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BREXIT NEWS
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Best regards, the Brexit Facts4EU.Org team, June 2018
GUY VERHOSTADT - LIVE
OBSERVATIONS
This is a public service from the Brexit Facts4EU.Org team, as the BBC rarely shows things like this in full.
Mr Verhostadt is the EU Parliament's Brexit Co-Ordinator. The EU Parliament has a veto over the Brexit deal.
[ Sources: Parliamentary TV service ]
09.15am, 20 June 2018
Please send us your comments and we will publish them here. You can of course use a pseudonym if you prefer, and it's always nice to know roughly where you're writing from. Please always state the headline of the article you're commenting on.
QUESTION TO MPs TODAY:
“WHAT IF THE EU REALLY ISN’T WHAT YOU THINK?”
For the past two years we have listened to MPs, peers, and ‘experts’ on the subject of the EU and Brexit.
BREXIT FACTS4EU.ORG SUMMARY
The majority of the people voted to Leave the EU
Most MPs, peers and ‘experts’ voted to Remain
Given the above, a reasonable question for the British people to ask is:
“How much do our elected representatives actually know about EU membership?”
MPs VOTE TODAY
Today MPs will once again vote on what is effectively a Brexit-blocking amendment from the House of Lords. The peers themselves have drafted this around an amendment from Remainer Tory Dominic Grieve MP, which failed last week in the Commons.
It’s one of the more important Brexit votes, so we therefore have a question for MPs.
QUESTION: “ARE YOU SURE BREXIT IS WRONG - BASED ON FACTS, NOT RHETORIC?”
Dear Remain-supporting MP,
This is an important question, because the amendment today would effectively emasculate the government and give all the negotiating power to the EU for the coming months. It would help to ensure a worse deal for the UK than is already on offer.
The fundamental question today is about democracy. For decades the House of Commons has had no say on huge swathes of legislation. Thousands of laws and directives have been transposed into British law with no possibility of effective scrutiny by the Commons.
Government departments have been forced to follow policies decided in Brussels, many of which are simply not in the best interests of the UK, regardless of party policies on one issue or another.
Yes, you know all of this. But how well do you really know the EU?
OBSERVATIONS
Regardless of what most Remainer MPs will say, the vote today is about the normal right of the Executive branch (the government) to conclude a treaty negotiation on the best terms it can achieve. A vote for the Lords’ amendment today is a vote against Brexit because it goes against all negotiating principles. The UK government MUST be able to walk away from a bad deal.
Since well before the Referendum, Brexit Facts4EU.Org has been investigating and reporting on what really happens in the EU, how it spends the money it receives from British taxpayers, and the decisions the EU makes without MPs having a say.
As part of our research, we have reported on the massive ‘off-the-books’ EU funds, which never appear in summaries of the UK’s net contributions to the EU. To date, the BBC and most (but not all) of the press has decided not to pick up on our research and report it.
Below is the latest in a long line of daily articles, attempting to shed light on the EU and what it means to be a member.
It is one example amongst a thousand. It doesn’t matter if you actually approve of the EU’s actions in this case or not.
The simple fact is that you, one of our elected representatives, had no say in the matter.
Please send us your comments and we will publish them here. You can of course use a pseudonym if you prefer, and it's always nice to know roughly where you're writing from. Please always state the headline of the article you're commenting on.
Name: Chris, Devizes, UKDate/Time: 20 June 2018, 3.06pm
Message: According to the Express, May has caved in on the 'meaningful vote' issue. She has allowed the Speaker to decide whether a vote will be permitted, and since he is an arch Remoaner, he will of course allow it. So there we have it, the treachery is complete, we are in the EU for good, just as May intended all along. The people will see straight through May's latest pathetic deception. The Tories are finished.
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UK TAXPAYER PAYS FOR DEBIT CARDS FOR 1.3 MILLION PEOPLE
Yesterday the EU published its latest information on the €6 billion “Facility for Refugees in Turkey” (FRIT).
We wondered how many MPs have any idea about this discretionary and ‘off-the-books’ fund which the UK government signed up to?
In March – and virtually unreported - the UK government committed to the second tranche of this €3 billion EU fund. Like the first tranche this was composed of €1bn from the EU budget which the UK pays into, plus €2bn from the member states as separate and additional payments.
None of the monies which the UK pays in respect of the ‘Facility for Refugees in Turkey’ appear in the summaries of UK annual contributions to the EU, because they do not form part of the EU’s official budget. To use a commercial term, they are ‘off balance sheet’.
1.3 MILLION PEOPLE GET EU DEBIT CARDS
As part of the ‘Facility for Refugees in Turkey’, the EU developed schemes for cash transfers to migrants. Here we will list two of them:
1. The ESSN provides debit cards for 1.3 million beneficiaries in Turkey
The ESSN scheme provides migrants with an EU debit card which gives them access to a fixed amount of money every month. They can use the money to buy whatever they need most for their families. The card can be used in shops, just like a normal debit card.
2. The CCTE provides cash payments, half-yearly and also bi-monthly, to families whose children attend school in Turkey
The CCTE is a cash transfer to families, paid half-yearly and also bi-monthly, if they have children attending school. This affected 270,000 children in the latest report from May.
The EU’s ESSN debit card pays approximately €140 per month for a family of five. This is in addition to other support, naturally, and is intended to give migrants the ability to buy what they want.
According to latest data on purchasing power by country, money goes just over twice as far in Turkey compared to the UK. (These kinds of indices can only ever be used with caution, and we suspect that in fact the ratio is higher.)
The debit card from the EU is therefore worth the UK equivalent of approximately £250 GBP per family of five, per month. This is spending money, and according to the information we have uncovered from EU sources:-
“The scheme provides refugees with an ESSN debit card which gives them access to a fixed amount of money every month. They can use the money to buy whatever they need most for their families.”
Regarding CCTE - the cash payments for families saying their children are in school - despite extensive research we have been unable to find out the cash sums being given to individual families.
BACKGROUND TO THE ‘FACILITY FOR REFUGEES IN TURKEY’
In addition to the massive annual foreign aid contribution the UK makes unilaterally for refugees and migrants in the Middle East, the EU also does its own thing, which is funded by the UK taxpayer to the tune of 16% of the total fund.
This off-the-books fund was a direct response by Angela Merkel to the consequences of her unilateral abrogation of the Dublin asylum protocol in 2015. The deal she did offered Turkish President Erdogan €6 billion in two tranches, in return for him stopping the flow of migrants heading west and north into the EU, and thence to Germany.
OBSERVATIONS
The war in Syria has caused a desperate situation for millions of people. Aid is needed and aid is being given. The UK is the second-largest donor in the world, after the USA.
This is not about aid and nor is it about compassion. This is about the EU, what it does, and how our MPs can’t do a thing about it.
The current government’s policy is to give aid directly to the camps. MPs from other parties may have a different approach.
The EU’s policy was derived from the desperate need of Angela Merkel to stem the flow of millions of migrants heading north to Germany, once she had realised the consequences of her unilateral action in tearing up the EU’s agreed Dublin protocol and welcoming all migrants.
She did a deal with Turkey’s President Erdogan, involving the transfer of billions of euros, which then became EU policy. It couldn’t be done officially so an off-the-books fund was set up, called the Facility for Refugees in Turkey.
Because this wasn’t part of the EU budget, no member state could be compelled to participate. In fact because it was all about the Schengen zone to which the UK is not a party, the UK’s participation was purely voluntary.
The point of this article is to highlight to British MPs that decisions are routinely made – quite often by unelected EU bureaucrats in the Commission or by off-budget special arrangements like this one – and it doesn’t matter what policies British MPs might agree or disagree with.
Our MPs have no say.
However the British public might have something to say if they knew that free debit cards and cash were being given to 1.3 million beneficiaries in Turkey, on top of all the other aid the UK gives. However that’s another matter.
MPs – CONTACT US
Today we ask all reasonably-minded MPs to stop and think. Do you really know what goes on in the EU? Do you really know just how powerless you are, as an MP of a member state?
We have hundreds of examples like this one from the EU’s announcement yesterday. You don’t get information like this from the BBC. But the public is getting it more and more, thanks to the Internet.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you’re an open-minded MP who just genuinely wants to know more. Everything will be treated in confidence.
[ Sources: EU Commission | UNICEF | ECHO and others]
06.55am, 20 June 2018
Please send us your comments and we will publish them here. You can of course use a pseudonym if you prefer, and it's always nice to know roughly where you're writing from. Please always state the headline of the article you're commenting on.
Name: Michael Wood, WalesDate/Time: 20 June 2018, 08.22am
Message: I know that you are fans of John Redwood. Are the figures he quotes in his diary entry of today allowing for these undisclosed payments that the UK tax payers are not told of?
Facts4EU.Org Reply: Official summaries of UK contributions to the EU never include funds like the one we mention above.
AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY
RESULTS OF LONG-TERM PROJECT BY FACTS4EU.ORG TEAM REVEAL
FACTS DON'T RESEARCH AND WRITE THEMSELVES
The latest pieces of work from the Brexit Facts4EU.Org team have been met with a variety of reactions from world leaders, ranging from celebration to incredulity to resignation to abuse.
Alas none of us are hedge fund managers... or married to one. The Team (and one member in particular) has donated as much as it can. Can you please help fund our work?
Unlike many Brexit websites, we write our own content and create our own graphs, by researching deeply into official UK and EU official sources. Unfortunately we barely make it from one week to the next and we rely 100% on voluntary contributions - small or big.
We really could use your help in working for a clean and true Brexit.
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Best regards, the Facts4EU.Org Team, 2018
EU-FANATICAL PEERS VOTE AGAINST BREXIT
BY 354 TO 235, MAJORITY 119
A BREXIT FACTS4EU.ORG OPINION
Yesterday in the House of Lords, peers voted by a majority of 119 to send back a Brexit-blocking amendment to the House of Commons, where it will be voted on tomorrow.
The Lords amendment mirrors that of arch-Remainer MP Dominic Grievance which was defeated in the Commons last week.
In effect, instead of accepting the Salisbury Convention whereby peers do not block bills which were in the manifesto of the ruling party, the peers have preferred their own pro-EU views to those of the electorate.
This is the second time that the House of Lords has sent back what amounts to a Brexit-blocking amendment to the House of Commons.
The amendment was moved in the Lords by Lord Hailsham and was supported by 22 Conservative peers, 3 bishops, 147 Labour peers, 87 LibDems, the two Green and Plaid Cymru peers, and assorted others.
Here are the names of the Conservative peers who voted against the government:-
Altmann B.
Arbuthnot of Edrom L.
Balfe L.
Bowness L.
Cooper of Windrush L.
Cormack L.
Deben L.
Green of Hurstpierpoint L.
Hailsham V.
Heseltine L.
Higgins L.
Inglewood L.
Kirkhope of Harrogate L.
Livingston of Parkhead L.
McIntosh of Pickering B.
Northbrook L.
Patten of Barnes L.
Prior of Brampton L.
Tugendhat L.
Warsi B.
Wheatcroft B.
Willetts L.
L = Lord or Lady, B = Baron or Baroness, and V = Viscount or Viscountess.
Tomorrow the House of Commons will once again vote on the amendment.
OBSERVATIONS
We have no interest in reporting on the machinations of internal politics in the UK. However we are bound to comment briefly on this vote in the House of Lords yesterday.
In our opinion it represents a travesty of democracy. It used to be the case that a certain honour was observed in the Lords, which helped to preserve its existence. This is clearly no longer the case.
Brexit has caused the strangest reactions amongst those used to getting their own way. Daily we see publicly-known figures spouting ever more preposterous and – frankly – mentally-deranged statements about Brexit.
We will just ask these people this: Is it in any way remotely possible that, if the EU Referendum vote had gone the way you intended it to, Leavers would have reacted in the same way?
Well, we’ll answer for you. No. Leavers would have been rightly angry at the massive Establishment stitch-up, but we would never have created the sort of ‘toys-out-of-the-pram’ nonsense we’re hearing from supposedly intelligent Remainers.
As it is, against all the odds the Leave side managed to defeat the combined forces of the Establishment. The public saw through the lies and intimidation and voted to leave the EU.
The Remain side lost. The Establishment lost. You lost.
Now will you please just grow up and get over it? You’re behaving like spoilt children.
Two years of your nonsense is quite enough.
If you think we're being unfair, talk to us in confidence. You can contact us here.
Please send us your comments and we will publish them here. You can of course use a pseudonym if you prefer, and it's always nice to know roughly where you're writing from. Please always state the headline of the article you're commenting on.
Name: Patrick H, LondonDate/Time: 20 June 2018, 12.45pm
Message: For simplicity let's boil it down: Ho-Hum, Surrey and Patrick F, Kent, UK, Facts4EU; yes, all are interesting points/opinions and of course should be respected. However (tacitly), in 2016 there was a vote to leave the EU by the majority of UK citizens in a legally fair and democratic referendum. All this current post-Brexit discussion and some would say "Remainer/Remoaner sciolistic piffle" is convivial, but in full reality; a decision was made and now we look to our UK citizen's tax paid for Government, to execute the will of the people...for full democracy to reign!
Name: Patrick F, Kent, UKDate/Time: 20 June 2018, 07.27am
Message: I would like to thank Ho Hum for his/her/other's contribution to this thread. It is good to read a Remainers point of view. I hope that Ashley, Brexiteer and Patrick H's refutation will not put you off from contributing further posts and that by reading Facts4eu you too will learn about the EU.
Facts4EU.Org Reply: Well said, Patrick. We don't censor (except for abuse, which we don't seem to get fortunately) and we happily publish Remain supporters' comments. Robust debate is welcomed by all, we're sure.
Name: Ashley, South Bucks, Great BritainDate/Time: 19 June 2018, 9.34pm
Message: ho hum.. we are not doing fine. The UK economy was however far finer before we joined the EEC, And getting better. Now it's morphed into the EU who have been controlling our government and lives for decades. We would be in a far better place now if we hadn't been giving massive amounts of our money to the EU for so long. The EU have always disliked the UK and have tried hard (and succeeded) to damage and undermine us. There is a long list of extremely expensive and crippling directives to bleed the UK dry. As we can see now the poison runs deep,Even within our own government and agencies,who have been systematically infiltrated by the EU to make decisions against the British people. Even now they are manipulating and planning to make Brexit a watered down mush in absolute fear of losing our money. The time for all of us to make a stand is now! Anyone who doesn't believe that freedom from the EU (not Europe) is a great thing for Britain, is either insane, or against Britain or both.
Name: Ho-Hum, SurreyDate/Time: 19 June 2018, 7.21pm
Message: Replying to the posters below.... Regarding democracy, the EU has a democratically-elected parlaiment. Then there’s the Council which is made up of EU28 leaders. Patrick H, you say you married a European, maybe you did that thanks to free movement? As for tangible benefits, the UK economy was in a bad way before we joined. Demonstrably it’s doing far better now. Brexiteer Braintree, tax rates aren’t harmonised in the EU, so I don’t understand your point. Government forecasts show a dire future if we leave. Why throw ourselves into a mess when we are doing fine in the EU.
Name: Brexiteer, Braintree, Essex, UKDate/Time: 19 June 2018, 5.20pm
Message: Ho-Hum, Surrey, The reason the EU wants the UK to have the same rules and laws as them is so the the UK cannot compete with them. The EU has for several years tried to harmonise tax rates across the EU countries, tax rates have been a matter for individual countries to set, so the EU changed the rules so that majority voting could enable these changes. Then along came the British referendum as a result of which the EU dare not change their tax rates, whilst they have an able competitor on their doorstep. The UK could offer lower corporation tax and all sorts of business-friendlier incentives than the EU, and foreign investment from companies would be into the low tax UK rather than high tax, high regulation EU. It's called sovereignty and freedom.
Name: Patrick H, LondonDate/Time: 19 June 2018, 12.16pm
Message: Ho-Hum, Surrey - You don't seem to understand, we are not cutting ourselves off from Europe "We love and admire the European people (I married one)"... but merely relieving (in the literal sense) ourselves of a Quasi Communist state, aka EU, with its insidious anti-democratic ideology! But if you personally believe the EU is good for the UK then I respect your opinion; however, perhaps you can enlighten us all as to how/why you believe the EU provides tangible benefits to the UK citizens?..please list them, thank you.
Name: Ho-Hum, SurreyDate/Time: 19 June 2018, 08.59am
Message: You don't seem to undertsand that Europe is on our doorstep and we can't just cut ourselves off whatever you might want. It's natural that the EU would like us to match their laws and rules and I don't see why you think this is unreasonable. We all live in the same corner of the planet. Finally what makes you superior to the lords, who are just trying to prevent us running into the complete catastrophe that is Brexit?
Name: Tony, LondonDate/Time: 19 June 2018, 07.35am
Message: I wish you'd go on the attack more, just like in this article.
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EU would rather risk lives than do a deal, as Barnier puts ‘guillotine clause’ on security deal
Yesterday in Brussels the EU’s Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier yet again imposed new conditions on a post-Brexit Britain.
This time the subject was security. You can read the EU's 'slides' here or read on for our summary and analysis.
BREXIT FACTS4EU.ORG SUMMARY POLICE AND JUDICIAL CO-OPERATION
UK wants ‘deep & special partnership’ with EU
EU wants to treat UK like any other country in the world
“Non-member cannot have the same benefits as a member”
Co-operation will be limited
“No access to Europol Information System”
Co-operation axed if UK not party to European Convention of Human Rights
UK must adhere to EU data protection rules
These days the EU often issues its documents in the form of ‘slides’. In practice these are documents in note form. The document issued by Monsieur Barnier yesterday was entitled “Police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters”.
EU IMPOSES STILL MORE CONDITIONS ON UK
This document outlines the UK’s position for ongoing police and judicial co-operation post-Brexit and gives the EU’s response in broad terms. It deals with exchange of security information (highly relevant to terrorism), international crime, and extradition of wanted persons.
In the document the EU makes clear that the UK must obey certain demands if the limited co-operation on offer is to be allowed.
The UK must remain party to the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR)
"Guillotine clause", if UK leaves Convention or is condemned by ECHR
UK data protection standards must be assessed as conforming to EU standards
"Guillotine clause" if adequacy decision withdrawn or declared invalid by ECJ
ECJ to be arbiter
The key takeaway from this document is the continued but ignored statement from the EU that the repeated desire of Theresa May for a “Deep and Special Partnership” with the EU is not shared by the EU elites.
In one section of the document on policing and security this is summed up as follows:
Theresa May's “Deep and Special Partnership” becomes a “Shared Understanding” for the EU.
OBSERVATIONS
This is a high-level document from the EU so there is no point going into details about police, security and judicial co-operation with the EU post-Brexit.
The key point is what this document says about the overall approach of the British government to the negotiations with the EU.
Theresa May wants a “Deep and Special Partnership” and the EU merely offers a “Shared Understanding”.
Theresa May expects a special relationship, whereas the EU insists that “non-member cannot have the same benefits as a member”. The UK is to be treated like a ‘third country’ – like any other country in the world.
This is despite decades of subsidising the EU, decades of helping to keep it from getting too extreme, and decades of keeping the EU27 countries safe by being one of the very few countries meeting its defence commitments.
THE EU ELITEST MINDSET
From the outset we said that these negotiations would all be about politics. The UK is not negotiating with the peoples of the EU27 countries whom we admire, but with its extremist unelected rulers in Brussels.
Any experienced negotiator worth his salt will tell you that it’s essential to understand the mindset of the opposing party in a negotiation. In the case of the EU, we’re dealing with idealogues. Whatever may be rational and good for the citizens of the EU27 - as well as the UK - simply doesn’t come into it. The EU 'Projekt' is everything.
REMEMBER CITIZENS’ RIGHTS?
Let’s look at one example. One of the very few good things Theresa May did was to tell the EU in the first few months that she was ready and willing to lay to rest the question of the rights of citizens to stay in the UK – and the rights of UK citizens to stay in the EU.
Instead, the EU refused to discuss it. This was a cynical decision which has affected the lives of almost 4 million EU27 citizens in the UK, to say nothing of the 900,000 British citizens in the EU.
It took until June last year (2017) before the EU were willing to discuss this, and they made it one of their three items before they would discuss trade and the ongoing relationship. They presented this as if they were putting citizens first. Had this been their real intention they would have agreed this issue back in late 2016 when the UK proposed it.
A WORD ABOUT SECURITY
Please ask yourself this.
Q: What kind of people put their political ideology above the lives of the citizens they are supposed to protect?
A: Unelected EU bureacrats and elitist political leaders with agendas.
WHEN WILL THE ESTABLISHMENT WAKE UP?
The EU is not what you want it to be. It is what it is. And what it is isn’t pretty.
To the duffers in the House of Lords yesterday who voted on emotion rather than logic and reason, history will see you as the silly old fools you are. And it will not judge you kindly.
Please send us your comments and we will publish them here. You can of course use a pseudonym if you prefer, and it's always nice to know roughly where you're writing from. Please always state the headline of the article you're commenting on.
Name: Patrick H, LondonDate/Time: 19 June 2018, 12.03pm
Message: "DEEP & SPECIAL PARTNERSHIP" don't make me laugh! WHEN WILL THE ESTABLISHMENT WAKE UP? A better question would be: why are our UK Establishment so hell-bent on overturning Brexit? Answer: Our UK Establishment "is" the EU! Brexit is fighting on two fronts - Brussels and Wasteminister. It is two cheeks of the same derriére! Let's cut to the chase and relieve ourselves of the millions of worded analysis (that sells papers aka advertising). The simple overriding analysis is: Until T. May is gone, along with her miserable nefarious anti-democratic, anti-British cohorts; removal of the anti-democratic toadyish Lords; replaced with real Brexiteers, this insidious charade will continue! The 17.4 million voters are not blind to these disgraceful shenanigans and are simply holding fire until it has become patently clear the electorate have been shafted... Then watch the fun begin!
Name: Not4EU, LondonDate/Time: 19 June 2018, 10.01am
Message: Before the EU decided that it needed its own Europol to control policing in its developing 'country', police co-operation between 192 countries was, & still is, managed through Interpol. Indeed the 'EU' is also a 'member' of this organisation: https://www.interpol.int/About-INTERPOL/Overview Why don't we just co-operate through this body? When is the Govt going to realise that the EU is not our 'friend' and that they have no intention of reaching any 'deal'? Their intentions are writ large in slide 10 - "There is no presumption of mutual trust outside of the EU institutional framework underpinned by common principles. Risk for integrity and good functionning (sic) of Schengen (cf. asymmetry of rights and obligations, ECJ case law on coherence of Schengen acquis)" We had an opt-out on this competence until May gave it away to the EU. It seems to me that the demise of our police & judiciary, in failing to apply the law without fear or favour, emerging parallel legal systems & its politicisation seemed to start/accelerate when May handed this 'competence' to the EU. Walk away. Just leave. No transition. No money. WTO rules. They can then seek a 'deal' after we've properly left (the EU itself says that no deal can be agreed until we've left). There is still a possibility of the 'no deal' scenario, so all trading companies (particularly the majors) will have a contingency plan for this event. 'Non-preparedness' is not an issue.
Name: Brexiteer, Braintree, EssexDate/Time: 19 June 2018, 08.53am
Message: "Deep and special partnership" was never going to happen.The EU is a totalitarian organisation,you are either in or out. The EU knows that the UK will prosper outside their organisation that's why they want to impose restrictions on us. The EU wants to have a standard corporation tax rate across the 27 countries, and the ability to obtain tax raising powers. Having a developed Western consumer economy with an educated workforce the freedom and flexibility to alter tax rates at competitive rates, on your doorstep would prevent this. The EU is rife with problems caused by their own making. All across the EU voters and their governments are questioning EU Commission decisions. The unilateral declaration by Merkel to African and Middle East economic migrants access to come to Germany, and then for Germany to demand other EU countries take their fair share was the game changer. The rises in crime, murder and sexual assaults these migrants have brought with them have totally destroyed the orderly liberal life many in Europe enjoy. So it is no surprise people have rejected this immigration policy and are questioning the direction the EU are taking them. Crack downs on free speech and the internet, and calls for "more Europe more integration" and the loss of national identity are causing alarm amongst many voters.
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YOUR BREXIT WEEK
'LE CRUNCH'?
GOVERNMENT TO FACE LORDS SHOWDOWN AND COMMITTEES TO FACE VERHOFSTADT
This week sees the EU Withdrawal Bill once again being discussed and voted on in Parliament. Below we give you a quick summary of what to watch out for and when, what matters, and who might try to steal the limelight.
MONDAY 18 JUNE 2018
Today the House of Lords considers the amendments to the Withdrawal Bill from the Commons. The really contentious one is the so-called ‘meaningful vote’ amendment which caused Dominic Grieve and friends major issues last week.
BREXIT FACTS4EU.ORG SUMMARY WHAT'S THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) BILL?
This bill aims to repeal the European Communities Act 1972 and incorporate EU law into UK law on the day the UK leaves the EU. This is essential for normal legal order to be maintained after Brexit. As things stand the date for 'Brexit' is set at 29th March 2019.
The Bill also aims to create temporary powers to make secondary legislation once the UK has left. This is to deal efficiently with the myriad of minor issues which will arise.
The main fight now centres around what happens if the government comes back with a deal that the Commons doesn’t like, or if the government states that a deal is impossible. In either scenario Remain-supporting MPs want power to reside with Parliament to approve or reject the government’s offering. In particular they wish to instruct the government what to do. This could even involve instructing the government to try to revoke Article 50.
These issues will be discussed by the Lords this afternoon. Currently it seems likely that the Lords will accept most of the government’s amendments but will reject the one on the meaningful vote and will proffer an alternative version.
The SNP
Also today, the SNP have secured an emergency debate on the Sewel Convention. Essentially they want a veto on all issues affecting Scotland and the other the devolved assemblies - something which would thwart Brexit completely. This will undoubtedly be covered strongly by BBC news.
Abolishing the Lords
Finally, in Westminster Hall a small number of MPs will debate the public petition to abolish the House of Lords. At the time of writing this petition had amassed 169,122 signatures. The government is opposing this motion and it will not pass.
WEDNESDAY 20 JUNE 2018
In the afternoon of Wednesday 20th June the Commons will debate whatever has come out of the House of Lords after their debate on the Withdrawal Bill today.
If the Commons passes an amendment giving power to the Commons over the government, the government’s negotiating position with the EU for the next six months would be reduced to almost zero.
Guy Verhofstadt MEP
As chance would have it, Wednesday is also the day for a visit by the EU Parliament’s Brexit Co-ordinator, the MEP Guy Verhofstadt. He will be questioned by the Brexit Committee from 9.15am and by the Home Affairs Committee from 2.30pm.
OBSERVATIONS
Things kick off today with the Lords likely to ignore the Salisbury Convention and pass an amendment which would effectively negate the government’s manifesto commitments. We expect this to happen.
Wednesday is then ‘le Crunch’, when Mrs May will finally be forced into making a binary choice, rather than fudging and trying to please everyone. She cannot give in to what we expect to come out of the Lords.
It is almost inevitable that some Conservative Remainer MPs will mutiny, the only question is how many.
Should Mrs May lose the vote on this, her position becomes very much weaker. That said, there seems no appetite from Brexiteer MPs to remove her and replace her with someone who might actually deliver Brexit.
Power loves a vacuum. In the case of this government we have a perfect storm where Mrs May is becalmed at its centre, with typhoon-force winds encircling her.
Much has been written in pessimistic fashion about the ability of any new leader to push through effective legislation for Brexit any better than Theresa May is managing. We dispute this. The country voted for Brexit. Even a proportion of Remain voters now want the PM to get on with it. We believe the country would get behind a strong leader.
A true leader with natural authority and with public backing could command sufficient support in the Commons to effect what is required for Brexit. Frankly, Theresa May is not that person.
GRANDSTANDING GUY – PUBLIC HEALTH WARNING
As a public service we felt we should alert you to the presence on our shores on Wednesday of a man whose very appearance is enough to raise the blood pressure of even the mildest-mannered Leave voter.
That man is the one we call Guy Verhopeless, (more properly Guy Verhofstadt), former Prime Minister of the dysfunctional and bifurcated country of Belgium, and now an MEP leading a small group of liberals in the EU Parliament.
Verhopeless is due to appear before two Commons committees on Wednesday. The first is the ‘Exiting the EU Committee’, which given its composition and chairmanship by Hilary Benn should properly be called the ‘Exiting the Brexit Committee’. The second is the Home Affairs Committee, chaired by arch-Remainer Yvette Cooper.
Verhopeless believes in a European superstate, is against referenda, and clearly thinks democracy is an aberration. To call him an arch-federalist would be like describing Nick Clegg as a raving nationalist. In the Referendum campaign we called for Verhopeless’ speeches to be played on a continuous loop by the BBC. He personifies the nature of the EU – red in gap-tooth and claw.
Expect the two Commons committees to fawn over him, and for the BBC to ‘go large’ on his appearances.
[ Sources: Parliament order of business ]
06.55am, 18 June 2018
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Name: IvyJ, North East, UKDate/Time: 18 June 2018, 12.11pm
Message: The United Kingdom was taken into the EU by Edward Heath without the mandate of the British people.. who were lied to! This was both an illegal (treasonous) and UNCONSTITUTIONAL act, which has been proven on the release of Secret document FCO 30/1048 that kept the truth about EU from the British public for 30 years ! It therefore follows that ALL subsequent Agreements and Treaties signed by UK Prime Ministers on behalf of the British people are LIKEWISE UNCONSTITUTIONAL & ILLEGAL.. Moreover ARTICLE 61 of the Magna Carta was invoked in March 2001 and thus far has not to my knowledge been acknowledged nor rescinded and therefore remains invoked.. ie., Article 61 of Magna Carta 1215 occurred on the 23rd March 2001, reported in the Daily Telegraph on the 24th March 2001
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FACTS FOR THEIR LORDSHIPS
Today the House of Lords will consider the revised amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill passed by the Commons last week.
They will consider whether to reject the government’s position and they have in front of them an amendment which would make effective negotiation with the EU for the next six months nearly impossible.
Brexit Facts4EU.Org would simply like to present the facts from the results of the General Election of 2017.
In that election, a vast majority of the British voting public chose to vote for parties whose manifestos supported leaving the European Union, and included statements precluding membership of the Single Market and Customs Union.
The public has pronounced on the question of the UK leaving the EU in the EU Referendum of 2016, and has further reinforced this in the results of the General Election of 2017.
The matter is settled. We ask all peers who respect the will of the people not to further obstruct the progress of a Bill which is essential for the orderly transition of the United Kingdom to that of an independent country.
We must also draw their Lordships’ attention to the very serious consequences of any refusal by them to respect the people’s wishes. We are deeply concerned at the events which might be set in train if the will of the people is thwarted in this matter.
[ Sources: Electoral Commission ]
06.55am, 18 June 2018
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Brexit Facts4EU.Org.”
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VOTES, AMENDMENTS, PRIGS, LOONIES, AND TWO MONKEYS
A BREXIT FACTS4EU.ORG TAKE ON 2 WEEKS IN THE LIFE OF THE RULING CLASS
Last week we all had to witness the unedifying spectacle of bitter Remainer politicians scheming their way to stopping Brexit.
In short, the Lords had produced amendments to the Withdrawal Bill which would have made even an emasculated Brexit impossible. Naturally the majority of them did this whilst still proclaiming their respect for the democratic vote of the people.
Last week in the Commons, the government managed to fudge its way through to rejections of most of the Lords amendments, seeing off Remainer MPs’ amendments, offering its own amendments, upsetting almost everyone, but not suffering any cataclysmic defeats.
NEXT WEEK IN PARLIAMENT
This coming week will see the Lords debating the outcome of last week in the Commons, and then the Commons once again considering what the Lords throws back at it.
WE’RE VERY TIRED OF THIS
We know that some of you follow all the twists and turns of the political machinery in Westminster. Unfortunately we have to monitor this too.
However the vast majority of the public couldn’t care two monkeys. And we use that phrase deliberately.
Most of the public simply don’t have the time nor the inclination to follow political manoeuvrings. Quite rightly they sit up and take notice when someone seems to have decided something.
Given that most of the time Theresa May seems incapable of deciding whether to have tea or coffee, the public hasn’t been troubled by too many decisions over the two years since we voted to leave the EU.
In fact, we do not believe that the public has yet caught on to what is even on offer from this government by way of Brexit, so tortuous has been the political nonsense.
TALKING HEADS
The BBC, Sky, ITV and the mainstream press all report assiduously on the intrigues and the personalities involved in Brexit.
If they spent a fraction of this time researching and reporting on the basic facts of Brexit, the public would all be much better off. It is still the case that some members of the Question Time audience will say that they don’t have the facts – and this is two years since a vigorous campaign before the Referendum.
The majority of the public seem to be blissfully unaware of the ‘Soft Remain’ that the government of Theresa May is steering us towards. (More on this in the run-up to the 2nd anniversary of Independence Day.)
PRIGS, LOONIES, AND PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURES
The behaviour of some MPs over the last week has ranged from the petulant and priggish, to deranged lunacy.
We are simply not interested in the egotistical and bitter ramblings and faux-clever procedures of the parliamentary elites. We are fairly sure the public simply want to see a parliament that is hell-bent on carrying out the wishes of the people efficiently and successfully.
They will not be impressed if the actions of some self-obsessed loons result in a disastrous Brexit outcome. That’s where we are headed, and it’s where we have been headed since Mrs May became Prime Minister.
WHERE ARE THE BREXITEERS?
With apologies to some of our MP readers who have done what they can to influence a positive approach to Brexit, we must now say something.
Where on earth are you?
BREXIT FACTS4EU.ORG SUMMARY – WHERE ARE YOU, BREXITEER MPs?
You know that the Brexit negotiations were approached in entirely the wrong way from the start
You know that this ‘Brexit’ will be in name only
You know that on 29th March we won’t have control of our laws, borders or money
You know we’ll effectively still be full paying members, but without any say
You know that the PM can’t lead and take a decision
It’s not good enough to say that this is a minority government and that you must tread carefully for fear of letting in Corbyn. Sorry, but this won’t do.
This is Brexit, a matter of national and historic importance. And it’s rapidly approaching the tipping point.
It’s clear the civil service haven’t prepared for a no deal Brexit – something essential to the success of the remaining negotiations and something we have always believed would happen anyway. It’s clear that David Davis has been sidelined. And it’s clear that the PM doesn’t have the qualities needed to lead us to a successful outcome.
THE ‘EXIT NOW, FIX LATER’ FANTASY
We know that privately some Brexit MPs are saying that the key thing is to exit the EU at least formally on 29th March next year, and that you can clear up the mess after this.
No, no, no. The country wants you “to just get on with it”. This has been the result in numerous polls. Now is the time to step up to the plate.
Yes it has been a disaster so far under Mrs May and we certainly wouldn’t want to start from here, in the words of the old joke. However we are where we are and if sufficient leadership, will and resources were thrown at it, we could still exit on 29th March without a complete shambles.
Brexit is not an issue to be deferred for years, as politicians do all the time with issues like the Heathrow expansion. Brexit is massive. It will affect all of our lives.
And furthermore it is absolutely essential to the preservation of a broadly consensual society.
IGNORE THE PEOPLE AT YOUR PERIL - AND THAT OF THE BRITISH PEOPLE
Next month Theresa May will hold an ‘away day’ for her ministers, to discuss Brexit and to try to agree the government’s policies on the Single Market, the Customs Union, and pretty much everything else that constitutes Brexit and that should have been decided two years ago.
We suggest that all MPs should be forced to have an ‘away month’. Forced to live in their constituencies, forced to spend all day talking to ordinary people. They shouldn’t have minders organising anything. They should try leading ordinary lives and interacting with public services the way most people do.
We are deeply worried about the growing level of disconnect between MPs and the people. This has always been there, but Brexit has brought it into sharp focus.
Watching MPs in parliament last week – and watching the peers in their debates before that – it is obvious that they have no idea of the building anger across the country.
We do not want to be in the position of saying “we told you so”. To avoid mass civil unrest, action must be taken now.
For the sake of a civilised country, we urge all pro-Brexit MPs to put aside the normal political thinking and start to think about what must be done to lead the country into its exciting post-Brexit future.
As ever, we would love to talk to more MPs of all parties in confidence. You can contact us here.
Please send us your comments and we will publish them here. You can of course use a pseudonym if you prefer, and it's always nice to know roughly where you're writing from. Please always state the headline of the article you're commenting on.
Name: Claire, Cardiff, UKDate/Time: 17 June 2018, 1.56pm
Message: TM's latest favourite expression of "deep and special partnership" with the EU I think is shortened from the original - therefore causing some misunderstanding. It should be in full: "deep(ly troubling) and (e)special(ly disadvantageous) partnership" with the EU, so that we're all clear about that.
Name: Brexiteer, Braintree, EssexDate/Time: 17 June 2018, 11.06am
Message: For too long MPs have taken their constituents for granted, just voting fodder, to keep MPs in the manner they wish to be kept in. In my view two things have changed in the last two years, the first being the referendum. The people were promised, in a document produced by the government and delivered to EVERY home in the UK, that the outcome of the referendum would be honoured and implemented. That document gave the government unusually, no wriggle room. There was an overwhelming vote by MPs in the House of Commons to hold the referendum. The problem is that most of the 650 MPs don't want to fulfil that pledge, because the referendum result didn't conform to their wishes. We now have a crisis: 17,410,000 voters against 650MPs, the ruling elite. The second thing that has changed in politics now is internet access. The people, voters, can do their own research into the EU and how they spend our tax monies. If you listen on radio and tv to MPs and commentators, with a few exceptions how totally ignorant they are about the EU and its aims and institutions. Voters are calling out the elite, and because voters are better informed they will not be fobbed off with soundbite platitudes. In effect the ruling classes have lost control, because the voters are going to remove them from power at the ballot box. This is happening all across Europe, voters have had enough.
Name: Patrick F, Kent, UKDate/Time: 17 June 2018, 08.22am
Message: For nearly two years now the MSM and Remain elites have told 17.4 million why we voted as we did. We all know the narrative, that begins racist, xenophobic, old, white, and finishes with believed in the lies on the bus and Russian interference. In short, we didn't know what we voted for and Remain did. I ask this question of the Remain side two years on from Brexit: What version of EU membership do you want us to be in? An equal member, with voting rights, or a vassal state where we are rule takers, not rule makers? Is this what you mean by "a deep and meaningful relationship" with the EU? What nations are successful economically and socially? Free, independent and sovereign. Countries whose rules are founded on the bedrock of democracy. Please think again. Believe in democracy, and support Brexit.
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NICK CLEGG SHOULD BE STRIPPED OF KNIGHTHOOD
Former Deputy Prime Minister, former LibDem leader, and arch-Europhile Sir Nick Clegg has consistently been the most outspoken denier of the EU’s military ambitions.
The latest statements from the EU issued on Wednesday clearly demonstrate the depth of his deception of the British people, both in the 2014 EU parliament elections, and in the EU Referendum campaign.
Mr Clegg has repeatedly ridiculed the warnings of a nascent ‘EU Army’, including in the infamous TV debate he held with Nigel Farage of UKIP in which he declared that these warnings were “a dangerous fantasy”.
In several articles in the past month we have outlined how the EU’s pre-existing ambitions for its own military forces under EU command are very rapidly turning into reality.
Billions are being spent on weapons development, command and control structures, and deployment capabilities. Worse still, the MoD’s civil servants and ministers – and the Prime Minister – seem intent on tying a post-Brexit UK into such arrangements, without political control from elected UK politicians.
MR CLEGG IN 2014 EU PARLIAMENT ELECTION DEBATE
Below is a video of the infamous TV debate, in which Mr Clegg repeatedly ridiculed the warnings of the EU’s clear intent to grow its own military.
Mr Clegg's strange version of the EU’s military aims.
Unlike Mr Clegg we have full documentation and sources for everything we report to you and it all comes from official sources.
This was just one of the most high profile examples of Mr Clegg’s deception of the British people.
Mr Clegg is half-Dutch and three-quarters Baltic-German. He used to work for the EU Commission, before becoming an MEP. He lives, breathes and dreams the EU. He consistently argued for the UK to join the Euro – even in the decade following its introduction in many EU states, when it was demonstrably failing for many member states.
THE EU ARMY HAS NEVER BEEN A SECRET
Despite Mr Clegg’s claims, the concept of what is in effect an ‘EU Army’ was established many decades ago. The first serious discussions started in 1950.
None of this was secret and Mr Clegg, as a man immersed in EU politics, knows this. It is not even necessary to go back to the postwar development of what has now become the EU. In recent times it was even enshrined in the EU's Lisbon Treaty:-
“1. The common security and defence policy shall be an integral part of the common foreign and security policy. It shall provide the Union with an operational capacity drawing on civilian and military assets.”
EU Lisbon Treaty, 2009, Article 42
The Lisbon Treaty of 2009 created the latest background for the “European Defence Agency” and this is one of many EU bodies which now exist (see our recent articles), including EU battlegroups, a ‘European Defence Fund’, and even a €10 billion off-budget ‘European Peace Fund’.
And yet Mr Clegg persists in his ridiculous and categorical denials. He hasn’t merely made opposing arguments, he has poured scorn on the very idea that the EU has military ambitions. The public was left in no doubt whatsoever that the former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom pronounced on the matter, and that's the end of it.
LIBDEM POLICY
Bizarrely, the concept of the EU having its own army was even enshrined in the LibDem’s manifestos. Here is their commitment in 2001 for example:
“Support a European Common Foreign and Security Policy that includes a significant defence capability”
LibDem Manifesto 2001
How is it possible that a senior British politician can lie so blatantly to the British public, on so many occasions and so publicly, and yet not be forced to disappear from the political scene?
One answer of course is what happened to Mr Clegg in 2017, when the voters of Sheffield Hallam rejected him and he lost his seat. Unfortunately this does not seem to have made him realise that he is on the losing side of the argument.
Mr Clegg now represents no-one but that hasn’t stopped him imposing his discredited thoughts on us all.
OBSERVATIONS
APOLOGY REQUIRED
Instead of continuing to pronounce absurdities about Brexit, we suggest that Nick Clegg should focus on something of which he has some experience – that of an apology to the British people.
Mr Clegg has form when it comes to apologies. Who can forget his excruciating ‘mea culpa’ video about tuition fees, so hilariously set to music by The Poke in 2012?
Mr Clegg must now apologise unreservedly to the British people, for misleading them so categorically over the EU’s development of its own military capability.
We further call on the Honours Committee to review the evidence and strip Mr Clegg of the knighthood he received courtesy of David Cameron.
[ Sources: LibDem manifestos | Clegg statements, TV debates | EU Commission ]
06.55am, Sunday 17 June 2018
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TO REMAINER MPs AND PEERS
WE INVITE YOU TO SPEND A FEW MINUTES WITH US
The Brexit Facts4EU.Org team
Some of you are well-versed in the EU and in Brexit. The majority of you are not and in private you might admit there’s far too much to take in before you might say you’re an expert.
To those of you who know a lot, but who still favour remaining in the EU, your position is political and there’s nothing we can do for you. No amount of up-to-date facts and figures will dissuade you from your position.
This is addressed to reasonably-minded Conservative and Labour MPs and peers who would not claim to be EU experts.
GIVE US 3 MINUTES
To those of you who perhaps might privately admit that you know little about what the EU does in practice, how it spends UK taxpayers’ money, and the powers it exercises, we would like you to spend a few minutes to think for a moment.
Let’s just take one simple thing: the Single Market. Suddenly staying in the EEA is flavour of the month. It means staying in the Single Market – forget any idea of negotiating a ‘special arrangement’.
Did you know that the average UK growth rate was higher in the 25 years before the Single Market started, than in the 25 years after?
No, because no-one told you that.
Stop and think. That’s fairly basic. It comes from official figures, as all of our work does. Given that fact, how does it look if you stand up and say that being outside of the Single Market means massive job losses and damage to the economy? Supposing you claimed that the Single Market had helped drive growth in the UK?
At some point you have to speak with evidence backing you up. The problem is that the majority of the cast-iron assertions made by people like Ken Clarke and Chuka Umunna have no basis in fact whatsoever.
A TIDAL WAVE
All this becomes relevant if you look ahead. There appears to be a yawning chasm in Westminster. Many MPs seem to be unaware of what will happen if Brexit – by most ordinary people’s definition – isn’t delivered. We fear it’s not going to be pretty.
That’s the point at which it’s important to have a position you can defend.
All we ask is that you look again at the basic facts around EU membership and Brexit. Not what outspoken politicians on either side are saying, but the basic facts. We’re not talking about newspaper articles which are regurgitated ad infinitum by Brexit sites, we’re talking real facts.
Imagine if you’re asked for an interview on TV, and imagine (hard to believe we know) that the TV interviewer doesn’t appear to have just arrived from children’s TV.
Using our simple example above, if he or she asks you by what percentage the Single Market had benefited the economy in the last 25 years, what would you say?
READ ON, PLEASE
There’s a lot of good information on our site. Take a look. It’s information which, sadly, rarely makes it to the BBC, nor to the ‘establishment’ Brexit sites.
Each article takes many hours of in-depth research. The sources are the UK government (typically ONS, HMRC, etc) or the EU (typically the Commission).
We’re about to launch a great new index so you can find things easily, but it the meantime you can contact us and we’ll send you the latest pieces we’ve produced on the subjects you’re interested in. The whole thing will be in the strictest confidence and you would only talk with our editor.
A LOT TO LOSE, MUCH TO GAIN
MPs are going to be under scrutiny like never before if Theresa May’s current non-Brexit goes through. At least if you contact us you’ll have some good answers, even if you don’t like what our facts tell you.
Please send us your comments and we will publish them here. You can of course use a pseudonym if you prefer, and it's always nice to know roughly where you're writing from. Please always state the headline of the article you're commenting on.
Name: Big Mach, Cheshire, UKDate/Time: 17 June 2018, 07.53am
Message: Delighted to see the well informed comment from Mr Gardiner of Australia. Your efforts clearly reach a wide audience.
Name: Big Mach, Cheshire, UKDate/Time: 16 June 2018, 08.35am
Message: I listen to a lot of politics on the TV and read much in the MSM and blogs, so I consider myself reasonably well informed. Your section on the Single Market has been particularly useful in my attempts to disabuse others of the much pedalled notion that the Single Market has been good for growth. What surprises me, when I listen to politicians being interviewed, is how little both they and the interviewer actually know. They seem to have very little understanding of how the EU works, in terms of the roles of the different branches. When you talk numbers they are lost. I hear them talk about congestion at the ports after Brexit when the reality is that 98% of our container traffic from non-EU countries passes through the ports with no delay. Your work is invaluable, if only MPs and the MSM interviewers would read it. (Andrew Neil is the exception, most of the time.)
Name: Peter D Gardner, AustraliaDate/Time: 16 June 2018, 07.16am
Message: Re. Abrogation of Lisbon Treaty - NickC of Yorkshire, on 10 June, wrote: "Under the Vienna Convention, when we abrogate a treaty, we must fulfil those obligations we undertook when the treaty was in force." I do not believe he is correct. Martin Howe, QC of Lawyers for Britain has published a paper saying this is not true. Article 50 is quite clear that any state may leave without further obligations with a maximum notice period of 2 years. All the EU's commitments are made in that knowledge. The Vienna conventions says the correct process of leaving a treaty is first of all to abide by what is in the treaty. If the Treaty says nothing there are further options. SO those further options are not relevant. In any case I suspect he is getting confused with acquired rights, an entirely different question.
Below we show how the new ‘EU External Action Service’ (EEAS) budget breaks down.
In summary this is one of the main areas where the EU spends its citizens’ money outside of the EU: on candidate countries, on Sub-Saharan Africa, on former French colonies, on aid, and on ‘societal development’ of other countries.
1. “Neighbourhood, development and international cooperation instrument” (NDICI)
BUDGET: €89.2 billion
Breaks down into 3 parts, or ‘pillars’ in EU jargon:
1.1 Geographic pillar - Neighbourhood area and Sub-Saharan Africa - human development including gender equality, climate change, environmental protection, migration and food security;
1.2 Thematic pillar - support for human rights and democracy, civil society, stability and peace
1.3 Rapid response pillar – swift EU responses to crises, conflict prevention, resilience of states, societies, communities and individuals, linking of humanitarian aid and development action.
2. European Instrument for Nuclear Safety:
BUDGET: €300 million
3. Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III):
BUDGET: €14.5 billion
Support to EU candidate countries and potential candidates.
4. Humanitarian aid instrument:
BUDGET: €11 billion
Natural disasters and man-made crises.
5. Common Foreign and Security budget
BUDGET: €3 billion
External conflicts and crises, build the capacity of partner countries.
6. Cooperation with overseas countries and territories
BUDGET: €500 million
Economic, political and cultural ties between the EU and the 13 overseas countries and territories linked to the EU Member States.
If we look at just the first area of expenditure listed above, the “Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument” (NDICI), this has a budget of €89.2 billion. (This figure varies according to which EU document you are looking at.)
Here is the geographical split:-
‘Neighbourhood’ - €22 billion
Sub-Saharan Africa - €32 billion
Asia & the Pacific - €10 billion
Americas & the Caribbean - €4billion
The ‘Neighbourhood’ includes those countries to which the EU gives taxpayers' money in subsidies, in order for them to become new EU member states. The countries qualifying for ‘Pre-Accession Assistance’ currently include Turkey, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
Those countries will receive €14.5 billion out of the €22 billion being spent by the EU on ‘neighbourhood’ countries.
OPERATIONAL CONTROL
The operational control of this budget falls under the EU’s ‘European External Action Service’, an organisation headed by a woman with many job titles.
Italian Federica Mogherini was appointed by Jean-Claude Juncker. She is an EU Commissioner and one of the two Vice-Presidents of the EU Commission. She is also ‘High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy’. In effect Ms Mogherini is the de facto EU Defence Secretary, EU Foreign Secretary, and EU International Development Secretary all rolled into one.
Federica Mogherini is the most powerful woman in the whole of the EU’s massive bureaucracy.
She studied political science in Italy and France and did her dissertation on Islam. She spent the first eight years of her political life as a member of the Italian Communist Youth Federation and only changed to become a member of the Youth Left when the Italian Communist Party dissolved. She has only ever worked in politics.
Ms Mogherini has said she is looking forward to ‘having the file’ on Brexit as soon as the UK becomes what the EU refers to as ‘a third country’. This will happen on 29th March next year.
Third countries instantly come under Ms Mogherini’s vast umbrella of job titles. She will therefore be in overall charge of the EU’s relationship with the UK.
OBSERVATIONS
We have three observations to make.
1. £108 BILLION (POUNDS) TO BE SPENT OUTSIDE THE EU
In effect the EU has laid out broadly where it proposes to spend your money – and that of the small number of other EU countries who are net contributors to the EU budget – in foreign countries outside the EU.
Quite extraordinarily in our view, the government of Mrs May has elected to continue paying the EU as normal after the notional Brexit on 29 March next year, so this new budget is highly relevant.
You may agree with how the EU proposes to spend your money. You may disagree. It doesn’t matter.
It’s the unelected EU Commissioners – civil servants - who have decided this.
2. TO REMAINER MPs & PEERS WHO WORRY ABOUT 'PARLIAMENT'S SOVEREIGNTY'
Now, technically all these budgets have to be approved by the EU Parliament and the EU Council. However in practice we seriously doubt that the overall structure of the budget will change much.
The main point is that these proposals for the expenditure of vast amounts of UK money will never be scrutinised by the UK Parliament. The only serious organisation which will report is Parliament’s EU Scrutiny Committee, led by the veteran MP Sir Bill Cash. And whilst their work is admirable, it will change almost nothing.
It certainly isn’t read by all the ignorant MPs who stood up in the Commons last week to pontificate on what is best for the country when it comes to Brexit.
The public can’t be expected to know the breakdown of where the EU spends the UK’s money. However it should be able to have confidence that it is being spent wisely, on the correct priorities for the UK, and that our MPs are fully aware of everything.
This is sadly not the case.
3. THIS WOMAN DOES NOT LIKE US
Yes, that’s a bold statement and no, we can’t point you to a specific statement where Ms Federica Mogherini has ever said that.
Regular readers know that we report only after extensive research from official sources. However we use these pink boxes to point out implications of the facts we report, and increasingly to express our views based on significant knowledge of the EU.
In the case of Ms Mogherini, it feels like we have been whistling in the wind for the past few years. We believe her to be a clear and present danger to a post-Brexit Britain.
This woman is smart. We may not like her but she has our respect. We've said before and we'll say it again. We'll be surprised if she doesn't end up as EU Commission President.
We will gladly talk privately to any MP who wishes to discuss this with us.
If MPs are not prepared for Ms Mogherini on 29 March next year, they might be in for a bit of a shock.
HOW DO WE FIGHT BACK?
We haven’t given up, as so many seem to have done. We’re not going to take the negation of the largest-ever expression of democratic will by the British people lying down.
There is still time to sort out this mess. We will play our part but we need your help to fund our behind-the-scenes efforts to influence the politicians who will in the end decide the future of our country. We also need to keep reporting major stories like the one above. After all, if we don't do it, who will?
[ Sources: EU Commission ]
06.10am, Saturday 16 June 2018
Please send us your comments and we will publish them here. You can of course use a pseudonym if you prefer, and it's always nice to know roughly where you're writing from. Please always state the headline of the article you're commenting on.
AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY
RESULTS OF LONG-TERM PROJECT BY FACTS4EU.ORG TEAM REVEAL
FACTS DON'T RESEARCH AND WRITE THEMSELVES
The latest pieces of work from the Brexit Facts4EU.Org team have been met with a variety of reactions from world leaders, ranging from celebration to incredulity to resignation to abuse.
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EX-COMMUNIST UNELECTED BUREAUCRAT TO CONTROL €10 BILLION ‘OFF-THE-BOOKS’ MILITARY FUND
How will Remain MPs and peers be able to spin this?
On Wednesday the EU Commission revealed further details of a secretive €10.5 billion ‘slush’ fund which will not appear as part of the EU’s budget.
Here is what the EU itself admits:-
“It will cover expenditure that cannot be financed under the EU's budget because of its military and defence implications.”
Brexit Facts4EU.Org first exclusively revealed the existence of this proposed new fund five weeks ago. Regrettably the BBC and mainstream media were quiet on the subject.
Now we can bring you further details – insofar as real details are available. The EU refers to this fund by the innocuous-sounding name of “The European Peace Facility”. In reality it’s a military fund.
BREXIT FACTS4EU.ORG SUMMARY – SECRET €10.5 BILLION MILITARY FUND
EU’s disguised name: “The European Peace Fund” (EPF)
Budget: €10.5 billion for the next period
This is in addition to the €21 billion for defence already announced
“The EPF ['European Peace Fund'] is a proposal by the High Representative [EU Vice-President Federica Mogherini], to set up a new off-budget fund, a fund outside of the Union's multi-annual budget, worth €10.5 billion.
“It will enable the financing of operational actions under the Common Foreign and Security Policy that have military or defence implications. It will draw together existing off-budget mechanisms, namely the Athena mechanism or the African Peace Facility, devoted to security and defence, overcoming their gaps and limitations.”
The above is from an official EU Commission document about the new 'European Peace Fund (EPF), with underlining by us. It then talks of the purposes to which this fund will be put:-
“The aim of the EPF ['European Peace Fund'] is to:
“Increase effectiveness of operations: the EPF aims at funding the common costs of EU military Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions and operations. It will ensure that EU funding is available on a permanent basis, thus facilitating rapid deployment and enhancing flexibility. So far, through the ATHENA mechanism, a relatively small fraction – ranging from 5% to 10% - of costs for military operations are covered through common financing. The EPF proposes to increase substantially the common costs to ensure greater solidarity.”
“Through the EPF, the EU will be able to do more and to act more swiftly by using military and defence means as required.”
WILL THE UK TAXPAYER PAY?
This fund does not form part of the EU’s normal budget. Nor is it included in the huge rise in headline expenditure for the EU's military ambitions overall. This is separate and additional.
It has been set up as a vehicle to take money from member states without it showing in the normal annual contributions which governments report to their citizens.
Given that Theresa May has agreed that the UK will continue to ‘respect its obligations’ during the transition period after the UK supposedly ‘leaves the EU’ on 29th March next year, the UK will continue to pay the vast annual sums it is currently paying to the EU.
Importantly, this will include the new “European Peace Fund”. The UK will pay approximately 12.5% per year. Please see our ‘observations’ below for more clarity on this.
OBSERVATIONS
In the past we have reported many times on the ways in which the EU finances some of its less popular activities by paying for them from ‘off-the-books’ funds.
EU member states pay into these funds, as they do into the main EU budget.
The difference with ‘off-the-books’ funds is that they do not appear as part of the EU’s annual budget. This means that when the public is told of the UK’s official net contributions to the EU, the figures given are always understated – by substantial amounts.
This means that not only is the British public unaware of the full total of the UK’s subsidy to the other EU countries over the years, it is also unaware of the use to which some of these monies are put.
MPs ARE ALSO UNAWARE
These funds do not appear in the summaries MPs receive from the House of Commons Library. Nor do they appear in the official Treasury documents of UK contributions – unless MPs wish to delve into line-by-line details and even then they would struggle to find them.
Given that the majority of MPs these days seem to be beyond reading basic facts, it is perhaps not surprising that they’re unaware of vast areas of EU expenditure. For example we seriously doubt any of them are aware that in March the government signed up to a second large payment to the ‘Turkey Refugees Facility’, which was entirely voluntary and which does not appear in the formal EU budget.
‘SLUSH FUNDS’
Perhaps in an effort to make the BBC and others sit up and take notice, we should call these unofficial areas of EU expenditure ‘slush funds’. Given that they are not reported on in any meaningful way for the British public to see, this term might be more appropriate.
In the above article we also used the term 'secret' to describe this fund. We used this term even though the EU has published some information on it. The reason is because the fund is - by the EU's own admission - "off-budget" and it will never be seen by the British public when the UK's annual contributions to the EU are discussed. We know this because other off-budget funds have never been included.
It's also worth mentioning that the government will deny that it has agreed to pay towards this new military fund. All we'll say is that Theresa May has agreed to everything else, so we doubt that this new fund will be an exception.
DEFEATING THE REMAINERS
No-one does what we do. Other Brexit sites are very useful, however we research and report original and unique stories each day which are, in our opinion, important for the public and its elected representatives to know about. They are all researched from official sources and the facts are irrefutable.
In a world where politicians are spouting utter nonsense on a regular basis, well-researched official facts are a useful commodity for the long-suffering public.
We think this story about an off-the-books’ €10.5bn EU military fund which will be managed day-to-day by an unelected former Italian Communist is a case in point.
If other Brexit organisations such as [Removed}, Leave.EU, Westmonster, BrexitCentral and others would like to use our articles for free they are welcome to do so. All they have to do is get in touch first.
Regarding getting this information to MPs, we already have off-the-record briefings with some politicians and are more than happy if any British politician from Westminster or Brussels would like to get in touch, in confidence of course.
Finally, if you’re a reader wishing that we could spread the word more widely then the answer, we’re afraid, is down to resources. If you could make a donation today you would be doing your bit in the battle to raise awareness in Westminster and in the country at large to what is going on.
That in turn will assist in persuading the government to deliver what the people voted for. It might even persuade some Remainer MPs that it's time to change sides. And it will certainly give us more time to get the messages to more Brexiteer MPs.
We believe in a true, clean, unambiguous exit from the EU and all its tentacles. No fudges, no compromises, just a truly independent Britain able to take its place on the world stage.
Please send us your comments and we will publish them here. You can of course use a pseudonym if you prefer, and it's always nice to know roughly where you're writing from. Please always state the headline of the article you're commenting on.
Name: Edward, Putney, UKDate/Time: 15 June 2018, 12.47pm
Message: I can't disagree with any of your observations and to say I'm outraged would be an understatement. Please do what you can to get your site better known to politicians as I find it full of useful facts. Incidentally it would be helpful if you had an index? I've just made a monthly donation, hope it helps.
Reply: Thanks Edward for your comments and the donation. Coincidentally we hope to have an index live in the next two weeks. It's been on our wish list for a very long time, and some volunteer readers are helping with this. Regarding getting the information on our site known, we do work on this and if more people could donate we would have more resource to be able to do it. Thanks again for your support.
Name: Brexiteer, Braintree, EssexDate/Time: 15 June 2018, 12.35pm
Message: Its amazing you hear people say "ah but it's EU money' as if the EU has a magic money tree. The EU has no money other than it receives from governments,so governments must have a magic money tree. No, governments only get money from taxes and the rate of overall taxation in the UK is increasing. Governments only get money from taxes by confiscating money from workers "our" money. The least governments should do is account for that tax money they take from us. Not in EU la la land they don't, there is always money for mad projects they just ask their 28 countries for it. If and it is a big If we ever get away from the tentacles of the EU we might find out the true cost to the British people of belonging to this club. I am sure one of the reason many in government and the civil service want us to remain a member of the EU, is because the real costs of membership involved are far higher than the electorate have been told, and monies wasted all around the globe on "EU projects" could have been better spent at home on our crumbling infrastructure.
Name: Suzie Q, LancsDate/Time: 15 June 2018, 11.21am
Message: If this wasn't on your web site I wouldn't believe it. Isn't it strange I didn't see it on the BBC!!!??? I really hope you publicise it because MPs need to know! I'm one of those people whose mad about what's happening and our prime minister had better take notice or else.
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PARLIAMENT FIDDLES WHILE THE EU BURNS OUR MONEY
MERKEL’S MADNESS TRIPLES THE MIGRANT BUDGET
UK SET TO PAY TOWARDS NEW EU €35 BILLION MIGRANT CRISIS BUDGET
At its meeting on Tuesday, the EU Commission voted to triple the EU’s funding for “migration and border management” to €35 billion.
For the next long-term EU budget, the Commission proposed to almost triple funding for migration and border management to €34.9 billion, compared to €13 billion in the previous period.
This amount does not include the billions being spent outside the EU’s borders, and nor does it include a myriad of other costs associated with this crisis.
The Commission says it is responding to:-
“increased migratory, mobility and security challenges, with more flexible funding instruments to address unforeseen migratory events and border protection”
A new Integrated Border Management Fund will be created and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency will be strengthened with a new standing corps of around 10,000 border guards.
AN EXTRA FUND OF €12 BILLION FOR BORDER AGENCY
Outside of this fund, more than €12 billion will be dedicated to:-
“further strengthening the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and EU-LISA”
WILL THE COMMISSION NOW ALSO FINANCE THE CONSTRUCTION OF FENCES?
No, the EU refuses to pay for any physical border protection. Here is what the EU Commission says about one of the most effective methods used by countries such as Hungary, to maintain its borders:-
“The Commission's work is aimed at ensuring proper control of borders, not closing them. The Commission has never financed fences and will not do so under the new EU budget either.”
In its announcement, the EU Commission admitted:-
“the scale and urgency of 2015-16 refugee crisis took Europe by surprise”
The EU's announcement on Tuesday of a massive increase in the visible funds for dealing with this ongoing EU crisis should therefore come as no surprise to British MPs who wish the UK to continue inside the EU’s frameworks and continue paying increasing sums to the EU.
OBSERVATIONS
The EU started seeing increased illegal immigration in the years running up to 2015, but it was the unilateral and unprecedented action taken by Angela Merkel that summer which caused an influx on a scale never before seen.
In that action, Frau Merkel tore up the EU’s Dublin Protocol, which stated that migrants had to be registered in their first country of entry. This meant that migrants could enter the EU and pass through several countries on their way to Germany.
Note that Frau Merkel did not consult on this rash measure. She took the action unilaterally, in direct contravention of an EU protocol. In effect she broke all the rules, causing massive harm to many EU member states, and yet Germany has never been brought before any court nor has it suffered any official censure.
Tens of billions of euros are now being thrown at a problem which was exacerbated out of all proportion by the actions of one EU leader.
IS €35 BILLION THE TOTAL COST?
Most definitely not. The EU has myriads of funds all associated with the migrant crisis. The €35 billion is a drop in the ocean. It does not include the billions now being thrown at dozens of foreign countries in an effort to stem the flow.
Nor does it include the billions being spent in member states in an effort to manage migrants who have already arrived and who are failing to integrate.
Nor does it include the rising cost of internal policing in member states, where some crimes are increasing on an unprecedented scale.
Last year we did some research which indicated that Germany alone was facing a bill in excess of €100 billion euros, in addition to all the centralised costs.
Please don’t forget the separate fund called the Facility for Refugees in Turkey. The UK government in March agreed to pay for the second tranche of this fund, despite having no obligation to do so. We reported on it at the time but of course the BBC chose to ignore it.
HOW DOES THIS AFFECT BREXIT?
In short, we are starting to see some of the consequences of being part of a thoroughly dysfunctional organisation which is not up to its job.
This is the EU which Remainer MPs and commentators wish to stay part of.
Very soon after the Referendum the EU insisted that it would not discuss Brexit as a whole. It demanded that a divorce bill first be agreed. Faced with what it knew at the time would be rocketing costs of Merkel’s migrant crisis, as well as all the other challenges it faces, money was - and still is - the number one priority of the EU Commission.
YOU ARE PAYING FOR THIS
Even if the UK leaves the EU on March next year, which is much later than was to be expected after David Cameron said he would invoke Article 50 immediately, the British taxpayer will have been paying huge sums for the EU’s migrant crisis which were unnecessary.
Significant sums of this money have been paid by the May government for ‘off-the-books’ EU funds which don’t even appear in the table of British annual contributions to the EU budget, as we have reported many times.
If the UK continues to pay the EU for years to come – as proposed by Theresa May – the British taxpayer will be subsidising the EU’s incompetence in a great many areas, of which the massive hike in the migration budget is just one.
Is this what Remainer MPs were voting for yesterday? Do they even know about any of this?
INTELLECTUAL PYGMIES
For two days we have been listening to intellectual pygmies from all parties in the House of Commons, pronouncing with great authority on subjects on which they clearly have little to no knowledge, acting in defiance of the authority of the majority of the British people who voted in the EU Referendum.
It’s one thing to be ideologically naïve and wrong, like Chuka Umunna or Sir Keir Starmer. They have a political agenda – one which we believe is anathema to the majority of the British people.
It’s quite another to be ignorant and arrogant at the same time. This unfortunately is the case with the majority of MPs who have stood up to speak in parliament in the last two days.
We desperately want to increase our effectiveness in getting the message out. With more help from individuals like you, we could do so much more. Thank you to all those who have given small donations in the last few days. This is people power. If you haven’t already done so, could you add to this?
Please send us your comments and we will publish them here. You can of course use a pseudonym if you prefer, and it's always nice to know roughly where you're writing from. Please always state the headline of the article you're commenting on.
Name: Zerren Yeoville, South-west EnglandDate/Time: 14 June 2018, 12.51pm
Message: "Frau Merkel did not consult on this rash measure. She took the action unilaterally, in direct contravention of an EU protocol. In effect she broke all the rules, causing massive harm to many EU member states, and yet Germany has never been brought before any court nor has it suffered any official censure." Ah yes, but it doesn't count because it's Germany, and Germany can do what it likes, including throwing open the borders to all comers and then threatening other countries with penalties if they refuse to take in the excess. Way back in 1957 the Salzburg-born political scientist Leopold Kohr (1909 - 1994) wrote in his book 'The Breakdown of Nations' that a federal Europe would be an 'Unsuccessful Federation' because: "European federation, based on its great national blocks, unequal in size and strength, would in the end become a federation in the interest of Germany, because Germany alone would be large enough to enforce a federal law, and no law could be enforced without Germany's consent. Germany would be arbiter and master." The truth of Kohr's astute observation is becoming ever more clear. Those who persist in believing that the EU is in some way a means of RESTRAINING Germany from dominating the rest of Europe believe a very silly thing indeed.
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WAKEY, WAKEY
THE STARK POLITICAL FACTS OF BREXIT
It was an important day for Brexit in parliament yesterday. As usual, our elected representatives didn't fail to disappoint voters.
Readers will find detailed analysis in the mainstream media of the various votes which took place in parliament yesterday, and which will continue today. We will comment on what happened in a following article.
For a moment we suggest that the minutiae is forgotten about. Let’s look at the stark political realities for MPs who wish to keep their jobs.
THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE
Parliamentary constituencies as a whole voted overwhelmingly pro-Brexit.
Analysis of the national vote broken down by constituencies showed that 63% of constituencies voted to Leave the EU. That becomes 69% if you exclude the SNP’s seats.
Recent polls of the electorate as a whole have shown that 65-70% think Brexit should now go ahead. In the latest poll, even 58% of Remain voters think the government should 'just get on with it'.
BREXIT FACTS4EU.ORG SUMMARY – MPs, THEIR JOBS, AND BREXIT
74% of Conservative seats voted for Brexit
64% of Labour seats voted for Brexit
Yesterday in parliament large numbers of MPs voted for amendments which went against the majority expressed will of their constituents. Almost one half voted for amendments which ran counter to the majority will of the people of the United Kingdom to leave the EU.
OBSERVATIONS
For the ordinary voter, yesterday in parliament was once again about one thing. Would the elected representatives of the people honour the instruction by the people to leave the European Union, or not?
Speech after speech indicated that around half would not.
THEY WEREN’T EVEN VOTING ON BREXIT
At this point we need to be clear. What Theresa May is proposing isn’t Brexit. Her own proposals have the UK staying in the EU in all but name until the start of 2022. The MPs were in effect voting on a version of Remain.
Brexit was supposedly about taking back control of our borders, our laws, and our money, as well as related matters such as the control of fishing rights in the UK’s territorial waters.
The current proposals from the government do not offer that. In our opinion any ‘deal’ that merely delays the UK’s effective departure from EU control is not Brexit. Delays are a way of watering down Brexit to such an extent that when and if it finally arrives it will not resemble the Brexit that anyone thought they had voted for.
THE REAL WORLD
Unlike so many involved in Westminster politics – politicians, journalists, commentators, and ‘establishment’ pro- and anti-Brexit groups – we work in the real world. We have daily contact with ordinary people from all over the country, as well as abroad. We talk in normal English, not obfuscated and tortured political terms.
We know when a fudge is a delay leading to nowhere. We know when repeated compromise is proof-positive that Mrs May is incapable of giving a simple ‘no’ to attempts to thwart, delay, or emasculate Brexit. And recently we have had to come out fully and withdraw all support from this government over Brexit.
Yesterday we had the unedifying sight of MPs ‘rebelling’ on Brexit proposals that don’t even represent Brexit at all. These MPs have in effect got a Brexit so diluted it might as well be called Remain… and yet STILL they weren’t satisfied.
WHO SPOKE FOR THE PEOPLE?
We have to express our profound disappointment in the pro-Brexit MPs who have singularly failed to stand up and be counted. Time after time they make pronouncements, but then end up backing the Prime Minister with weasel words.
We know there are a few exceptions whom we have recognised on this site, but here we are talking about the majority of them.
We know these pro-democratic pro-Brexit MPs feel they must ‘put a brave face on it for the sake of unity’.
SORRY BUT THIS WON’T DO
There are millions of voters who are in the process of being sold down the river. Some of these people have started to wake up to what is going on. We are already alarmed at some of the calls to action now being seen on social media.
When even more of these people realise what is happening there will be big trouble ahead. The undemocratic MPs from Labour, SNP, LibDems, Greens, Plaid Cymru, and the Conservatives are in the process of unleashing real perils to our society. Sadly they think they’re going to get away with it, because that is what they're used to.
We just don’t think it’s going to happen this time and that they’re in for a shock. We would far rather they realised the dangers now, and sincerely hope our work will play its part in waking up the populace to what is really going on.
We're trying to keep going - can you help us with a donation, no matter how small? We know many of you have donated to various pro-Brexit organisations and so we really hate to ask, but we need your help right now.
Please send us your comments and we will publish them here. You can of course use a pseudonym if you prefer, and it's always nice to know roughly where you're writing from. Please always state the headline of the article you're commenting on.
Name: Brexiteer, Braintree, EssexDate/Time: 13 June 2018, 3.18pm
Message: The only way MPs will get the message is when at the next General Election the people, the electorate who ultimately hold all the power and use that power by voting out sitting MPs who are opposed to leaving the EU. Nothing like losing a cosy job for life to concentrate the mind. Because of the tribal Lab/Lib/Tory voting for MPs in constituencies up and down the country, individual MPs have been able to defy their electorate's wishes. On such a important issue as leaving the EU perhaps a "Martin Bell" type candidate that the majority of the constituents 2016 referendum result would approve of could stand against the mainstream party candidates. Single issue politics not usual in the UK but common in the USA. General Elections are only decided by the movement of about 100000 votes from governing party to another. Political parties know this, in fact by sophisticated canvass returns in these key marginal seats they can work out the actual individual voter those mind they need to change.
Name: Patrick H, London, UKDate/Time: 13 June 2018, 1.08pm
Message: WAKEY, WAKEY Brexiteers! What a disgusting Wasteminster spectacle - these imbeciles are running the political asylum for themselves and ignoring the will of the people with nary a care! These loathsome charlatans are again dismissing democracy, as they have done surreptitiously for hundreds of years. These insidious Remainer shenanigans are now so transparent people must be waking up to this obvious dishonourable, anti-democratic, debacle. But the Remainers, in all their deceitful guises, have miscalculated again: The Leave voters have not gone away, but merely waiting patiently, watching this latest traitorous collection of anti-Brexit trickery unfold. In my mind, T. May and her slithering slimy chinless wonders are politically dead, whatever the outcome. But one message is clear: If we "The Leavers" allow these blatant politically perfidious Remainers to win, then we can never complain again; for no one will ever believe the British have the resolve to fight for their democratic rights and freedom! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to show what we 'The Real People' are really made of?....or, thereafter never bother to vote again and allow Britain to be placed on the scrapheap of undemocratic Dictator ridden nations! For 17.4 Million voters, the choice is ours!
Name: Chris, Devizes, UKDate/Time: 13 June 2018, 12.52pm
Message: In some ways it would have been better if the Government had lost this vote, because that would have maybe triggered the Tory Brexiteers into action. Without a vote of no confidence to oust May, followed by a General Election, nothing is going to change on Brexit, and we will get EUIABN. You have to wonder just what JRM et al are afraid of? Do they think they would lose an election, or have they been threatened in some way?
Name: Brexiteer, Braintree, EssexDate/Time: 13 June 2018, 12.38pm
Message: When I undertook my democratic duty and voted on June 23rd 2016 the question on the ballot paper asked "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?". Yes or NO. It didn't ask do I want a hard Brexit or soft, become a member of EEA or stay in certain EU institutions we like, but not others. It was simple YES or NO, everybody except apparently 650MPs understood that. MPs seem to have problem understanding what sovereignty is, that for hundreds of years the House of Commons has governed the United Kingdom and when Britain was a colonial power run countries all around the globe, from Whitehall. The United Kingdom should just leave the institution that is the EU, don't worry about trade talks, or EU Army or anything else, just leave on 29th March 2019. Business people trade, and the EU people if they want to trade and receive our money will beat a path to our door. As we have a trade deficit with the EU they will want to trade. Then the 650 elected MPs can get on with doing what they are paid to do, governing the United Kingdom. Sounds so simple and it is. It's what has happened for hundreds of years it's just our MPs want to make it hard for what ever reason. They simply know best, I mean they are MPs after all!
Name: Patrick F, Kent, UKDate/Time: 13 June 2018, 10.07am
Message: Parliament, the mother and father of Brexit are now strangling their offspring before our eyes.
Name: Alan Johnson, North West EnglandDate/Time: 13 June 2018, 09.51am
Message: It has been my feeling for some time that Theresa May has been quietly working to kill Brexit, by a death of a thousand cuts. A little bit here, a little bit there. Keep the blood to a minimum so people won't notice until it is too late. The supposed Tory Brexiteers are too timid to intervene. Unless some new Brexit party comes to the fore quickly for the first time in over 50 years, I will not vote in the next General Election.
Name: Not4EU, LondonDate/Time: 13 June 2018, 07.57am
Message: Yet again we have our 'weak as water' Government pretending to honour the referendum vote but trying to ensure that we are hobbled, in the slave sense, to the EU. Let us be clear. We voted to LEAVE the EU. That doesn't mean leave a few bits of the EU. It doesn't mean leave in name only and become a vassal state/colony. It doesn't mean being restricted by their rules and laws. It, quite simply, means LEAVE. Your assessment of Grieve's comments is correct as his threats in the House were quite clear - unless his wrecking amendment is there in full, the HoL will repeatedly put it back in wrecking our law. I could be put in prison for saying what I think should happen to these people. As to the 'deal', which is really remain, and the engineered remain ploy over the NI 'backstop', and the bluster over 'no deal'. There isn't really a no deal position. We already have our own 'backstop' deal which currently is closest to what we voted for. That is WTO. That is not a 'no deal', and is multiple times better than the deal currently being 'offered'. No transition, no funding. WTO deal from 23.01 hrs (GMT) 29th March 2019.
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A TALE OF TWO BREXITS
YESTERDAY’S ‘COMPROMISE’ IN PARLIAMENT
An opinion by a member of the Brexit Facts4EU.Org team
The problem for trying to calm nerves over Brexit is our Remainer Prime Minister’s past performance over the last two years.
Each time there has been a leaked private briefing of some possible compromise detrimental to the cause of a full, clean Brexit, it has come true.
In the last two years our editor has had private conversations with politicians who have reassured him that something we were concerned about would not happen when it came to it.
Each time our concerns proved to be right and the government has indeed done what was rumoured. Let’s just take a very recent example. It was initially rumoured that the government would propose an extension to the Transition Period.
BREXIT FACTS4EU.ORG SUMMARY - DELAY AFTER DELAY FOR LEAVING EU
Referendum vote and decision to leave EU: 23 June 2016
Original leaving date: 22 June 2018 (based on Cameron's promise immediately to invoke Art 50)
Delayed leaving date: 29 March 2019 (2 years after delayed triggering of Article 50)
Even more delayed leaving date: 31 December 2020, following a ‘Transition Period’ of 21 months
Still more delayed leaving date: 31 December 2021, following an extension to the Transition Period
Most people who voted Brexit initially thought that 29 March next year would be the latest possible leaving date. Many – like us – were horrified when the ‘Transition Period’ was proposed by Mrs May’s government. This would have taken the real exit date to the end of 2020.
We were reassured that this wouldn’t happen, but in fairly short order it was accepted by the pro-Brexit camp in parliament, including by Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg of the ERG. This is despite them being clear that it is totally unwarranted.
Then two weeks ago we heard of the extension to the Transition Period – the ‘back-stop to the back-stop’. Again it seemed like an impossibility that this would be accepted by our pro-Brexit MPs in parliament. And yet they remained docile.
Therefore when it comes to yesterday’s last minute meeting between Theresa May and the mutineers in her party, and the reports of what it involved, we have to believe the worst.
We believe the mutinous (and in our view treacherous) MPs who attended that private meeting when they say that if parliament rejects the final Brexit deal, it will be parliament that will decide the next course of action.
THE OFFICIAL VERSION
DExEU, the department led by David Davis, who is supposedly in charge of the Brexit negotiations, issued a statement last night saying:
“The Brexit secretary has set out three tests that any new amendment has to meet — not undermining the negotiations, not changing the constitutional role of parliament and government in negotiating international treaties, and respecting the referendum result. We have not, and will not, agree to the House of Commons binding the Government’s hands in the negotiations.”
THE REMOANER MPs’ VERSION
The rebel MPs tell a different story. This is what Dominic Grieve MP had to say:
“I am very pleased that the government has listened to the concerns of many colleagues and has responded positively to the need to amend the bill further to provide a proper mechanism to enable parliament to act, where necessary, if there is no deal or a deal is rejected by negotiations. We will now work with the government to get acceptable amendments tabled in the Lords to address this.”
Unfortunately we believe the rebels, because Mrs May’s track record over two years has been to cave in on everything.
Brexit Facts4EU.Org staffer, 06.55am, 13 June 2018
Please send us your comments and we will publish them here. You can of course use a pseudonym if you prefer, and it's always nice to know roughly where you're writing from. Please always state the headline of the article you're commenting on.
Name: Patrick H, LondonDate/Time: 13 June 2018, 3.45pm
Message: Two Brexits; or better still, two cheeks of the same political derriére! The Establishment's delusiveness and nefarious sophistry in abundance from all and sundry; from both sides of the so-called Brexit/Remainer divide?....we, the people, can no longer trust anything that comes from this anti-democratic Wasteminster, period!
ANTI-DEMOCRATIC MPS, TRY TO EXPLAIN THIS ONE TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS
EU’S SUMMER HOLIDAY BRIBE FOR 18-YEAR OLDS
IN €0.7 BILLION RAIL & FLIGHTS GIVEAWAY
STARTS TODAY, COURTESY OF BRITISH TAXPAYER
In a move forecast by Brexit Facts4EU last year, the EU has announced that 18-year olds can apply today for free transport for their summer holiday.
The EU has allocated €0.7 billion euros (£0.61 billion GBP) in its next 7-year budget for this project, called ‘DiscoverEU’. On average each young person will receive free summer holiday travel to the value of approximately €255 euros. The free transport lasts up to one month this summer.
MOSTLY RAIL TRAVEL, BUT ALSO FLIGHTS, FERRIES, AND BUSES
The scheme is mostly intended for rail travel, but in some circumstances free flights and ferries are also included. Indeed young people can take flights if they are on the French former colonies of Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, la Réunion, Mayotte, and Saint-Martin, and under certain other circumstances.
Buses and ferries are also included, where alternative modes of transport are required by the young people of some countries.
HOW TO GET YOUR FREE SUMMER HOLIDAY TRAVEL
This ‘DiscoverEU’ initiative starts today and 18 year olds are being encouraged to apply online to the EU, as the first phase is limited in numbers.
All young people who will be 18 years old on 1 July 2018 can apply. This means young people born between 2 July 1999 and 1 July 2000 (inclusive) are eligible to participate. Applications must be submitted through the European Youth Portal from today 12 June 2018 for the next two weeks.
A second phase will be launched in the autumn. Ultimately the EU hopes that ‘young Europeans’ will benefit from 1.5 million travels. In the EU around 5.8 million young people turn 18 each year.
The scheme is open to young people from the EU28 countries and the 9 ‘outermost regions’ and allows them travel across up to 4 EU countries.
WHY ONLY 18 YEAR OLDS?
This is what the EU has to say about this:-
“The European Parliament Preparatory Action as agreed in the 2018 EU budget chose to focus on young people turning 18, as this age marks a major step to adulthood and to European citizenship.”
CONDITION: BECOME AN ‘AMBASSADOR’ TO INFLUENCE OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE
Crucially, the application process requires the young person to state that he or she is happy to become a ‘DiscoverEU Ambassador’, which means promoting the EU’s scheme on social media and in their schools or colleges
GIVEN BREXIT, WILL YOUNG BRITS BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE?
Young British people aged 18 will be able to participate in this initiative “as long as the UK remains a Member State of the EU with all its rights and obligations.” Selected participants can also choose the UK as one of their travel destinations.
OBSERVATIONS
Q: WHAT DO YOU GIVE YOUNG PEOPLE INSTEAD OF A JOB?
A: SEND THEM ON HOLIDAY
Current youth unemployment rates across the EU remain depressingly high. The rate for the EU27 (without the UK) is 16.2%. In Spain, Italy, and Greece over 1 in 3 young people are out of work. Even in France 1 in 5 are jobless.
The EU recognises the problem and has been looking for all kinds of schemes to promote itself to the youth of the EU28 member states.
There is the ‘Juncker Youth’, misleadingly given the official name of the ‘European Solidarity Corps’, which offers free travel and subsistence for under 25s who would like to volunteer for a variety of schemes including the integration of migrants.
And of course there is Erasmus+, a quasi-educational scheme which has just had its budget doubled by the EU to €30 billion euros and which Theresa May is keen to remain a part of post-Brexit.
BRIBERY AND INDOCTRINATION
This new plan from the EU is nothing short of another bribe, intended to brainwash young people into having positive thoughts about the EU.
The beneficiaries must buy their tickets through the EU’s agency, and they must sign up to being ‘DiscoverEU Ambassadors’, so that they can indoctrinate others:
“through social media tools like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, or by providing a presentation at their school or their local community.”
The EU Parliament has specifically described the 18 year old threshold as “a major step to adulthood and to European citizenship.”
EU BRAINWASHING, COURTESY OF THE BRITISH TAXPAYER
If you are a UK taxpayer, you are now paying for the EU’s young people to have massively-subsidised summer holidays.
As one of the few major net contributors to the EU budget, you are not only paying for British youngsters, you are also paying to subsidise the summer holidays of youngsters from other EU countries, because those countries pay nothing to the budget in net terms.
Naturally the young people benefiting from this largesse will think the money comes from the EU, rather than the hard-working UK taxpayer.
YOU HAVE NO CONTROL
This is a classic example of how the unelected EU Commission has taken it upon itself to spend British taxpayers’ money on a self-promotion campaign aimed at indoctrinating the youth of the EU countries – including those of the United Kingdom.
This EU decision should, in our view, be for individual national governments to make. The UK government has made tough decisions over recent years in order to reduce the deficit, yet here is a another new spending decision over which the UK has no say.
If you object, it’s no good complaining to your elected MP. He or she will simply say that it’s an EU matter.
Why did the majority of the British people vote to take back control from unelected bureaucrats in Brussels? We suggest that news like that above forms a significant part of the reason.
HOLD THE FRONT PAGE
On the subject of news, we have so far been unable to find this story on the BBC’s outlets. We are determined to make the UK's elected representatives in the House of Commons, and the unelected ones in the House of Lords, face up to the facts of EU membership.
What we do makes it much harder for them to mislead the public, as they currently do each day. We provide the necessary ammunition for pro-Brexit MPs and campaigners.
If you can find a way to donate something, no matter how small, it will help to keep us going.
Please send us your comments and we will publish them here. You can of course use a pseudonym if you prefer, and it's always nice to know roughly where you're writing from. Please always state the headline of the article you're commenting on.
Name: J Slater, Essex, UKDate/Time: 12 June 2018, 11.58pm
Message: There must be some law, hidden amongst thousands churned out by the EU, banning such an outrageously corrupt practice as this; an unashamedly political attempt at bribing 18 year olds into promoting the EU through brain washing. What about the Human Rights Act? Doesn't this protect all abuse, mental and physical? Clearly not being applied here. How selective is that? The EU bureaucrats appear desperate to improve their image what with Britain and other countries breaking away. The innocent young, at the point of departing childhood and entering an adult world, leaving the protection of their families, are extremely vulnerable yet old enough to sign up without parents' consent. The sickening thing is the Junckers of this world know that. Bribery is being openly and brazenly disguised as the acceptable face of the star spangled EU flag. Salute, and be proud! And what of parents facing up to such State-run interference? I doubt, under Rule No 5,674 blah blah, they have any rights of appeal against this indoctrination of their impressionable sons and daughters. These are not the actions of a caring State. This is callous, big-scale, corruption. When I told my 40 year old daughter, she exclaimed: 'It's the Hitler Youth all over again!' I'd had exactly the same reaction. Win over large numbers of young to carry out the work of disreputable, uncontrolled, unanswerable political Masters. What next will they get all these youngsters to do? Very '1984', George Orwell's predictions on helplessness under a State Controlled dictatorship. Quote:- 'If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - for ever.'
Name: Brexiteer, Braintree, Essex, UKDate/Time: 12 June 2018, 5.03pm
Message: [Off topic, about the testimony of Arron Banks to the Commons media committee today - Ed.] Banks owned that committee today. Never has the gulf of intellect between MP's and British business leaders been more apparent than at that committee today. MP's questions were ill prepared and quite frankly ignorant. I can now understand why so many MP's would like to stay in the EU, they couldn't hack it outside. They have been led by the nose, by unelected bureaucrats and civil service for 40 years they have lost the ability to think for themselves, just endorse what's given to them. Our MP's are lightweight, and that's being kind. The prospect of them running anything other than a bath, let alone a country, must be daunting for them.
Name: Patrick F, Kent, UKDate/Time: 12 June 2018, 07.20am
Message: Dear Facts4eu, In all of the many articles you've written, this one may just take the biscuit. The only thing that surprised me was the EU are not offering 'Love EU' t-shirts, free mobile phones and condoms. Yours, in disbelief, Patrick F
REMAINER TORY MPs CONTINUE
TO HOUND BREXITEERS
The weekend papers and TV political programmes contained accusations against Mr Arron Banks, a businessman and generous donor to the Leave campaign during the Referendum campaign and subsequently.
These accusations centre around talk of three meetings he allegedly had with the Russian Ambassador, and subsequent business he is doing in Russia. Tomorrow he will appear again before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee of the House of Commons who are conducting an investigation into ‘fake news’.
WHO IS ASKING THE QUESTIONS?
The Chairman of the Committee is Damian Collins MP, an arch-Remainer. He has been vocal in his criticism of online providers such as Twitter and in particular is concerned about their use to promote the Leave cause.
In January of this year Twitter wrote to Mr Collins telling him that there was a lack of evidence showing involvement from Russian state agencies in the Referendum campaign. This was apparently not good enough for Mr Collins who replied that (in his opinion) there were still some outstanding questions, saying: “The failure to obtain straight answers to these questions, whatever they might be, is simply increasing concerns about these issues, rather than reassuring people.”
He also issued threats against Facebook and Twitter: “If you fail to do that, if you ignore requests to act, if you fail to police the site effectively and deal with highly problematic content, there has to be some sort of sanction against you.”
MR COLLINS' USE OF ONLINE MEDIA OUTLETS SUCH AS TWITTER
Here is Mr Collins using Twitter 4 days before the Referendum:
And here he is again, the day before the vote:
DAMIAN COLLINS’ CONSTITUENCY
Mr Collins is MP for Folkestone and Hythe, in Kent. His constituency voted by 61.8% to 38.2% to leave the European Union. This was an emphatic result.
As you can see from the Twitter examples above, Mr Collins is an ardent Remainer, despite his constituents being so clearly for Leave. On this matter he is not in tune with the voters he represents.
DAMIAN COLLINS AND HIS OWN EXPENSES
As MP for Folkestone and Hythe in Kent, Mr Collins naturally incurs costs associated with his job. Brexit Facts4EU.Org consulted the information held on Mr Collins by IPSA, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.
Here are his figures for the last full parliamentary year, 2016-2017:-
Office costs: £15,265
Staffing: £131,722
Accommodation: £25,180
Miscellaneous: £1,327
Travel: £7,899
TOTAL: £181,393
The above costs are in addition to Mr Collins salary as an MP, which last year was £74,962 per annum. However, Mr Collins is also chairman of a House of Commons committee – the one which will question Arron Banks tomorrow. As a committee chairman Mr Collins is entitled to a further £15,235 per annum.
This brings Mr Collins’ total costs to £272,639 per annum.
COLLINS TRIES TO PAY WIFE’S COMPANY £6,000
Mr Collins submitted an expense claim in 2016 for £6,000 for ‘professional services’ in respect of an invoice from an organisation called Noble Purpose. This claim was rejected by IPSA. We have a copy of this invoice.
The sole director of Noble Purpose is listed in official records as one Mrs Sarah Lucy Collins. Mrs Collins is the wife of Damian Collins MP.
Mr Collins denies acting improperly and no action was taken against him other than denying his expenses claim. He says that he wasn’t aware that paying a company invoice where that company is run by a member of his family was against the rules.
OBSERVATIONS
We believe it is now essential that everyone confronts a serious issue in the United Kingdom – that of Remainers becoming Remoaners and leading what amounts to a fight against democracy in this country.
In the course of our work we see this daily.
The article above refers to one MP who is an ardent Remainer, and who happens to be in the news. He certainly will be in the news again tomorrow, when he questions Arron Banks. Damian Collins is not alone, but in our view he represents a disquieting feature of life in British politics since 2016.
WHY ARE THEY SUCH SORE LOSERS?
The Remain side threw everything at the EU Referendum, to the point where it was inconceivable to them that they would lose. They out-spent Leave by 2 to 1 and they even flew in the US President to tell us how to vote.
The victory for Leave came as a life-changing shock to many. We understand this.
However General Elections are fought - and won or lost - every few years without this hysterical reaction. So what has gone wrong this time?
There are many answers to this question, which we hope to address over the coming days leading up to the second anniversary of the magnificent Leave victory on 23rd June 2016. So here is just one thought.
LEADERSHIP – OR LACK OF
At times of national crisis a nation looks to its leaders. In the days following the Referendum result they were nowhere to be seen. Cameron and Osborne went to ground. We know. We continued working on the 24th of June and through that weekend, unlike almost all the other Brexit organisations.
In the two years since then, the United Kingdom has had a Remainer in charge in the person of Theresa May. Not only that, but she has been one of the weakest and most indecisive leaders we can remember.
Put those two things together and you have a recipe for a cauldron in which absurd and untrue statements fly, without being quashed. You have a decision vacuum, allowing those who harbour anti-democratic and frankly ridiculous views to establish a new ‘narrative’ – a new version of reality.
Had the country gained a new leader who had embraced the decision, along the lines of “I know not all of you agree with it, but the decision’s been made and now we’re getting on with it”, things might have been different.
A true leader would have carefully but categorically stated that the decision had to be implemented. Not a compromise attempt at ‘half in, half out’, but the implementation of the people’s choice. That leader could have slowly brought the country back together. The message should have been “You’re either in or out of the EU, and the majority of the British people want to be out.”
THE DITHERING REMAINER
Instead, for the last two years we have had a leader who has dithered. Theresa May is a Remainer, pretending to deliver Brexit but failing to face the fact that the UK really is ‘in or out’, and we voted to be out.
This is not one of those decisions you can duck. However, duck the decision she has.
It is this dithering and lack of decisiveness that brought the Sun newspaper this weekend to write: “We are now entering the realms of a national emergency.”
It is this same leadership vacuum that has allowed people like Mr Collins to adopt what we consider to be an arrogant and disproportionate attitude.
Brexit Facts4EU.Org is now working hard to influence MPs but we need a war chest. Some of you have been marvellous. Maybe some of you who haven't yet got around to donating and who are reading this might decide that the victory we won two years ago is worth fighting for? If so, your options for making a quick donation are below. Thank you for considering it.
[ Sources: IPSA | Hanretty constituency results ]
06.30am, 11 June 2018
Please send us your comments and we will publish them here. You can of course use a pseudonym if you prefer, and it's always nice to know roughly where you're writing from. Please always state the headline of the article you're commenting on.
Name: W. Alkaway, Essex, UKDate/Time: 11 June 2018, 11.57am
Message: Remainer May's continual concessions to the bullying EU's multifarious and unjust demands in the Brexit talks has only served to give encouragement to Remainer MPs like Damian Collins, amongst others. They now have reason to believe they can undo and prevent the Democratic Vote for a clean break from the EU. PM Theresa May has actively encouraged all Remainers, by subterfuge. She has been confusing with her many reassurances, to us and to the Brexiteers in Cabinet and Parliament, stating that 'Leave Means Leave' and 'No Deal is Better than a Bad Deal'. When she feels she has us in the bag, she then drives ever onwards to try and destroy our chances of a clean break. The Brexiteers amongst the Tory Party, and those with Brexiteer majority Constituencies, MUST be able to see through her by now, surely. Have you noticed she never sacked Hammond in spite of his many attempts to scupper leave talks? Nor does she sack top Brexit politicians, such as Boris Johnson, to take the steam out of a situation and give the impression we're all friends together! Nonsense! Hers is a cold-blooded tactical way of control. Calling her troops together for a Chequers bonding session soon, just when she suspects there's a move to oust her, is all part of her two-timing scheme. May is not to be believed. She cannot be trusted. Moreover, she must not be allowed to carry on. ALL THE BREXITEERS IN PARLIAMENT MUST NOW PULL TOGETHER. TORIES: GET IT RIGHT THIS TIME. VOTE FOR THE BEST BREXIT CANDIDATE; NOT A TIME FOR CAREER POLITICIANS THIS TIME ROUND. THIS NATION AND ITS PEOPLE COME FIRST. YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU!
Name: Patrick H, LondonDate/Time: 11 June 2018, 1.58pm
Message: So, WHY ARE THEY SUCH SORE LOSERS? The answer is very simple. In UK General Elections it is irrelevant which party the electorate vote for, as all UK parties in actuality are one, masquerading as alternatives. Though each Party will produce a well-crafted and subtlety different manifesto on the surface, with the usual scraps off the table giveaways, in reality it will be the same fudged (thinly veiled) establishment dictate that the people will have to follow. In essence, what the parties say in the run-up to the vote will be immediately ignored when any one of these self-same parties gains office. So effectively the people are never truly given anything tangible or real improvements to their lives, just the usual simple platitudes and delusive opaque mendacity. Therefore, no change to the status quo... job done for another five years and now all the Politicians have to do is produce incoherent waffle, seen to be making a stand on some inane non-important issue, get in the way of business, take their nice remuneration package and substantial perks, increase taxes and politically self-serve, until the next electoral merry-go-round. Democracy is shown to be served, but in really no change! Then Brexit happened. The Government expected the same outcome based on General Elections experience (recent Scottish Independence experience, where project fear worked so efficiently), people's ignorance, people's sufferance, disgusting project fear and the staged managed 'the whole world is saying this is a huge mistake' and just comply with your betters and move on just as before. The Politicians arrogance mantra: 'they will accept anything the Establishment want/says in the end and then we can go back to our cosy gravy train, back to busily shafting the electorate.' Just as their forbears have done for the past hundred+ years. But Brexit did not go as expected - shock, horror, outrage, how dare they? Who are these insignificant and deplorable little plebs to tell us what they really want; such is the Establishment's arrogance! Worse, for once, the general population did not believe their so-called betters. The people did not acquiesce as expected; they did not swallow the highly refined duplicitous bunkum, which has work so effectively in the past. The people saw through these self-serving Government/Establishment/Elites hypocritical avaricious troughers and said no, enough is enough; we want out of this insidious EU straight jacket, which the greedy unaccountable Establishment had entwined themselves with so nicely. Additionally, the general public wanted their Government to focus on its tax paid responsibility - the UK people's needs - not the Establishment's fallacious international largesse and its anti-British archaic monstrosity, the Lords. This was an epoch of history, out of all proportion. The Establishment were thunderstruck and deliriously angry at the temerity of the people and will have none of it; how dare they, and immediately went into revenge mode (Cameron/Osborne/Remainers/Remoaners, et al) to put the people back in their place! In reality, it is not Brussels we should be afraid of, but our own Political self-serving Establishment who are actually a 'highly sophisticated' authoritarian junta in disguise! As I said, simple!
Name: Paul Hughes, UKDate/Time: 11 June 2018, 12.47pm
Message: Petitions, UK Government and Parliament Rejected petition Vote of no confidence in current Prime minister Theresa May & the Conservatives. No messing around - a simple straight forward message to this government from UK citizens: Vote of no confidence in current Prime minister Theresa May & the Conservatives. This petition was rejected. Why was this petition rejected? "It's about honours or appointments. We can't accept petitions about appointments, which includes calling for Ministers to be sacked or for a vote of no confidence. If you're concerned about a particular policy or decision that's the responsibility of Government or the House of Commons, you could start a petition about that. We only reject petitions that don't meet the petition standards." Date submitted - 1 June 2018
Name: Bill Pentelo, MidlandsDate/Time: 11 June 2018, 07.22am
Message: Please more articles like this aimed at individual remainers who go against their constituents. This man is playing the system with his massive expense account, he needs stopping.
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