#0040 - Nikki SINCLAIRE MEP Unattached - First with a/cs, 1st. with year end report

Nikki Sinclaire MEP

Elected to serve the counties of the West Midlands Independent,
Nikki Sinclaire now sits as a non-attached Member of the European Parliament
as a result of a temper tantrum by Nigel Farage which brought UKIP into disrepute and left Lord Pearson putting out written statements reneging on his undertakings in the most disreputable manner and publishing lies to try to denigrate Sinclaire.

Clearly UKIP were unhappy at having been shown beyond all doubt to be corrupt, dishonest and self serving for a small claque of dishonest and untrustworthy people.

To personally enrich themselves they had dumped every principle that had got them elected and formed a vile group of extremists in Farage's new EFD vehicle bringing together outright racists, xenophobes, anti Jewish, criminal deniers of the holocaust and this grouping that was pro EU membership yet advocated racial segregation on public transport was surprised when Nikki Sinclaire declined to associate HER electorate with such scum.

REPORTING BACK:
The First Year
Introduction:
I look back on my first year as one of the West Midlands representatives in the European Parliament with great pride, and look forward to the next year with enthusiasm.

My mandate remains clear: to actively campaign for Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union, to restore our own traditions, culture and national confidence. In succeeding I would make myself and every other MEP redundant (Each of whom costs the taxpayer approx’ £2.1 million every year). My first year has been rewarding, although at times very difficult, but all of my work in the European Parliament is aimed at helping us achieve this goal, and I will discuss this work in greater detail later. I have produced this booklet to explain what I have been doing, and how I have been working for the people of the West Midlands, who are of course my employers. Since December 1st the Lisbon Treaty came into force and with it more powers for the European Parliament (known as co-decision). The UK has lost a significant amount of sovereignty as a result of Lisbon coming into force. I have stood up for my constituents in various ways. For example obtaining a undertaking from Barack Obama’s Secretary of State, Janet Napolitano that all UK tourists visiting the US would be regarded as British and not EU citizens. Another example was my key vote that prevented your financial information being sent to the US without sufficient safeguards. The expenses scandals have sickened the nation. Despite all the promises of reform, and expressions of contrition, I became the first UK parliamentarian to have submitted satisfactorily audited accounts for the last year. I challenge every other MP and MEP to do as I have done, and to let the electorate see exactly what their money is spent on. The people deserve no less, and I remain absolutely committed to the principle of transparency. I refuse to compromise on my strongest principle - that Britain is better off governing itself - and I am promising to fight for a binding referendum on our position in the EU - Let the people Decide! When I meet people in the course of my work, time and time again the subject turns to the desire of the British people to govern ourselves once more. I have met farmers, entrepreneurs, students and housewives. In fact, countless local people, and I have found this to be the most enjoyable part of my job. I will continue to work for your interests, I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible in the coming year, and I look forward to us achieving our aims together. Nikki Sinclaire MEP www.yourmep.org 3 Beliefs and Goals • The United Kingdom should be an independent nation governed by its own Parliament in Westminster • The UK should be in a free trade agreement with the European Union and it should be able to trade freely with the rest of the world without hindrance from the EU • That the UK would benefit from smaller government, less bureaucracy and an end to QUANGOS • That our education systems and our NHS should be taken out of political meddling, bringing an end to the centralised bureaucratic control and putting the trust in the professionals who do the work • To remain on friendly and co-operative terms with the EU, to retain our membership of NATO and the United Nations and to preserve our place as a permanent member of the UN Security Council • To stand up for our culture, traditions rural communities and to campaign against inappropriate development on Greenbelt land • To ensure equality of opportunity and treatment for all under the rule of law • Freedom and liberty for the individual that would encourage each person to develop independence and responsibility: The State is not there to donate endless handouts • To provide a safety net for those who cannot look after themselves
4 www.yourmep.org Nikki’s Picture Calendar JUNE Nikki on the BBC Politics show shortly after being elected JULY Nikki takes up position in Brussels Nikki meeting with UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon Nikki delighted to receive assurances from US Sec’ of State, Janet Napolitano on UK tourists. BBC Hereford and Worcester live “Cameron reneges on Lisbon” NOVEMBER AUGUST OCTOBER A call for student grants SEPTEMBER www.yourmep.org 5 One year representing the West Midlands Nikki’s first newspaper caricature - from the Guardian Auschwitz/BBC Daily Politics-Nikki stands up to political extremism Nikki begins her training with the RAF Nikki meets with the FSB Nikki sticks up for the countryside and the Greenbelt Nikki joins residents protest to protect the Greenbelt FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY DECEMBER JANUARY by his encouraging words. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to meet Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, former PM of Kashmir, and a tireless campaigner for the self-determination of his people. His people have patiently and peacefully waited for the rights they were promised more than half a century ago. Ironically, the rights they seek are the same ones that we are giving away, as we transfer our national sovereignty to the EU under the terms of the Lisbon Treaty. I have also met with representatives of the Zimbabwean democratic opposition, and have been pleased to support an initiative by Iranian women to improve their situation and democracy and to stand up against the Death penalty for minors and women.. I signed a declaration against the Human Rights abuses in Camp Ashraf in Iraq. I also had the pleasure to meet the Sakharov Prize winners, Memorial from Russia in their tireless work for better democracy. I was also privileged to be the only UK parliamentary representative at the 65th anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz in the very month I stood up to political extremism in the EU Parliament itself.
6 www.yourmep.org Nikki’s work on Human Rights The Universal Declaration on Human Rights was proclaimed by the UN in December
1948. Sadly there are many people in the world whose rights are not protected, and for whom basic survival is an issue, let alone lofty concepts of egalitarianism. I sit on the Parliament’s Human Rights Committee. Whilst the EU does some commendable work, I feel that it comes dangerously close to breaching the rules itself. For example: Article 21 states that “The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government...” The EU has repeatedly ignored the wishes of its citizens, by rejecting the outcomes of referenda on its various treaties. I would challenge the democratic credentials of the EU, as it does not respect the will of the people, if the people do not agree with its plans. I have used my position to lobby the Commission, and to try to persuade them to force other European nations to honour their obligations towards refugees. The UK is the chosen destination of many refugees, and there is evidence to suggest that some EU states, like France, are keen to move these people through their own countries, leaving them in so-called refugee camps until they can reach the UK. They are literally shunting their unwanted refugees across the channel to England. The EU makes matters worse, as many asylum seekers are now trafficked by criminal gangs who exploit the lax immigration practices. I was very pleased to welcome UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon when he visited the West Midlands last Summer. He impressed upon me the importance of protecting human rights, and I was delighted Nikki lays wreath to dead and missing from
1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus www.yourmep.org 7 Join the Petition! See the back page EU How did we get here? The future? “The British are unfit to join the common market because they differ profoundly from continental Europeans,” Charles de Gaulle declared in 1963. He described Britain as “insular, maritime, and linked by her exchanges, her markets and her supply routes to the most diverse and often the farthestflung nations.” What De Gaulle feared most was Britain’s close relationship with the US. When Britain joined the EEC in 1973, it was a club designed to meet purely continental goals, such as containing Germany’s peaceful rise and modernising European farms. The Continental post war boom, with foundations in, ironically aid from the US, was in a time of central planning, which encouraged a certain faith in the State. Even in modern times, lots of countries’ voters now link joining the European project to emergence from dictatorship (both fascist and communist) and economic isolation. Historians describe us as unusually individualist and market-minded since medieval times, working for wages and trading property. England has had its system of common law for centuries. It industrialised early. It has not been occupied in a long while. All these things matter. In much of Europe people look to the EU as a higher authority able to rescue them from dysfunctional local rulers. Britain is one of the few countries whose voters instinctively assume domestic administration to be superior to the EU’s. Successive governments, Conservative and Labour, both supported by the Liberal Democrats, have supported further EU integration and harmonisation that has slowly eroded our traditions and culture. In the 1970 manifesto the Tory promise was to ‘Negotiate, nothing more, nothing less’, but Heath then joined the EEC with a mandate from the people. Wilson promised a referendum on membership which took place in 1975: a heavily funded ‘Yes’ campaign supported by the government won on a promise that it was nothing more than a trading agreement. Margaret Thatcher may have got us our rebate from the Common Agricultural Policy, but it was her government that signed the Single European Act in 1986. John Major then tied the UK firmly into the EU with the Maastricht Treaty, making us all Citizens of the EU. New Labour reinforced the integration by signing the Amsterdam and Nice Treaties. Then came the EU Constitution/Lisbon Treaty, where once again we were promised a referendum that never materialised. David Cameron gave a cast iron promise on a referendum that he jettisoned before coming to power this year. The Lib Dems promised a referendum on membership of the EU, but when they joined the coalition, they conveniently dropped the policy. It is now up to the British people to make their voices heard. People’s petitions have been promised both by the new government and the EU. I propose to use my resources as an MEP to facilitate such a referendum on our membership of the EU. cmyk pantone EU or Britain
8 www.yourmep.org My Work in Europe Acclimatising myself with EU beaurocracy has proved a steep learning curve; Brussels is the most frustrating place to work, with the simplest of tasks involving volumes of paperwork. I have also had to comprehend the work of my committees on Human Rights, Civil Rights and Women’s Issues, as this is where advance warning of impending new EU legislation can be found, information that is vital to British businesses and other groups. The committees normally meet in Brussels, but the EU has two parliaments, with all the unnecessary waste and bureaucracy that that entails. The cost of transferring staff, materials and the upkeep of a second parliament runs into billions of Euros. Strasbourg meets twelve times a year and it is here that most of the voting takes place: An example of the proposals is Commissioner Barrot’s announcement of EU plans to introduce an EU-wide-system of birth and death certification. A problem in the EU is that the political parties need to align themselves with politicians from other member states. Members who would not normally have political dialogue are thrust together to conform to the EU parliament’s narrow code of practice. This can cause problems, as I found myself sitting with holocaust deniers, people convicted for assaulting children, and even those who condone Nazi salutes. It was for this reason I decided to sit as a nonattached MEP, and make a stand against such extremism. I have made more references to West Midlands issues in Chamber than all of the other five MEPs put together. I have also learned how to use the Parliamentary Question system in order to ensure that serious West Midlands issues are raised at the highest level, examples being factory closures, immigration, and invasions of travellers in Meriden and Hatton: I have demanded explanations and action. Of course, I would prefer that these matters were dealt with at Westminster, but it seems that the political parties are far more interested in furthering their careers and feathering their own nests, than in looking after their constituents. That is why I decided that I could best further the interests of the people of the West Midlands by sitting as an Independent MEP. I do not represent any party - I represent the people. www.yourmep.org 9
14 September 2009 “Mr President, I do not accept the validity of this Parliament or any other EU institution to make laws for the United Kingdom. My electors have sent me here to tell you that they do not want £45 million of their money every single day spent in the European Union. We want that money spent in the UK on our schools, on our hospitals and our infrastructure, not wasted on corruption with your accounts not being audited for 14 years. Simply, I have this message from the people who elected me to the Commission: go back to your bureaucracy and prepare for the UK’s withdrawal from the corrupt and doomed mess that is the European Union”.
10 March 2010 I voted against Amendments... which attacked NATO and called for the removal of NATO bases here in the EU. One of the last arguments of those who believe in this European project is that the EU has kept the peace in Europe for the last 65 years. I would actually say that is a lie and that is was actually NATO which kept the peace in Europe with its forces. I think it is a shame to have allowed such an amendment to be voted on. I noticed that the group which actually proposed this amendment are the remnants of a failed ideology that kept their people behind walls and breached their fundamental human rights. It was NATO forces that protected the rest of Europe from this nightmare. I wish to place on record my gratitude to the US and Canada and the other nations of NATO for sparing us that nightmare. I believe that it is in the UK’s interest to cooperate with all of these countries against a new form of totalitarianism that is the European Union.
24 February 2010 Mr President,...whilst the Commission is very keen on defending our human rights, we British have known since the thirteenth century exactly where we have stood. I am afraid to say that the Lisbon Treaty is a pale shadow of our Magna Carta.
15 September 2009 When Member States’ citizens express views in national referendums, the result should be final, respecting their rights to their opinions, but the EU’s version of citizens’ rights is to make them vote and vote again in national referendums until they can cave in to the pressure and vote ‘yes’. This is how the Maastricht Treaty and the Nice Treaty were achieved, and now the EU is following the same tactic and forcing Ireland to vote again on the Lisbon Treaty when it has already rejected it, as did France and the Netherlands. What kind of rights are these, when they are rejected out of hand in the name of solidarity?
19 October 2009 Let us take a critical look at the Schengen Agreement and what that has actually meant for Europe: it has allowed criminals, people traffickers and drug dealers to travel across thousands of miles unchecked; it has allowed camps such as Sangatte and the Jungle to develop on the other side of the English Channel , with people living in deplorable conditions. I hope you are proud of yourself. You would be aware of the 1951 Convention on Refugees that says that a refugee should claim asylum in the first safe country – but you disregard that. You disregard international law and you purport to be a responsible legal personality, as Lisbon would make you. Come on, pull the other one: this place is a joke! Strasbourg - Nikki’s Debut speech Excerpts from Nikki’s speeches
10 www.yourmep.org West Midlands Employment and Local Services Shropshire Worcestershire Herefordshire The West Midlands is the home to so much of Britain’s creative and scientific genius – the birthplace of the industrial revolution and of such historical giants as William Shakespeare, Matthew Boulton, Edward Elgar, Charles Darwin, Stanley Matthews, and Lenny Henry among others. It has a population of 5.2 million people, and has proud traditions and a great people. The European Union has had a very negative affect on the people of the West Midlands – manufacturing has suffered the loss of giants such as the iconic HP factory which lies in ruins and rubble. The West Midlands has one of the worst rates of unemployment in the country. With,
1 in 5 people under the ages of 25 out of work and little prospect of finding employment. They will be the forgotten generation - the victims of years of EU membership. Our great car industry is a pale shadow of its former glory – plants like Ryton in Coventry have been transferred to Slovakia with the help of EU funding. Our government were powerless to bail out Rover due to EU trade rules, which put thousands on the dole queue. “The West Midlands has been a victim of EU legislation. We pay over £45m a day to the European Union, most of which is squandered in waste and corruption, whilst Rover needed £100m to survive – the government spent your money against your best interest!” said Nikki Sinclaire. Our major manufacturing names have been taken over by multinational companies from China, India and Russia at a fraction of their true value, the skilled work force discarded and to add insult to injury our government and the EU gives them millions of pounds in sweeteners. www.yourmep.org 11 Staffordshire orcestershire West Midlands
(County) Warwickshire BIRMINGHAM Nikki has made herself available across the region to highlight and fight causes and individuals who need help. Nikki receives a substantial mailbag on various issues from Housing, council neglect, pensioner rights, transport, small businesses, farming, healthcare, foreign property issues, and even suggestions on how to vote! Most of this work is rarely seen but Nikki takes particular enjoyment in helping people find resolutions to their issues. She also spends a significant amount of her time in the UK visiting local people and businesses to talk about the issues that affect them. Nikki cites her favourite activity in the region as being her visits to schools, colleges, and universities. The chance to debate and discuss with young people with a thirst for knowledge is rewarding. She has also addressed students in Brussels. She has been able to use her resources to highlight plans to downgrade Rugby’s St Cross Hospital’s A&E department which means that people with life threatening conditions and injuries are being sent directly to Walsgrave Hospital in Coventry, a journey that adds miles to the dash for life. Nikki said changes at St Cross have left the unit as an A&E in name only. This was done without any proper consultation procedures and led her to comment “I became an MEP to confront the bureaucracy and the lack of accountability and democracy at the heart of the European Union, but it seems that these very same traits are evident in the governance of the West Midlands and its public services”
12 www.yourmep.org West Midlands Countryside, Agriculture and the Greenbelt Nikki hosted a NFU delegation from the West Midlands to Brussels in January to listen to their concerns. Afterwards I commented “I have found this visit very informative, especially about the growing amount of paperwork farmers need to comply with – Farmers need to farm, not to become bureaucrats” Nikki had already highlighted the problems with the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The now one size fits all; centralised bureaucratic mess that is slanted in favour of French and German Farmers. The French refuse to even discuss talks on holding a discussion on Reform until 2012. Tony Blair gratuitously gave up the UK rebate, money which previously went a small way to cover the burden of payment. West Midland dairy farmers have been hit hard by unfair and unrealistic quotas. The UK is forced to import 18% dairy quotas from the EU while our farmers throw milk down the drain. Farmers deserve a fair price for their produce and consumers deserve value for money. These are not compatible with membership of the EU with CAP adding £25 to a family-of-four food bill each week. www.yourmep.org 13
24 March 2010 Madam President, I come from the West Midlands, and 20% of the West Midlands is classified as green belt. The green belt has successfully protected the beauty of our countryside and blocked arbitrary urban sprawl. However, encouraged by the European Union, the UK Government has increased house building, endangering the green belt, which is particularly close to my heart because it is near to where I live on the Meriden Gap. This shows a lack of respect for our culture and traditions, but what do you care? Since the UK joined the European Union – or the European common market, before that – you have blatantly disrespected our culture and traditions, and there is nothing less to be expected of you. I am very concerned about the preservation of our Greenbelt , and nowhere is this more important than in the West Midlands . The proposed high speed rail link looks set to devastate much of the Meriden gap. But how many people realise that this is not a project that began in Westminster , but in Brussels ? The link will be part of an EU wide plan called the Trans European Rail Network, a project led by a Labour MEP. How many people know that a consultation has actually taken place? It was in Brussels last year. How many local residents were invited? This is the kind of devious political backroom dealing that I seek to expose and stop. This spring there were invasions by travellers in Meriden , and in Hatton. Again, the peace and quiet of the British countryside was violated. But how many people realise that the travellers have special rights, bestowed on them by the European Court of Human rights? Local people’s wishes, their privacy, and the sanctity of their environment can be ridden roughshod over as a result of this. The Conservatives will tell us that they will take us out of the power of the ECHR, but what they fail to tell you is that the EU will take us all in, whether national governments like it or not. Now you can see why I say that we will be better off out of the EU. Nikki’s speech to the EU Parliament about the Greenbelt Transparency
14 www.yourmep.org General Expenditure Allowance
14th July - 31 December 2009 As specified in Article 28 of the EU regulations • Office management and running costs, in particular rent and related charges (heating, lighting, insurance and cleaning): £5,555 • The cost of purchasing or renting office equipment: £4,111 • Telephone, including mobile telephone, and postal charges: £4,666 • The cost of purchasing office supplies and stationery: £130 • The cost of purchasing books, periodicals and newspapers: £270 • The cost of using public data consultation networks: £147 • The expenses involved in equipping Members with communications equipment and maintaining that equipment, for example the purchase or rental of a telephone, a fax machine, a computer, a modem or communications card, a printer, other IT equipment, computer peripherals and software packages: £3,848 • The cost of a subscription to the Internet and to databases: £136 • Representation activities: £10,814 • Hotel bills and other related expenses incurred in travelling in a Member’s Member State of election: £2,815 Total General Expenditure: £32,492 Total General Expenditure Allowance received from the EU: £22,039. This payment is received by every UK MEP from the EU regardless of their expenditure for this period. None of my family members are employed by me. Travel to and from the European Parliament
14 Journeys to Brussels.
5 Journeys to Strasbourg. Daily Subsistence Allowance A fixed allowance of 298 euros is paid for every day attended at the European Parliament to all MEP’s. Number of days attended in the European Parliament 47. Days Working in the UK - West Midlands Region 73. By the way the EU accounts haven’t been passed by the auditors for 15 years. I became the first, MEP to have my accounts scrutinised by Auditors. The Auditors Report is available on line www.yourmep.org Staffing allowance I am allowed approximately £195,000 a year (on the current exchange rate with the Euro) to be spent on assisting me in my duties. This allowance will be paid directly to chartered accountants in Birmingham who will pay my staff directly, deducting all relevant tax and National Insurance payments. At no time will I have access to a penny of this money. Current appointments Office Manager and Graphic Designer. Manager representing my interests in the West Midlands. Political Assistant. Political Researcher. Communications Advisor. Personal Assistant and Data Manager. Assistant for National Media and Press coverage. Office Assistant. Parliamentary Advisor. Public Relations Advisor. Paying Agents and Chartered Accountants. www.yourmep.org 15 Training with the RAF Nikki joined the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme that aims to give MPs and MEPs a better understanding of the needs and experiences of the UK armed forces; this course will cover basic training and duties for both junior officers and for other ranks, concluding with a period in Afghanistan. Nikki has already attended numerous briefings at the Ministry of Defence and has visited RAF establishments (including the RAF training centre in Halton, Buckinghamshire.) Nikki’s next exercise is a two-day survival training course. “As a politician, it is very important for me to be able to relate to the lives of the military, along with the lives of the many people who make this nation great,” says Nikki, who will spend time with service men and women throughout the intensive programme. “The opportunity to speak with our brave service men and women and to see them in their military surroundings will be an immense privilege, and the chance to observe even briefly the risks they are obliged to take, will hopefully be characterbuilding and make me a better politician; I think I am very lucky to be given a place on this course,” says Nikki. The Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme is funded by £45,000 from BAE Systems, Rolls Royce, Augusta Westland and their predecessor each year. The programme has been supported by Sir Neil Thorne since its creation in 1989. Nikki supports Troopaid who provide a ‘Grab bag’ of personal essentials for injured returning service personnel. This is a worthy charity assisting our injured heroes. Please support them. Troop Aid PO Box 14482 Solihull West Midlands B91 9LD. Patron: His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. Please visit their website www.troopaid.info TROOP AID is registered as a charity in the UK no:1123888.
16 www.yourmep.org
1. Why do you believe it to be in Britain’s best interests to leave the EU? The European Union is a political project designed to merge the independent, democratic nations of Europe into a single bureaucracy governed from Brussels. Already, EU directives prevail over British Law – and they don’t even need to be voted on by our own Parliament in Westminster. The EU is undemocratic, obsolete, economically inefficient and fraud-ridden. All the red tape, rules and new laws inflicted on us by Brussels are not worth the sacrifice of our sovereignty – and in fact the EU is part of the problem; creating unemployment and economic stagnation across the Continent. Being part of a federal EU means giving up democratic control of our economy
2. So are you anti-European then? Not at all; I love and respect our European neighbours, but I simply do not believe we should be run by the EU. Trying to merge different cultures and economies within an artificially created state is distinctly abnormal. If history proves anything, it is that artificial states don’t survive. Look at the USSR or Yugoslavia or the old European Empires. Why should Brussels run British affairs? The idea that all people are alike and should merge in one state is dangerous. I believe in friendship and free trade in a free and democratic context, with each nation free to chart its own course.
3. So are you a British nationalist? No, I believe Britain should be selfgoverned, but do not argue that we are in any way superior to anyone else. Unlike the EU, we British have never sought to impose our values on others, nor do we want a return to the days of Empire. I oppose racism and sectarianism. I have no prejudices against foreigners or minorities, quite the opposite as I respect their customs and traditions. And in return I am prepared to stand up for our own. I am not a little Englander but I do believe in world trade and I have no intention of becoming a Little European. The UK can run its own affairs and be a “good European” as well as a World Trader.
4. If this is true, why are you an Independent Euro MP and how are you going to achieve your aims? I was elected under the slogan ‘Say NO to European Union,’ and therefore, my mandate remains clear: to actively campaign for my own redundancy, and that of every UK MEP, by withdrawing the UK from the EU and signing up for a free trade agreement which the British people were told they were signing up for in 1972. Just before the EU elections last year, a BBC poll found that
55% of people wanted to leave the EU and
84% wanted no further transfer of power. I am here to represent those people and to highlight whenever I can the way in which the EU pervades our ways of life, our traditions and our culture, not to mention the economic hardships the EU is causing the UK by costing us £45million a day. I still find it unbelievable that despite promises, no one under the age of 53 has ever been given the opportunity in a referendum to have a say about the transfer of sovereignty to Brussels, not even when we were made EU citizens in 1992! I intend to use my resources to actively campaign for such a referendum on our membership of the EU.
5. If the British people said they wanted to leave the EU in a referendum, is it possible? Yes! It would give the government authority to repeal of the 1972 European Communities Act. We can leave the EU, because no UK Government can bind its successor. We are subject to EU rules only because UK legislation says that we are. Statutes are passed through Parliament to implement each EU treaty. These statutes require UK judges to have regard to EU law in making their judgements. Repeal this UK Questions & Answers www.yourmep.org 17 legislation, and we are free. EU law would no longer apply to us. The debate with the EU would be about how best to manage our leaving, not whether we can leave. We don’t have to pay anything to leave. In fact we will stop paying into the EU budget – saving us all more money every year. We can leave the European Union – and still trade successfully with them.
6. But wouldn’t we lose out on trade if we left the EU? Our trade would prosper under the sort of free trade agreements enjoyed by other non-EU Countries like Norway, Switzerland and even Mexico. Quite simply, we buy far more from the EU countries than they buy from us, so it would be in their interests to have a free trade agreement with us. Therefore, we would protect our own jobs and be attractive to foreign investment.
7. Wouldn’t we lose out economically by leaving the EU? Since 1973 it has cost the UK untold billions to adapt to European systems and standards
(For example introducing the new European ‘112’ for emergencies that will take over from ‘999’), even though British systems led the world. Adopting these systems has made it more difficult for us to trade with the rest of the world. The cost to the UK is a net loss of between £20 billion and £35 billion per year!!! Moreover future EU plans are undermining much of what is left of our economy. We cannot afford to stay in the EU. It is taking our money, changing our laws and undermining our nationality.
8. We have to implement Euroregulations to export there, don’t we? The UK market is very attractive to other EU countries. Therefore, any free trade agreement will be negotiated on fair rules and procedures. British companies could better adapt their manufacturing to export across world markets if we were outside the EU.
9. But doesn’t the EU give us more influence in the world? No! In fact exactly the opposite is true; at the moment the UK is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, a senior member of NATO, and in the G8 group, not to mention the Commonwealth. British and EU interests are not always compatible and due to our EU membership, British interests are frequently damaged. Also, with the Lisbon Treaty now in force, the EU is actively seeking to remove the British and French seats on the Security Council in order to replace it with a single EU representative.
10. So what is your alternative to being a member of the EU? The alternative is to be a normal selfgoverning state like Japan (which does not feel compelled to join China or Russia) or Norway (which is successfully independent of the EU).
11. Yet isn’t almost two thirds of our trade done with the EU? No, we are the 6th largest economy in the world by GDP, and only 14% of that GDP is due to trade with the EU. Let’s face it. They make everything we used to make, and now they send it here. Their lower labour rates are closing our factories. When you are told
50% of our exports are to the EU, ask if those figures include ‘invisibles’ (insurance, financial services etc which they exclude; even exports to India of the Airbus parts made in the UK were classed as exports to France!) Ask whether our exports to the rest of the world go via Dutch container ports and are counted as exports to the EU
(because they are!) North America is our major market.
12. Wouldn’t Japanese and other investors pull out if we left the EU? No. Outside the EU our costs and red tape would be less, their profits higher. They need investments in an English speaking country, as English is a language that is used in half the
18 www.yourmep.org Contact us for more answers - details on back page world’s trading. They are also attracted by our own business taxes and fewer rules. “Harmonisation” to EU standards may cost us these investments.
13. But what about the Euro? Surely we will have to join it? Twelve to fifteen years ago it seemed as if it was inevitable that Britain would join the Euro; we were told that we would lose out: the opposite has proven true. The Euro is a political ideal, not an economic one. It is now beginning to unravel; Germany, with the help of the IMF, has bailed out Greece, whilst the Spanish, Portuguese and Irish economies teeter on the brink. The German people are fed up of bailing out weaker economies at their expense and for the first time it has been mooted that the Germans might go back to their Deutschmark. It is a ludicrous proposition that you can have one economic policy for countries like Germany, France and the UK on one hand, and the same for Malta, Greece and Estonia on the other: one size does not fit all! If we did join, interest rates would rarely if ever be right for our economy: boom and bust cycles would become much worse, just as we see in the effect the Euro is having on the German economy. Look what happened to the UK when we were tied into the ERM. The Pound has proven more stable against the US dollar than with any European currency – yet no one suggests that we should adopt the dollar. A single European currency is, and always was, an EU political statement: if you lose your economy you lose your country.
14. Why does the EU meddle in every aspect of British Life? Politicians presented the Common Market as a “simple trade agreement” in the 1975 referendum. Our fishing grounds have been abused, and our ability to produce enough food to meet our own needs has been severely impaired. Our manufacturing industry has been decimated, while our government sits powerless to protect jobs. “Corpus Juris” is a system of EU law that will eventually end our rights to Habeas Corpus and trial by jury. The new EU police force, EUROPOL, can arrest any EU “citizen” take them to another EU country and imprison them indefinitely whilst “evidence is collected,” without any appeal possible. Far from a simple trading partner, the EU is unaccountable and a dangerous unstable huge new country, costing British taxpayers a fortune
15. In what ways does the EU destroy UK traditions? Give some examples. The EU affects every corner of our lives: health foods, organ pipe making, steam railway preservation trusts, motorcycling, and the list is ever-growing. They now make 75% of our laws. I believe the UK should make its own laws. Just take animals for example: long distance transportation of animals across the EU for slaughter in overcrowded, heated conditions is an inhumane practice that the EU has refused to address. This situation worsened when the EU closed many of our slaughterhouses which did not comply with EU regulations. UK animals should be slaughtered in the UK and the meat exported, not dealt with in this cruel way. Horse meat exports are not our tradition. Under EU rules they cannot be stopped. The EU “REACH” directive required 12.8 million animals to be used for experimentation in the name of safer chemicals. Much of this was duplication of existing knowledge based on previous research. Dolphins are still being killed due to EU fishing techniques, despite this matter being continually raised in Brussels: it is simply not a priority to them. The EU has taken our fishing grounds, and now our waters are in danger of becoming sterile. We are an island nation, and our relationship with the sea is surely one of our most important traditions. www.yourmep.org 19 Objectives for 2010 - 2011 Don’t let them shut you up! Join the petition for a REFERENDUM Office of Nikki Sinclaire MEP PO Box 15262, Solihull, West Midlands B90 9FY Tel 0330 440 8434 email: info@nikkimep.org www.yourmep.org Please complete the form below and send it to: The Office of Nikki Sinclaire MEP PO Box 15262, Solihull West Midlands B90 9FY Name Address Postcode Tel Mobile Email I would like to receive more information from Nikki Sinclaire MEP I support an EU Membership Referendum Signature Please tick the appropriate boxes Nikki Sinclaire, non-attached Member of the European Parliament. The opinion stated herein are those of the author. Sole liability rests with the author. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. www.haveyoursay.eu



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