What the Quitters are Scared to tell you: The UK can’t be dragged into an EU army

Article 42(2) TEU says:

2. The common security and defence policy shall include the progressive framing of a common Union defence policy. This will lead to a common defence, when the European Council, acting unanimously, so decides. It shall in that case recommend to the Member States the adoption of such a decision in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements.

So the UK has control over any possible ‘common defence’, by means of its veto. And there’s more: the ‘constitutional requirements’ that would apply in the UK are not only parliamentary approval, but also a referendum, according to the European Union Act 2011.

Source: EU Law Analysis: EU Referendum Briefing 1: Can the UK control the EU’s future if it stays a member?

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What the Quitters are Scared to tell you: The UK cannot be forced to join the Euro

The UK’s opt-out from the single currency appears in Protocol 15 to the Treaties. Point 1 reads:

1. Unless the United Kingdom notifies the Council that it intends to adopt the euro, it shall be under no obligation to do so.

This protocol does not expire at some point, as is sometimes suggested. Neither are ‘all Member States obliged to join the euro by 2020’. So the opt-out is valid for an unlimited period.The protocol goes on to disapply the various EU law rules relating to the single currency. This has a number of implications. Due to the single currency opt-out the UK cannot be subject to austerity measures imposed by the ‘Troika’ that oversees bail-outs to Eurozone countries, since this only applies to states which adopt the single currency. Austerity policy in the UK is solely a decision made by our own government.

Source: EU Law Analysis: EU Referendum Briefing 1: Can the UK control the EU’s future if it stays a member?

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What the Quitters are Scared to tell you: The EU can’t impose tax rules or rates on the UK

While VAT is sometimes depicted as if it is imposed by the EU upon the UK, in fact the UK has consented to all VAT laws, since law-making in this area is subject to unanimity. The rule currently appears in Article 113 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union:

The Council shall, acting unanimously in accordance with a special legislative procedure and after consulting the European Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee, adopt provisions for the harmonisation of legislation concerning turnover taxes, excise duties and other forms of indirect taxation.

Source: EU Law Analysis: EU Referendum Briefing 1: Can the UK control the EU’s future if it stays a member?

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What the Quitters are Scared to tell you: The UK has a Veto on the EU removing the UK rebate

The rebate is set out in the EU’s Own Resources Decision. This does not (as some suggest) have an expiry date (other Member States’ rebates will expire in 2020, but the UK rebate, and the law as a whole, will not). If the EU wants to amend this law, Article 311 TFEU applies:

The Council, acting in accordance with a special legislative procedure, shall unanimously and after consulting the European Parliament adopt a decision laying down the provisions relating to the system of own resources of the Union. In this context it may establish new categories of own resources or abolish an existing category. That decision shall not enter into force until it is approved by the Member States in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements.

It’s clear that the UK government can control the future of the rebate by means of a veto. Furthermore, so can Parliament, since the ‘constitutional requirements’ for the UK referred to mean that an Act of Parliament has to be passed for any amendment to the Own Resources Decision. These constraints have meant that the veto has stayed in place for over 30 years – although the UK government and parliament have agreed to some reduction in it over that time.

Source: EU Law Analysis: EU Referendum Briefing 1: Can the UK control the EU’s future if it stays a member?

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What the Quitters are Scared to tell you: The UK has a Veto on new members joining

The rules on accession of a new Member State are set out in Article 49 TEU, as follows:

Any European State which respects the values referred to in Article 2 and is committed to promoting them may apply to become a member of the Union. The European Parliament and national Parliaments shall be notified of this application. The applicant State shall address its application to the Council, which shall act unanimously after consulting the Commission and after receiving the assent of the European Parliament, which shall act by an absolute majority of its component members. The conditions of admission and the adjustments to the Treaties on which the Union is founded, which such admission entails, shall be the subject of an agreement between the Member States and the applicant State. This agreement shall be submitted for ratification by all the contracting States in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements. The conditions of eligibility agreed upon by the European Council shall be taken into account.

So aside from a laundry-list of requirements the EU has to act “unanimously” when accepting a new member.

Source: EU Law Analysis: EU Referendum Briefing 1: Can the UK control the EU’s future if it stays a member?

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What the Quitters are Scared to tell you: The truth about the UK’s EU budget contribution.

Headline Net contribution 2014

The UK makes the 3rd largest contribution of the 10 nations that make a positive contribution to the EU budget.

2014 EU net contributions absolute value

2014 EU net contributions absolute value

Net contribution as a percentage of GDP

When measured against a country’s Gross Domestic Product the UK makes the smallest net contribution.

2014 EU net contributions percent GDP

2014 EU net contributions percent GDP

Net Contribution per person

When measured in terms of contribution per population only Italy makes a smaller contribution. Each person in Holland contributes 3.5 times as much as each member of the UK’s population.

2014 EU net contributions per capita

2014 EU net contributions per capita

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It seems that some do not yet know why the UKIP Breaking Point poster is so very offensive

Breaking Point - Nazi Style Propaganda

UKIP “utterly reject” the association with the Fascist xenophobic propaganda.

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Aude : un des leaders du maintien du Royaume-Uni dans l’UE vit à Alaigne – L’indépendant.fr

Grahame Pigney, Britannique établi dans l’Aude depuis 18 ans, est à l’origine d’une campagne Internet pour encourager ses compatriotes à voter contre la sortie du Royaume-Uni de l’Union Européenne.

Grahame Pigney est Britannique. Avec sa femme et son fils, il réside pourtant depuis 18 ans à quelques kilomètres d’Alaigne, dans une campagne bien loin de la tempête qui secoue son pays d’origine. Pourtant, Grahame Pigney est un homme engagé.

Il y a 18 mois, il a démarré l’intiative citoyenne Say Yes 2 Europe, pour le maintien du Royaume-Uni au sein de l’Europe.

Il a d’ailleurs été interrogé à ce sujet par nos confrères du Monde.”Au départ, il s’agissait d’une association pour les expatriés“, raconte Grahame. Mais, peu à peu, le mouvement s’est élargi, incluant des Britanniques vivant encore au pays. “Il s’agit vraiment d’une campagne populaire”, explique-t-il.

Une campagne qui se déroule essentiellement sur les réseaux sociaux, comme nombre d’initiatives en faveur ou non du Brexit. Say Yes 2 Europe, toutefois, appuie son caractère populaire, dénué de toute personnalité politique. Grahame Pigney insiste : Say Yes 2 Europe est “populaire, mais pas populiste”.

Car depuis le début des débats du référendum sur la sortie de l’Europe, les deux camps s’affrontent avec une rare agressivité.

Si la tragédie qui a secoué le pays avec l’assassinat de la députée Jo Cox n’est peut-être pas relié aux débats du Brexit, elle n’en est pas moins un témoignage poignant du climat de violence qui s’est insinué dans la société britannique.

La campagne a beau être interrompue le temps du deuil, ce répit n’efface pas les arguments souvent tendancieux qui ont fusé aussi bien dans le camp du “Leave” (favorable au Brexit) que du “Remain” (opposé à une sortie de l’Europe).

“Les Leave capitalisent sur l’europhobie hystérique d’une certaine partie de la population, raconte Grahame. Depuis des années, les politiques rejettent tout ce qui ne va pas dans le pays sur l’Union Européenne.

“Une europhobie rampante, qui, selon Grahame, est autant dû à la classe politique qu’au manque de visibilité de l’action de Bruxelles. Une communication insuffisante qui permet au camp du Leave de s’arranger avec les chiffres : “Ils utilisent des nombres démesurés pour convaincre la population du coût de l’UE.”Ici, l’action de la campagne Say Yes 2 Europe entre en jeu.

Sur les réseaux sociaux, Grahame publie des exemples concrets, effectue des vérifications basiques des propos des politiques : “Nous cherchons à donner des exemples concrets aux gens, qui sont liés à l’individuel”.Le plus récurrent : chercher à démontrer l’existence des aides de l’UE au Royaume-Uni.

“Par exemple, poursuit-il, en Cornouailles, les subventions de l’UE peuvent s’élèver à 1.000 € par personne et par an”.

Say Yes 2 Europe espère donc contribuer à déjouer les sondages, en faveur d’une sortie de l’UE.

Mais Grahame insiste : l’action de la campagne ne s’achèvera pas le 23 juin au soir : “Quelle que soit l’issue, il faudra continuer à communiquer. Soit pour que l’opinion se ravise, soit pour qu’elle ne reproduise pas la même erreur quelques années plus tard.”

Source: Aude : un des leaders du maintien du Royaume-Uni dans l’UE vit à Alaigne – Lindépendant.fr

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