Arrogance of EU’s latest demands

From: Tim Hunter, Knaresborough.

SO the most corrupt, inefficient and undemocratic institution in Europe – the European Union – is expecting us to pay £1.7bn extra, just because we’ve got the sense and gumption to work hard?

The arrogance of this is just beyond belief. The EU is clearly not a “club”, as we’re often told. In any “club” you should be free to leave, easily, if the fees are too high and the services provided are not what you would expect. Otherwise it’s just extortion

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Why should we pay through the nose to surrender more powers to the EU and accept more immigration?

You think it’s extreme to criticise the EU, perhaps? Sorry, I think you are extreme if you are willing to cave in to such extortion.

It would be better if we left the EU, obviously. But that’s going to take a referendum. Will we ever get one? Here’s a possible immediate reform that might be worth considering. We should demand that the EU becomes a “proper” club. The EU should allow membership on a renewable annual basis.

It would then be up to UK governments to just say we’re not paying our fees this year and we’re therefore leaving. If such a membership option was made available, it would put the EU under pressure. The EU would be forced to become more accountable and would have to try and sell us the benefits of membership.

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There should be no reduction in rebate, and we should refuse to pay any fine. What will the EU do to enforce a fine?

From: Les Arnott, Athelstan Road, Sheffield.

I HAVE long been predicting that a situation would be engineered by the Conservatives and EU in which Mr Cameron would “win a mighty victory o’er his foes” and become the conquering Thatcher-style hero.

As he waves a triumphant piece of paper upon his return from Brussels, the great British public will gasp in awe at his statesmanship, his boldness and his obvious nobility: he will appear to have worked brilliantly towards the greater social good by sidelining his pro-EU views for a season. So, an unexpected £1.7bn debt out of the blue. Might this be the first step towards a stage-managed “victory”?

From: Neil S Roy, Hull.

IT is stated that the EU wishes to recover money from the British public because we have become a little bit better off then them. As a commoner I would like to cast the first vote to say “No” to that lot across in Brussels and tell them they are not having it.

From: David Nutt, Huby, Leeds.

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YOUR readers should not under-estimate the cunning of our masters in Brussels. They know full well that the effects of their pronouncements on our alleged extra liability for EU funding, and also on the dire consequences we face for any interference with “EU freedom of movement”, will be to encourage the UK electorate to vote Ukip, and this on the eve of upcoming elections.

Why, knowing this, would these EU bureaucrats deliberately try thus to influence the outcome of our elections? They calculate that the only way for them to avoid the utter disaster to the EU gravy train of a UK withdrawal, is to somehow ensure a Labour victory at the general election, and so negate David Cameron’s promise of a distant referendum.

From: Hilary Andrews, Wentworth Court, Leeds.

IT looks like Mark Reckless is going to be recklessly elected as a Ukip MP following the by-election he created by resigning from the Conservative Party. Surely the people in his constituency of Rochester and Strood must realise that this would be a wasted vote. Ukip have no chance of making all the changes they are promising as they will not get a majority in Parliament at the next election and may well cause an unstable coalition.

That would be a disaster for the UK. Why can’t the general public accept that the UK is moving forward both economically and in a phased withdrawal from daft EU legislation?

From: Dr Glynn Powell, Kellington, Goole.

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DAVID Cameron, in his desperation to prevent voters defecting to Ukip, promises to cap the numbers of EU migrants to the UK.

Unfortunately for Mr Cameron, this would be illegal under EU treaty legislation. Cameron should, therefore, adopt Ukip’s policy of withdrawing from this economically and socially damaging institution. I say this, not as a Ukip supporter, as their other policies would be extremely hurtful to ordinary people, but as an individual who firmly believes Britain would be more prosperous outside the EU.

Dangers of Halloween

From: Canon Michael Storey, Healey Wood Road, Brighouse.

WHAT a splendid article by Andrew Vine (The Yorkshire Post, October 28) on the topic of Halloween.

What a silly, dangerous tradition has come into the UK – children dressed in all sorts of ghoulish clothing knocking on doors to beg, or cause some damage if the householder won’t pay up.

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This activity is yet another sign of the loss of the Christian faith in our increasingly secular land. Furthermore it allows children to wonder the streets after dark often with no adult company; not a good idea in these awful days of child abuse.