All costs, no benefits for the UK in the EU

The Open Europe briefing note on the EU budget is linked from here. Lowlights: France is the largest recipient of funds getting 89 billion euros versus only 46 billion for the UK. UK citizens pay 20 per cent more per head than the French in spite of those unbalanced receipts. UK pays 6 billion pounds more in than it gets out. Britain's gross contributions are 71 billion POUNDS! Britain pays in one fifth (20 per cent) MORE than France even though its economy is only 6 per cent bigger. (Recent proposals are that the UK will get one less MEP- blog editor's comment) British citizens get back the least per head of any country, 776 euros per head, half of that received by the French and one quarter of that by the Irish. EU Administration alone costs 34 Billion Pounds, (36,000,000,000 pounds sterling!) (Editors further Comment: - DO NOT BLAME THE EU! IT IS BRITAIN'S OWN POLITICIANS GIVING YOUR MONEY AWAY WHILE GETTING LITTLE BACK.........YOUR PARLIAMENT WILL AUTHORISE THIS CONTINUED SPENDING NEXT MONDAY - ONLY YOU CAN INFLUENCE YOUR MP!)