflection process on options to progress the […]
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A trillion euros of free money – but for whom?
The European Central Bank today announced a €1 trillion quantitative easing programme. Quantitative easing — printing money to stimulate the economy — is conducted by means of the central bank purchasing assets. This raises the price of assets. Now, assets tend to be owned disproportionately by the well-off. So, in general, boosting the supply of […]
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Dutch electric fishing
Question What is the Commission’s view on electric fishing by Dutch trawlers inside North Sea special areas of conservation, particularly the Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton SAC and the North Norfolk SAC? Does it agree that such activity is in breach of Article 6 of the Habitats Directive? Answer The effects of fishing with trawls towed […]
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PCE/PEC
Question Does the President of the European Council intend to follow the same practice as President Van Rompuy in replying to written parliamentary questions concerning his own political activities? Answer The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, intends to follow the same practice as the former President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, […]
