Ten new countries joined the EU on 1 May 2004. Did the people of those countries wish to join?

In Dublin, the EU leaders were rejoicing. On the streets of Dublin there was protest. On the streets of Poland there was massive protest, the Polish prime minister was forced to resign for taking Poland into the EU, against the wishes of the people. New parties were formed, with the sole objective of taking Poland out of the EU.

The new countries wanted to join so they could export their unemployment. The old countries wanted them to join so they could exploit their unemployment and force wages lower. We have seen what happens with Nafta, where US jobs have been exported over the border to Mexico.

 http://www.heureka.clara.net/gaia/nafta.htm

In the west, factories are being closed, workers laid off, and the factories and jobs relocated to Eastern Europe.

In Poland there is 20% unemployment, and rapidly rising.

In Cyprus there was no referendum to join. If there had been the people would have voted no, 70% were against joining the EU. Since joining, attitudes against the EU have considerably hardened, especially following Blair-led EU attempts to force legitimization of the illegal Turkish occupation of the north of Cyprus. Farmers are being driven out of business by cheap food imports, small businesses are being strangled to death by EU red tape, workers are being laid off to make way for cheap immigrants.

Hotels have been sacking workers to make way for cheap labour from Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. In one hotel 30 staff were fired, many with over 20 years experience, to make way for a wave of Polish immigrants. The pool barman, a man of more than 20 years service to the hotel, was replaced by three Poles. In an apartment block in Ayia Napa, that houses drunken English yobs, Slovak girls were working seven days a week, long hours, with no day off. For this they were paid Cy£60 for three weeks. A Slovak girl in one hotel worked a nominal 9-6, but was often asked to stay until 8 or later, after a week with no day off, she had no idea when she would have a day off. Cypriots are being told to forgo their annual pay rise, or they too, will be replaced by cheap labour from the new EU.

Prices in the local shops are being forced up. EU harmonization. The price of quality local brandy has more than doubled, to enable French brandy to compete.

In every country the political leadership of the mainstream parties lie about the EU. The people are bludgeoned into joining a club they know in their hearts they do not wish to join.

In England the Tory leadership lie that they will renegotiate EU terms, when they know this is not possible, they say they are against the worst excesses of the EU, then instruct their MEPs to join and vote with the most pro-EU bloc in the European parliament. The Labour leadership lie when they say there will be massive job losses if we leave the EU, knowing full well EU needs us, as the fourth largest economy in the world, more than we need the EU. LibDems, the most pro-Euro of all the mainstream parties, do what they always do, and be all things to all men.

We are told the EU has prevented war in Europe. A point vividly brought home by the D Day commemorations last week. No. Sanity prevailed after World War Two. It was recognised that another war would bring mutual annihilation. War has not ended, we fight instead proxy wars in Africa and the Middle East. Far from bringing harmony among nations, the EU is causing a sharp rise in nationalism, xenophobia, racism and anti-foreigner sentiment.

It is costing the British taxpayer £15 million every day to support the corrupt EU. Money that could build a brand new school every day, a new hospital every week. For the last nine years, auditors have refused to sign off the EU accounts, money disappears into unexplained financial black holes. EU insiders who speak out, are forced into hiding under death threats.

Yes, there are advantages in European cooperation, independent European states negotiating treaties for the good of all. Pollution knows no boundaries, we need recycling, agreements to prevent a race to the bottom and exploitation by transnational corporations. But none of this needs the EU, which is simply a club for the benefit of big business.

It is not only in England that there is strong eurosceptism, it is gaining ground across Europe, as people demand the right to run their own affairs.


further reading

Belen Balanya et al, Corporate Europe Inc, Pluto Press, 2000 {a later edition is now available}

Tony Benn, European Democracy Under Threat, press release, 7 October 2000

Paul van Buitenen, Blowing the Whistle: One man's fight against fraud in the European Commission, Politico's, 2000

Tracy Gutteridge, European Round Table (ERT): agenda setting for the EU, Corporate Watch, No 12, Autumn 2000

Caroline Lucas, A Green Critique of the Single Currency, Speech for Progressive Alliance Anti-European Conference, Conway Hall, London, 7 October 2000

Caroline Lucas, letter to Guardian on Eurostate, letters, The Guardian, 11 October 2000

Caroline Lucas & Mike Woodin, The Euro or a Sustainable Future for Britain: A Green Critique of the Single Currency, New Europe, 2000

Keith Parkins, Euro - economics of the madhouse, February 2001
 http://www.heureka.clara.net/gaia/euro.htm

Keith Parkins, Localisation: A Move Away From Globalisation, November 2000
 http://www.heureka.clara.net/gaia/local.htm

Keith Parkins, A sense of the masses - a manifesto for the new revolution, October 2003
 http://www.heureka.clara.net/gaia/democracy.htm

Keith Parkins, New political initiative, Indymedia UK, 20 October 2003

Keith Parkins, New political initiative, Indymedia, 20 October 2003

George Soros, The Crisis of Global Capitalism, Little Brown, 1998


web

 http://www.heureka.clara.net/gaia/
 http://www.respectcoalition.org
 http://www.greenparty.org.uk
 http://www.ukip.org