Do we need Europe

24th November 2011

This week I’m going to become a bit political, and at the risk of portraying the “grumpy old man” side of me, thought I would leap onto one of my favourite soap boxes.

I have never been a fan of being “European” and trying to morph all the different races with their wonderful, exciting and colourful cultures into one big lump of sameness. The Common Market I can see is a good thing, but to take it any further than that is unnecessary, and as it is beginning to turn out potentially divisive, and possibly even ruinous for many. I never trust people who tell me I “must” do something, or I “can’t afford not to”. Generally what they mean is they need me to do it, or that they can’t afford for me not to be part of it. This is exactly what is going on in the E.U. Of course the politicians, the key movers and shakers in industry, and many of the biggest corporations want to maintain the status quo, or even integrate further, because there is a huge trough of money, which all these people are able to stick their greedy noses into, without any fear of comebacks. I noticed recently that the E.U. accounts have for the 17th year in a row, been left unsigned off by the auditors, presumably because the numbers simply don’t add up.

I’m not an accountant, but I’m guessing that any other business that did not have their accounts signed off for more than a couple of years would be considered highly dodgy, and not one to be associated with.

If we then look at the majority of businesses and individuals, how do they benefit from being part of the E.U? I don’t believe that many small or medium sized businesses gain anything from it, and more likely it generally makes life a lot harder, and increases their costs. Look at the countries in Europe who are currently doing best. Most of the Scandinavian countries, who have never signed up to more than just the free trade within the “Common Market”. Of course there is always more to it than meets the eye, but on the face of it, do we really need to be part of the E.U?

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