No, my Government has no right to absolve its right and duty to
govern: it has no right to surrender rights and privileges that
have been GIVEN to it over many centuries by the electorate, in
exchange for the right to be removed from office if they are
disliked.

The political system gives it that right. And if you think that the UK
system of government is so effective and fair to those that demonstrate
against Bush and the Iraq war, then you should also believe that it is
effective and fair in this case. Because you can remove the current
government from office if they are disliked and vote instead for a
party or candidate that will take us out of the EU.


It is not me who is arguing against our current form of government, nor am I
demonstrating against anything. I am (smugly, you might think) satisfied with
those political remedies I have, but once the British Government has
irrevocably surrendered rights to the E.U. it will never get them back.

What does 'coherence of common values and tolerance' actually mean
anyway? That sounds like a bit of meaningless made up language rather
than a real term.

Well, I understand perfectly what it means to be British, and I do not propose
to widen the debate here.

And while the people of the UK may have more in
common with each other than they do with the people of, for example,
South Africa, they probably have about as much in common with each
other as they have in common with people in other European countries.

Well, let me give you a few examples of how we England and Scotland share some
fundamental values that our European "partners" do not necessarily sha-

- the belief that the accused is innocent till proved guilty
- the right to a trial by one's peers
- politically independent judiciary
- "natural justice" (a concept too long to explain in detail here, but I wil if
pressed)
- habeas corpus
- the right to write a will that provides for anyone, without any preconceived
obligations
- political impartiality of the Head of State
- the right NOT to vote

to name but a few.

History, whether
you like it or not, proves me right.

No, it doesn't.

Name me one surviving empire then.


People in the different parts of the USA have no more in common with
each other than do people in different parts of Europe.

Of course they do: constitution, allegiance, language, currency, political
aspirations etc.

People in the
south have very different values, beliefs, cultures and attitudes from
people in the north. Different states also have different laws,
different landscapes, different economic problems and so on. They
really are about as different as people in different parts of the EU
are.

That really is just "spin". I think most people in the U.S.A. regard themselves
as "Americans" first and "Californians" or whatever second. How many in Europe
(let alone the U.K.) regard themselves as "European" first and "French" or
whatever second?



As for comparing the EU to empires of the past, that's ridiculous.
Empires in the past consisted of colonies ruled over by a central
power, with no input in or influence over this rule.

I have already stated my belief that my input into the European parliament is
about as effective as a Raj peasant's influence on the India Office in London
prior to 1947.

They were
dominated, enslaved and used for the benefit of the ruling power.

While "enslavement and domination" is putting it a bit strong, I firmly believe
that we are controlled from Brussels and will be increasingly controlled in the
minutiae of daily life, not for our benefit, but for the benefit of the
bureaucrats in Brussels for whom this is simply creating a richly rewarding
reason for existence.

Countries in the EU elect their own local councils or governments,
regional governments and national governments

Which have a daily diminishing role to play as, one by one, their powers are
surrendered to the E.U.

and also elect their own
MEPs.

A meaningless privilege.

They haven't been forced into submission, they've formed a
collective for their own mutual benefit.

How many people who voted in favour of the "Common Market" in 1974/5 (like my
parents) did so knowing that it would end up in the all-powerful corrupt mess
that it has now become? Very few, apart from Edward Heath, I suspect.

Marc.