EU
EUROFACTS' ARTICLES: Please click on a title for a printable pdf copy. You will need to have open Adobe Reader. Downloading takes approx. 30 seconds:
Brexit negotiations need clarity, 20 October 2017 (Vol.23,no.2,p.3)
Why EU negotiations could fail, 15 September 2017 (Vol. 23,no.1,p.2)
The EU referendum, what next, 13 November 2015 (Vol.21,No.3,pp.1-2) This article explains that winning a 'leave' referendum is only a step on the way. It does not mean the UK automatically leaves the EU, nor does it define the post-exit relationship the UK would have with the EU.
Winning the Referendum, 14 February 2015 (Vol.20,No.6,pp.1-2) A consideration of what is necessary to win the EU referendum and, especially, the need to make the voters realise that the status quo is not on offer but that it is a choice between greater integration and remaining in the Single Market.
A Clear Aim, a Clear Plan, 19 September 2014 (Vol.20, No.1, pp.4-5) The clear aim is to leave the political and judicial structure of the EU. The clear plan is to stay in the Single Market. Polling indicates this is a winning strategy.
Lessons from the Scottish Referendum Campaign, 20 June 2014 (Vol.19,No.10, pp.4-5) The mistakes made by Alex Salmond highlight the need for EU withdrawalists to have clear plans properly stress-tested. Regardless of the way Scots vote there will be no real Scottish independence following this referendum.
Winning the EU referendum, 20 June 2014 (Vol.19,No.10,pp.1-2) - Ken Worthy. A consideration of what is necessary to win the EU referendum and, especially, the need to make the voters realise that the status quo is not on offer but it is a choice between greater integration and remaining in the Single Market.
Liechtenstein has it all , 16 May 2014 (Vol. 19, No. 9, p.3) It is possible to be in the European Economic Area, the Single Market and to restrict immigration by the safeguard clauses of the EEA Agreement. Liechtenstein shows how it is done.
Gladstone makes it all simple, 18 April 2014 (Vol. 19,No.8, p.5) This article discusses how British government dealt with treaties and guarantees, both in 1870 and 1914, and how the current German government and the EU have breached both the Growth and Stability Pact and the budget provisions of the Maastricht Treaty.
Logic disproves a major europhile argument, 14 February 2014 (Vol.19,,p.2) The rest of the EU would lose more Foreign Direct Investment than the UK should barriers be erected to hinder Britain's trade with the EU, post-Brexit.
The Pathway to Exit from the EU, 20 December 2013 (Vol.19, No.4/5, pp.1-2) The correct path to victory is to stay in the Single Market and get David Cameron to explain why he does not want to jettison all the political baggage of the EU project.
In Search of Independence, 20 September 2013 (Vol.19, pp.4-5) This article looks historically at how American and Indian independence actually happened. The critical element was the steady conversion of the political class towards the inevitability of independence; and also the political class in the imperial power, Britain.
The UK's missing sovereign wealth fund, 20 July 2012 (Vol. 17, No. 11, p.5) A comprehensive calculation of the UK's EU budget contributions proves that these have amounted to approximately £380 billion and, by now, could have formed the world's largest sovereign wealth fund.
Largest Swiss party rejects European Union 19 August 2011 (Vol. 16, No. 12, p.4) A short comment on the Rutli Declaration of 2011 by the Swiss People's Party which stated that, if Switzerland ever decided to join the EU, the ten cantons in which the SVP is in the majority would secede from Switzerland.
A tale of two press briefings, 18 June 2010 (Vol.15, No. 10, p.4) A comparison of two press releases (Brussels and Washington, May 2010) by the EU and the International Monetary Fund shows that a large amount of the money the IMF is supposed to be contributing to the euro bail-out is, in fact, coming from the EU countries themselves.
One thing Cameron can do about Europe, 16 October 2009 (Vol. 15, No. 12, pp. 5,6) This analysis shows that it is the 'gross' contribution to the EU that has to be paid by British taxpayers. It confirms that such amounts have to be paid in euros - not in Mervyn King's 'funny money'.
Missing: the strong man of Europe, 19 June 2009 (Vol. 14, No. 17, p.2) A look at how David Cameron could have become the arbiter of European politics.
It's a binary choice and 'reformers' are part of the EU 'in' group, 29 May 2009 (Vol 14, No 16, pp.3,4) This study analyses the failure of euroscepticism and speculates what it would take to turn reformers into full-blooded supporters of withdrawal. It shows that Gerry Frost's Bruges Group speech correctly identified the prime cause of euroscepticism's failure to date as its inability to win over enough of the political and financial elite. It concludes that the elite will never acknowledge that the 'great unwashed' are right and that, therefore, the initiative to change will likely come from a breakdown in one of the other large EU countries.
Moldova: Europe's poorest people will be free to come to UK, 15 May 2009 (Vol. 14, No. 15, p.4) This review, written in 2009, explains how the right to the free movement of labour inevitably lowers wage levels in the recipient country.
Ireland teeters on the brink of a financial and economic catastrophe, 30 January 2009 (Vol 14, No. 8, p.3) A paper on how membership of the euro has weakened Ireland's capacity to deal with the credit crunch.
Giscard's speech highlights weaknesses in position of Tory euroscepticism, 3 October 2008 (Vol. 13, No. 24, p.3) At the The Global Vision/Daily Telegraph Westminster Conference on 8th September 2008, former President Giscard d'Estaing correctly pointed out that nobody forced successive British governments to sign up for EU treaties. This paper comments that, when he proposed a 'special status' for Britain, some of the professed eurosceptics present reacted with the usual cliches about 'the club' and the 'top table'.
Privatising profits, socialising costs, 3 October 2008 (Vol. 13, No.24, p.6) In a Letter to the Editor of Eurofacts, Anthony Scholefield ridicules the comment made by the Spanish Deputy Prime Minister, "there will be recruitment of foreign workers in their country of origin because we need them". His opinion is that Britain, the USA and Spain have all been testing to destruction the idea that mass immigration is a net benefit.
EU immigration plans rest on a huge fallacy, 2 November 2007 (Vol. 13, No. 2, p.3) A detailed analysis of the EU Directive on Migration of 23 October 2007 which examines the Commission's belief that Immigration will solve the problem of the EU falling birth rate. The conclusion is that there is no fix to the problem of an ageing society because of the simple truth that immigrants age too.
Europe proclaims 'the four freedoms' - but the reality is very different, 21 September 2007 (Vol. 12, No. 23, p.3) An investigation into 'the four freedoms' shows that free movement of goods and services means free movement within the EU and in/out of the EU, as determined by the European Union Commission. This study shows that the free movement of people, unlike trade, has an enormous effect on wealth and the permanent labour supply - at the expense of natives.
Why can't we be more like Switzerland? 7 September 2007 (Vol. 12, No. 22, p.4) This paper analyses a seminar held at the Swiss Embassy in London (Summer 2007) where the experts made it clear that the Swiss system of open and direct democracy provides important lessons for those who wish to preserve self government. Their argument was that Swiss democracy means, not only popular endorsement by referendum, but full disclosure and careful supervision of the spending of the money of the Swiss people, even after it is allocated to supporting projects in Eastern Europe.
Is there really a 'Huguenot' invasion or is Ken simply bad at maths? 27 April 2007 (Vol. 12, No. 14, p.3) An amusing expose which questions why europhiles should be so keen to grossly exaggerate the number of French living in London. The conclusion is that it appeared that, in 2007, Ken Livingstone, the LibDems, the New Statesman, etc., simply could not add up - their figures were between 5 and 10 times the estimates of the French Embassy in London.
Why the 'completion' of the Single Market is undesirable, 2 December 2005 (Vol.11,No.4,p.3) This article shows how Gordon Brown's, article of The Financial Times article of 13th October 2005 undermines the case for EU membership. The Chancellor complained that Britain's low growth was due to the high proportion of trade carried out with the eurozone. Yet, at the same time, he argued for the benefits of the Single Market which, by definition, is designed to increase Britain's trade with the EU.
Free Trade Agreements aren't the solution, 4 November 2005 (Vol.11,No.2,pp.4,5) An argument that the UK should decide what sort of trading regime it wants before thinking about FTAs. FTAs are a contradiction in terms. Mostly they are about what cannot be traded freely.
Still no idea about how to get Britain into the euro, 1 August 2003 (Vol.8,Nos.20/21,p.9) This paper pinpoints a weakness at the heart of the Government's strategy in 2003 to get Britain into the euro. It explains that, at that time, the Government would not reveal the terms of entry and the rate at which the pound would convert to the euro.
Wider still and wider, 1 August 2003 (Vol.8,Nos.20/21,p.1) An argument that the EU's imperial ambitions extend much further than the inclusion of ten new states.
The Independence Dividend is worth £30 billion a year, 28 March 2003 (Vol.8,no.12,pp.1,2,4) A calculation that the Independence Dividend (that is, the benefit of Britain leaving the EU) amounts to £30 billion a year. Yet it shows that all the major parties claim Britain benefits economically from EU membership without any calculations whatsoever.
The Commission predicts a grim future, 31 January 2003 (Vol.8,No.8,pp.3,5) This article discusses the forecast by the EU Commission (EU Economy: 2002 Review) which suggests that EU members will face a deepening economic malaise. The EU Commission's central projection is that the EU's share of world output will fall from 18% in 2002 to 10% by 2050. This may actually underestimate the severity of the problems ahead. For Britain to increase integration to a sector of the world in steep relative decline seems irrational.
Who is ripping off whom? 17 January 2003 (Vol.8,No.7,p.5) A short review of Britain in Europe's 'winning' campaign themes.
No way to treat a friend, 20 December 2002 (Vol.8,Nos.5/6,p.8) A brief discussion on how French attitudes to Turkey's admission to the EU are highly revealing.
It will be even harder next time around, 29 November 2002 (Vol.8,No.4,p.5) Following Tony Blair's speech to the City of London on 11 November 2002, this paper disputes Robert Worcester's (Labour's favourite pollster) view that it would easier for the Government to get Britain into the euro if it postponed the referendum.
How the polls exaggerate support for membership of the EU, 15 November 2002 (Vol.8,No.3,p.3) An analysis of how the questions asked by pollsters in 2002 did not reflect the realities of withdrawal - and thus played into the hands of the Federalists.
Convergence. The stuff of which economic nightmares are made, 20 September 2002 (Vol.7,No.23,pp.5,6) Book review: 'Should Britain Join the Euro? The Chancellor's Five Tests Examined' by Patrick Minford.
Putting politics before jobs, growth & prosperity, 28 June 2002 (Vol.7,No.18,p.5) An argument that the Treasury's position on its 'Famous Five' tests is confused as well as superficial.
Where's the 'clear & unambiguous' evidence that Britain would benefit? 14 June 2002 (Vol.7,No.17,p.5) A further examination of the implications of tests two and three of the Chancellor's 'Famous Five' economic tests.
Putting Gordon Brown's 'Famous Five' to the test, 31 May 2002 (Vol.7,No.16,pp.3,4) This paper assesses whether the British economy is likely to pass the Government's five tests and considers the relevance and implications of the tests themselves.
Disappearing Europe, 5 October 2001 (Vol.6,No.24,p.1) A review of Anthony Scholefield's book, 'The Death of Europe', discussing how demographic calamity will overwhelm the Continental EU by 2050. [Click here to read the book]
Brexit negotiations need clarity, 20 October 2017 (Vol.23,no.2,p.3)
Why EU negotiations could fail, 15 September 2017 (Vol. 23,no.1,p.2)
The EU referendum, what next, 13 November 2015 (Vol.21,No.3,pp.1-2) This article explains that winning a 'leave' referendum is only a step on the way. It does not mean the UK automatically leaves the EU, nor does it define the post-exit relationship the UK would have with the EU.
Winning the Referendum, 14 February 2015 (Vol.20,No.6,pp.1-2) A consideration of what is necessary to win the EU referendum and, especially, the need to make the voters realise that the status quo is not on offer but that it is a choice between greater integration and remaining in the Single Market.
A Clear Aim, a Clear Plan, 19 September 2014 (Vol.20, No.1, pp.4-5) The clear aim is to leave the political and judicial structure of the EU. The clear plan is to stay in the Single Market. Polling indicates this is a winning strategy.
Lessons from the Scottish Referendum Campaign, 20 June 2014 (Vol.19,No.10, pp.4-5) The mistakes made by Alex Salmond highlight the need for EU withdrawalists to have clear plans properly stress-tested. Regardless of the way Scots vote there will be no real Scottish independence following this referendum.
Winning the EU referendum, 20 June 2014 (Vol.19,No.10,pp.1-2) - Ken Worthy. A consideration of what is necessary to win the EU referendum and, especially, the need to make the voters realise that the status quo is not on offer but it is a choice between greater integration and remaining in the Single Market.
Liechtenstein has it all , 16 May 2014 (Vol. 19, No. 9, p.3) It is possible to be in the European Economic Area, the Single Market and to restrict immigration by the safeguard clauses of the EEA Agreement. Liechtenstein shows how it is done.
Gladstone makes it all simple, 18 April 2014 (Vol. 19,No.8, p.5) This article discusses how British government dealt with treaties and guarantees, both in 1870 and 1914, and how the current German government and the EU have breached both the Growth and Stability Pact and the budget provisions of the Maastricht Treaty.
Logic disproves a major europhile argument, 14 February 2014 (Vol.19,,p.2) The rest of the EU would lose more Foreign Direct Investment than the UK should barriers be erected to hinder Britain's trade with the EU, post-Brexit.
The Pathway to Exit from the EU, 20 December 2013 (Vol.19, No.4/5, pp.1-2) The correct path to victory is to stay in the Single Market and get David Cameron to explain why he does not want to jettison all the political baggage of the EU project.
In Search of Independence, 20 September 2013 (Vol.19, pp.4-5) This article looks historically at how American and Indian independence actually happened. The critical element was the steady conversion of the political class towards the inevitability of independence; and also the political class in the imperial power, Britain.
The UK's missing sovereign wealth fund, 20 July 2012 (Vol. 17, No. 11, p.5) A comprehensive calculation of the UK's EU budget contributions proves that these have amounted to approximately £380 billion and, by now, could have formed the world's largest sovereign wealth fund.
Largest Swiss party rejects European Union 19 August 2011 (Vol. 16, No. 12, p.4) A short comment on the Rutli Declaration of 2011 by the Swiss People's Party which stated that, if Switzerland ever decided to join the EU, the ten cantons in which the SVP is in the majority would secede from Switzerland.
A tale of two press briefings, 18 June 2010 (Vol.15, No. 10, p.4) A comparison of two press releases (Brussels and Washington, May 2010) by the EU and the International Monetary Fund shows that a large amount of the money the IMF is supposed to be contributing to the euro bail-out is, in fact, coming from the EU countries themselves.
One thing Cameron can do about Europe, 16 October 2009 (Vol. 15, No. 12, pp. 5,6) This analysis shows that it is the 'gross' contribution to the EU that has to be paid by British taxpayers. It confirms that such amounts have to be paid in euros - not in Mervyn King's 'funny money'.
Missing: the strong man of Europe, 19 June 2009 (Vol. 14, No. 17, p.2) A look at how David Cameron could have become the arbiter of European politics.
It's a binary choice and 'reformers' are part of the EU 'in' group, 29 May 2009 (Vol 14, No 16, pp.3,4) This study analyses the failure of euroscepticism and speculates what it would take to turn reformers into full-blooded supporters of withdrawal. It shows that Gerry Frost's Bruges Group speech correctly identified the prime cause of euroscepticism's failure to date as its inability to win over enough of the political and financial elite. It concludes that the elite will never acknowledge that the 'great unwashed' are right and that, therefore, the initiative to change will likely come from a breakdown in one of the other large EU countries.
Moldova: Europe's poorest people will be free to come to UK, 15 May 2009 (Vol. 14, No. 15, p.4) This review, written in 2009, explains how the right to the free movement of labour inevitably lowers wage levels in the recipient country.
Ireland teeters on the brink of a financial and economic catastrophe, 30 January 2009 (Vol 14, No. 8, p.3) A paper on how membership of the euro has weakened Ireland's capacity to deal with the credit crunch.
Giscard's speech highlights weaknesses in position of Tory euroscepticism, 3 October 2008 (Vol. 13, No. 24, p.3) At the The Global Vision/Daily Telegraph Westminster Conference on 8th September 2008, former President Giscard d'Estaing correctly pointed out that nobody forced successive British governments to sign up for EU treaties. This paper comments that, when he proposed a 'special status' for Britain, some of the professed eurosceptics present reacted with the usual cliches about 'the club' and the 'top table'.
Privatising profits, socialising costs, 3 October 2008 (Vol. 13, No.24, p.6) In a Letter to the Editor of Eurofacts, Anthony Scholefield ridicules the comment made by the Spanish Deputy Prime Minister, "there will be recruitment of foreign workers in their country of origin because we need them". His opinion is that Britain, the USA and Spain have all been testing to destruction the idea that mass immigration is a net benefit.
EU immigration plans rest on a huge fallacy, 2 November 2007 (Vol. 13, No. 2, p.3) A detailed analysis of the EU Directive on Migration of 23 October 2007 which examines the Commission's belief that Immigration will solve the problem of the EU falling birth rate. The conclusion is that there is no fix to the problem of an ageing society because of the simple truth that immigrants age too.
Europe proclaims 'the four freedoms' - but the reality is very different, 21 September 2007 (Vol. 12, No. 23, p.3) An investigation into 'the four freedoms' shows that free movement of goods and services means free movement within the EU and in/out of the EU, as determined by the European Union Commission. This study shows that the free movement of people, unlike trade, has an enormous effect on wealth and the permanent labour supply - at the expense of natives.
Why can't we be more like Switzerland? 7 September 2007 (Vol. 12, No. 22, p.4) This paper analyses a seminar held at the Swiss Embassy in London (Summer 2007) where the experts made it clear that the Swiss system of open and direct democracy provides important lessons for those who wish to preserve self government. Their argument was that Swiss democracy means, not only popular endorsement by referendum, but full disclosure and careful supervision of the spending of the money of the Swiss people, even after it is allocated to supporting projects in Eastern Europe.
Is there really a 'Huguenot' invasion or is Ken simply bad at maths? 27 April 2007 (Vol. 12, No. 14, p.3) An amusing expose which questions why europhiles should be so keen to grossly exaggerate the number of French living in London. The conclusion is that it appeared that, in 2007, Ken Livingstone, the LibDems, the New Statesman, etc., simply could not add up - their figures were between 5 and 10 times the estimates of the French Embassy in London.
Why the 'completion' of the Single Market is undesirable, 2 December 2005 (Vol.11,No.4,p.3) This article shows how Gordon Brown's, article of The Financial Times article of 13th October 2005 undermines the case for EU membership. The Chancellor complained that Britain's low growth was due to the high proportion of trade carried out with the eurozone. Yet, at the same time, he argued for the benefits of the Single Market which, by definition, is designed to increase Britain's trade with the EU.
Free Trade Agreements aren't the solution, 4 November 2005 (Vol.11,No.2,pp.4,5) An argument that the UK should decide what sort of trading regime it wants before thinking about FTAs. FTAs are a contradiction in terms. Mostly they are about what cannot be traded freely.
Still no idea about how to get Britain into the euro, 1 August 2003 (Vol.8,Nos.20/21,p.9) This paper pinpoints a weakness at the heart of the Government's strategy in 2003 to get Britain into the euro. It explains that, at that time, the Government would not reveal the terms of entry and the rate at which the pound would convert to the euro.
Wider still and wider, 1 August 2003 (Vol.8,Nos.20/21,p.1) An argument that the EU's imperial ambitions extend much further than the inclusion of ten new states.
The Independence Dividend is worth £30 billion a year, 28 March 2003 (Vol.8,no.12,pp.1,2,4) A calculation that the Independence Dividend (that is, the benefit of Britain leaving the EU) amounts to £30 billion a year. Yet it shows that all the major parties claim Britain benefits economically from EU membership without any calculations whatsoever.
The Commission predicts a grim future, 31 January 2003 (Vol.8,No.8,pp.3,5) This article discusses the forecast by the EU Commission (EU Economy: 2002 Review) which suggests that EU members will face a deepening economic malaise. The EU Commission's central projection is that the EU's share of world output will fall from 18% in 2002 to 10% by 2050. This may actually underestimate the severity of the problems ahead. For Britain to increase integration to a sector of the world in steep relative decline seems irrational.
Who is ripping off whom? 17 January 2003 (Vol.8,No.7,p.5) A short review of Britain in Europe's 'winning' campaign themes.
No way to treat a friend, 20 December 2002 (Vol.8,Nos.5/6,p.8) A brief discussion on how French attitudes to Turkey's admission to the EU are highly revealing.
It will be even harder next time around, 29 November 2002 (Vol.8,No.4,p.5) Following Tony Blair's speech to the City of London on 11 November 2002, this paper disputes Robert Worcester's (Labour's favourite pollster) view that it would easier for the Government to get Britain into the euro if it postponed the referendum.
How the polls exaggerate support for membership of the EU, 15 November 2002 (Vol.8,No.3,p.3) An analysis of how the questions asked by pollsters in 2002 did not reflect the realities of withdrawal - and thus played into the hands of the Federalists.
Convergence. The stuff of which economic nightmares are made, 20 September 2002 (Vol.7,No.23,pp.5,6) Book review: 'Should Britain Join the Euro? The Chancellor's Five Tests Examined' by Patrick Minford.
Putting politics before jobs, growth & prosperity, 28 June 2002 (Vol.7,No.18,p.5) An argument that the Treasury's position on its 'Famous Five' tests is confused as well as superficial.
Where's the 'clear & unambiguous' evidence that Britain would benefit? 14 June 2002 (Vol.7,No.17,p.5) A further examination of the implications of tests two and three of the Chancellor's 'Famous Five' economic tests.
Putting Gordon Brown's 'Famous Five' to the test, 31 May 2002 (Vol.7,No.16,pp.3,4) This paper assesses whether the British economy is likely to pass the Government's five tests and considers the relevance and implications of the tests themselves.
Disappearing Europe, 5 October 2001 (Vol.6,No.24,p.1) A review of Anthony Scholefield's book, 'The Death of Europe', discussing how demographic calamity will overwhelm the Continental EU by 2050. [Click here to read the book]