metalmike

What is the point of the EU? Why can different member countries have their own rules and yet run behind the EU rock to hide when it suits? In the past few days the Abusos Urbanísticos No (AUN), who have campaigned against the Valencian 'land grab' activity have had their case as good as kicked out by the lawyers in Brussels who ruled that the EU’s public contract laws are not applicable in Valencia.

This is just another example of EU rule when it suits. France is another offender, in that no tradesmen other than French artisans can work on building sites unless they are siret registered and need a decenial insurance to do so - only available to the French! The UK government claimed the EU had no control over French government rules!

Portugal refused to allow a set of our UK structural calculations to be presented, and insisted they could only come from a Portuguese registered engineer, although the Eurocodes (they took almost 30 years to conclude) are designed to make it possible for any individual to work in any area of the EU. A call from the president of the Chartered Institute to Portugal revealed that 'the information we had given was not understood' and of course our application was welcome!

There are herds of elected and non-elected individuals working in the scope of the EU and nobody will put their heads above the parapet and kick a**
Will we ever have a unified Europe? I doubt it.

cricketman

You could say what is the point of Spain because each Spanish province has its own laws and regulations. For example someone who passes the exams to work in local government in Andalucia is not able to work outside of the province.

I do understand your complaints but I am not sure if I would be a fan of just one set of rules for the whole of Europe. That really would be the end of democratic rule for each country.

Europe should just be there to help European countries work together when it makes sense to.

michaleen oge

The European Union was a good idea when it was launched....free trade across europe,without tariffs or hinderance. At least that was the original idea.
It has mushroomed into a largely un-elected monster,with its fingers in each and every crevice of our lives. Far from being a free trade area,it is a conglomeration of individual nations,each pushing and shoving each other for a favourable position at the gravy train trough. The E.U's budget hasnt't been approved for something like 10 or 12 years now,the independant auditors(thank God they were independant!!)refuse to sign them off. Corruption is rife,the leaders of both France and Germany treat the E.U. as their own personal fiefdom,and us as their serfs. Unelected officials daily implement laws which have far-reaching implications for the U.K.,and I have never heard of or seen a law or regulation which makes our lives easier or better.
We are promised a referendum and when it looks as if the answer will be to pull out,it is quietly shelved. One size does not fit all. I think we are going to be in for another rude awakening when Turkey is granted admission to the top table.

Rotor

That will be the begining of the end Islam is not compatable with the western world.

HBG

It was a good idea and could still be a good idea, but it got too ambitious. Top of the good points must be the idea that we will no longer go to war with each other, it’s against the rules.

Another good point allowed me and a million other Brits to come to Spain to work and live.

Germany will never allow Turkey to join, they have a large Turkish population in their country and speak from experience.

But let’s get personal – what about a British referendum? Depending on how it is worded, it seems certain that the people will say No. We’ve already said No to monetary union. We’ve fought long and bloody wars against France and Germany, our biggest neighbours, and it will take more than a century to bury those memories.

But what about the perfectly logical ‘united we stand . . .’ argument? Our small island, on its own, has no chance against Russia or the US, or even against terrorism conducted by some nutter in a cave somewhere.

Staying with the nutter, we now know that they are targeting the UK, France and Germany in a simultaneous terrorist attack and we can do something about it. Because we’re working together within the EU.

I don’t know about the wider issues, but if my income was in Euros I would feel a lot safer and I could stop looking at that silly exchange site.

michaleen oge

Germany will never allow Turkey to join, they have a large Turkish population in their country and speak from experience(quoted from above)........
I don't think Germany will veto,or be allowed to veto,the admittance of Turkey to the E.U. There is a feeling though that the Turkish Government must implement some of the human rights charters that are prevalent in the rest of the E.U. Turkey is still run as a dictatorship,though mainly benign. What was upsetting was seeing the thousands of Turks lining up outside the British Embassy to apply for a visa to go to the U.K.
Why not apply to go to their European neighbours,France,Germany,Italy etc? Nope,straight run to the U.K. and benefits heaven. Mass immigration into the U.K. has been,on the whole,a disaster. With the exception of the Poles,who seem to have tried to work and integrate,the rest of them are just there for the handouts. Mobs of Romanian gypsies throng our main cities,begging and making a nuisance of themselves. The Italians are forceably ejecting them from the camps which blight Italy,and are getting it in the neck from the E.U.(mainly from the countries that don't have a Roma problem!!).
My brother lives in a lovely part of Wexford,Southern Ireland,in a rural area. He tells me that he regularily sees groups of Romanian gypsies roving about the laneways,after discharging from the Fishguard-Rosslare ferry. They are out on a daytrip,they thieve and make a nuisance of themselves. The local elderly population are afraid to open their doors at night,something which foreign to Ireland.
Before anyone gets on their high-horse and denounce this as a racist rant,I think the problem has to be addressed and addressed quickly. Rationally and sanely,without rheotoric and blame. In this recession,there just isn't enough money to take care of your own people,never mind those that are coming for a better life without contributing anything. The crime rate in Romania has gone down in line with the increase in the crime rate from countries that have a large Roma population. Go figure.

cricketman

There are over a million Turks in Germany as you said, way more than in Britain.There are almost a million Romanians in Spain, way more than in Britain.

This whole "all the immigrants comes to the UK" message is just a lie. One big lie. Where do you get it from? The tabloids I guess?

I'm not sure about Turkey joining the EU. The positive for Europe would be the huge potential for agriculture it has. So if food prices keep going up, it may strengthen Turkey's case. You have to wonder where the borders of Europe are going to end though. If you take UEFAs definition, it is at the border of China and Outer Mongolia!

Rotor

I guess all the illegals waiting by the French ferry ports are a figment of my imagination They obviously think the UK is the best place to live in Europe!

steviedeluxe

You've inadvertently emphasized CM's point. It doesn't matter how many times the UK media show clips of the refugees in northern France running around - the numbers aren't that great in comparison to 1 million Rumanians in Spain or 1 million Poles in the UK. They aren't going to get through that tunnel either. It's the legally entitled EU migrants who make up the vast numbers. It's meant lower cost of plumbing, nanny, building etc in the UK, but also lower wages (and obviously some locals lost their jobs).
It's said now that a lot of migrants are heading home as there aren't the jobs anymore in the UK, plus the pounds they earn aren't worth as much as before. Not heard about the large numbers of migrants to Spain - are the Ecuadorians, Rumanians heading home in this recession?

Rotor

I know what I said and I know Poles and Rumaians are not illegals , many of the wannabe brits waiting in france are afghans,africans,chinese,pakistani`s etc.
Dont know about Ecuadorians but many genuine working Rumanians
have gone home ,a lot of the dodgy ones still seem to be here

michaleen oge

Correct me if I am wrong,and I am sure someone out there will,but hasn't the UK taken in more immigrants than the rest of the EU,including Germany,Spain and France?
To get to the UK,most of them have to cross other borders. The benefits system in the UK seems to be geared towards fast rewards to newcomers. You only have to look at the report in the newspapers last week about a returning soldier not being allowed to get on the housing list in his home town because he wasn't a "continuous" resident there. He was born in the town,his parents still live in the town,his wife was from the town and his children born in the town,but he couldn't get on the list.
Contrast that with the treatment handed out to the Afghanistani family,given a million pound house,housing benefits,social security payments,and this isn't a one-off. There is a huge business in the UK geared towards steering immigrants to the nearest social security office and leaflets in every language imaginable telling them which benefits they can claim for. And it isn't confined to the UK. My brother in Wexford tells me his town hall has a gaggle of well-paid council officials whose only job in life is to look after immigrants. And there isn't one of them qualified to offer advice to Irish people.
It really has to stop sometime or other.When there isn't any more poor Poles or Romanians or Turks I suppose. Or when the money finally runs out. The ---- will certainly hit the fan then.

jimenato

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datab...reign-citizens

This shows that Spain has 5.65 million immigrants (12.3% of population) where the UK has 4.02 million (6.6%). Only Germany (7.2 million) has more than Spain.

Rotor

One thing for sure is no one can call Brits in Spain "economic migrants"

steviedeluxe

I'm glad you produced those figures. A lot of people have fallen for the UK media propaganda and genuinely believe that all (or most) migrants go to the UK. Now I happen to believe that the numbers have been too great, but it's not the case that the Uk is the only destination, and countries have to work together to mitigate some of the drawbacks of so many people moving between country.

cricketman

Well in a way they are, they are looking for a better quality of life for less money. Guess you could call them "Lifestyle migrants", sounds better than "Sunshine migrants"