YP Letters: Row rages on over Britain's place in EU

CONCERNING the EU referendum, I find the prolonged argument over whether or not David Cameron’s Brussels deal has genuine legal status rather surprising.

All the parties need to do is consult the statement made to the Treasury Select Committee last November by former European Court of Justice judge Sir Konrad Schiemann. He confirmed, and he should know, that any agreements reached would be “political understandings” only; to give them legal force would require changes to the treaties, which, he noted, could only be achieved by following the lengthy process necessary in each individual member state.

Significantly, Sir Konrad has also said: “It is legally perfectly clear as a matter of law that in some areas the last word lies with the European institutions – legislative and judicial – rather than national institutions. I see no political possibility of this being changed.”

From: Nigel Bywater, Oak Grove, Morley, Leeds.

JUSTICE Secretary Michael Gove clashed with the Prime Minister over whether he negotiated a legally binding deal to stay in the EU; one of them is not telling the truth. This brings us back to the whole problem with the Conservative Party and leaving the EU. We cannot trust our own Government.

From: D Wood, Howden.

I, FOR one, find the stance of the Civil Service on what is our referendum – not the Government’s – outrageous (The Yorkshire Post, February 24).

The EU being a bureaucratic nightmare, it is, of course, not surprising that the Civil Service are massive fans of it. Bureaucracy breeds bureaucracy.

What these paper shuffling ink wasters are forgetting is that we, the British taxpayers pay their grossly inflated wages.

From: Don Burslam, Elm Road, Dewsbury Moor, Dewsbury.

MR Wood (The Yorkshire Post, February 22) appears to be one of a number of people determined to award no credit whatsoever to the EU or its predecessor for keeping the peace in Europe for so many years.

To maintain that Nato is solely responsible for this is perverse to say the least bearing in mind the contracts and relationships which have developed among the European nations thanks to the Treaty of Rome in 1957.

As a result, the old regimes based on power politics and the pathetic League of Nations have been replaced by continual and rational dialogue fostering a sense of cooperation and common purpose.

The biggest loss would be sacrificing all influence with the US who obviously strongly favour our continued membership. Like it or not, the alliance with the US must be a major factor in the safety and security of this country. By the way, I see that the Europhobes’ pet, Norway, thinks the UK should stay in the EU.

From: Nick Martinek, Briarlyn Road, Huddersfield.

I WONDER if the Remain campaign realises how odd their claims of being unable to trade with the EU after we leave really are? These are our European friends and trading partners, according to the Remains. So why would they be so hostile to us? And if they do think the EU will be our enemies why do they insist we should remain in a political union with them?

No evidence is offered for those doom-laden warnings and they just don’t make sense. Indeed, the reverse is true. The EU sells more to the UK than we export to them. It is in their interests, as well as ours, to trade amicably.

From: David Collins, Scissett.

I HAVE been trying to keep up with the debate on the EU. So far I have heard a lot of hot air and very little factual information. I get the impression that nobody knows what the best outcome will be either way. The devil you know against the devil you don’t.

However I have heard a lot of expressions. It is too big, it is too bureaucratic, it passes too many laws, it doesn’t work and it is unrepresentative. It occurs to me that this equally applies to Westminster.

The EU in total has 750 representatives. The UK has 1,450 representatives – 650 “elected” and 800 gongs in the Lords. Why do we need twice as many as the whole of Europe? If the EU is passing all the legislation, what are our MPs and peers doing?

From: Brian Sheridan, Redmires Road, Sheffield.

SIR Bernard Ingham accuses the Scottish National Party of double standards for wanting independence from the UK while himself endorsing British independence from the EU (The Yorkshire Post, February 24). Black pots and kettles spring to mind. The truth that no-one dare speak is that Scottish Nationalists hate the English and Europhobes hate all but the English-speaking peoples.

From: Howard Scaife, Backstone way, Ilkley.

THERE was a photo (The Yorkshire Post, February 24) of a plaque being presented by DB Schenker to commemorate the last coal train from Kellingley to the local coal-fired power station.

Will the coal trucks now be sent to Germany by the state rail company which owns DB Schenker to be used to supply coal to the new coal fired-power stations being built there using far more polluting brown coal?

The EU says we cannot support our coal mines or coal-fired power stations, whilst the Germans can give state aid to theirs, so our lads go on the dole.

Maybe this is why Employment Minister Priti Patel and our Minister for the Northern Powerhouse, James Wharton, are both backing exit from the corrupt EU.