The EU's crippling cost

A national daily (albeit on a bank holiday, when much attention will be diverted elsewhere) finally spells out the real tax implications of Blair's EU sell out. These figures and the manner in which the money is spent are best considered alongside the present party financing corruption scandal. The following is an extract from the Daily Telegraph's Leading Article, which may be read in full by clicking here The additional amount conceded by Mr Blair last December, £7 billion, is equivalent to the total police budget for England and Wales. The United Kingdom's annual gross contribution to Brussels, £12 billion, is equivalent to the combined revenue raised by inheritance tax, capital gains tax and stamp duty. We are, in short, paying in an awesome amount of money.

And what are we getting in return? Our Parliament is hobbled, our countryside ruined, our fishing grounds plundered, our businesses asphyxiated with regulation. Even in his own terms, as a pro-European, what did Mr Blair get in return for handing away our taxes? Did the French agree to reform the Common Agricultural Policy? Did the net recipient countries express their gratitude to Britain? Of course not.

We made some disobliging remarks about the Prime Minister's negotiating skills at the time, but don't take our word for it. Listen to how he was received in Europe. Le Parisien declared that "Chirac won the match against Tony Blair on the British rebate". Welt am Sonntag commented: "Tony Blair began the EU presidency as a tiger and ended it as a doormat".

The amount of this money returned directly to all Britain's political parties with elected MEPs is an absolute disgrace, especially considering the absence of any democratic or real legislative role assigned to the so called European Parliament.

Equally unacceptable should be the fact that much of the funds actually spent on real projects often further fall within the non-democratic gift of Europe's political establishment, themselves subject to appointment and control by the often corrupt national party machines of the member states, of which corruption Britain's two main parties now seem to appear at the head.

The rest of the national media this weekend nevertheless seem surprised at the reported rise of the BNP! How can that be?