eurotrash - the latest from brussels
WORKERS, JULY 2005 ISSUE
Propping up the EU...
The most recent figures available — for the years 1999-2003 — show that Britain's total gross contributions to the EU, at 2003 prices, were £37.8 billion. Receipts were £20 billion. So our average loss was £3.6 billion a year. Since joining the EEC, our net contri-bution totals more than £100 billion. Never mind a rebate — we want all our money back....and losing out at home
A report from the Institute of Economic Affairs in June 2005 estimated that Britain loses £200 billion a year by being a member of the EU, including paying much higher costs for manufactured goods.
Health for sale
Recent European Court of Justice rulings have dictated that health care is subject to the rules of the EU's internal market, and therefore to competition, regardless of national policy.
Another smear
Former Europe Minister Denis MacShane told listeners of the Today programme that a British newspaper had described Polish immigrants as a 'murderous horde'. When asked his source, he repeated the smear. An extensive search failed to find any such phrase: MacShane had just made up the quote.
The hand of Washington
The US government backs the euro because it wants to cripple France, Germany and Italy, to cut down their industries and services and to hamstring their working classes. Blair wants to enlarge the EU to include the Eastern European countries and Turkey, in order to strengthen the market and the US's influence in the EU.
The bank that loses money
The European Central Bank is making catastrophic losses. Last year it lost 1.64 billion euros as compared with a mere 0.48 billion the year before. Meanwhile, the eurozone growth rate is the lowest in the world and unemployment in the eurozone is growing. Youth unemployment is again rising, with 17.8% of young people under 25 in the eurozone out of work.