mjh73
Well-known member
OK, let's break this down. Let's consider David Cameron's attempt to secure some changes, such as an 'Emergency Brake' on EU immigration, to enable him to win the EU referendum. The 'Brake' and its effect would have been little different in effect to the transitional arrangements which Tony Blair failed to implement in respect of new accession countries (Romania, Bulgaria). The EU rejected the emergency brake out of hand. That one simple act of compromise would probably have been sufficient for the majority of UK voters to remain in the EU. If the UK has such limited influence even when it is threatening to leave, then how do you expect anyone to believe that we had influence prior to that.
cheers, alan
The UK had the ability to apply much stronger restrictions on the EU accession states under EXISTING EU agreements and chose not to (unlike many other EU members).
This was either due to incompetence or, more likely, a deliberate policy that enabled the country to gain economic benefit from an influx of cheap labour.
If the majority of English voters were not so bloody dumb to have been misled by politicians and the press to believe that immigration was a problem caused by the EU we wouldn't have needed a referendum in the first place.