Democrat Editorial July 2000 (Number 45)
Justice and Home Affairs
Whilst a heated discussion goes on about whether or not Britain should join the single currency other key matters are being decided and put in place by stealth. The Blair government has agreed to a rapid reaction European-police force to be active anywhere in the world. This force will total 5,000 officers, 1,000 of whom are to be ready in 30 days, for preventing internal conflicts and restoring order in places as far apart as East Timor in the Far East, El Salvador in North America and Kosovo in the Balkans - occupied by an army under EU command. This was agreed at the summit in Portugal in a paper titled Strengthening the Common European Security and Defence Policy. Currently there are no plans to use these police to enforce the law within the EU - time will tell as resistance within the EU grows.
This new EU force will be accompanied by security experts, prison officials and judges supervised by a civil crisis committee. All reminiscent of past infamous judges travelling around England in stage coaches with gibbets, chains and manacles to hand for anyone stepping out of line or stealing a sheep to stave off starvation.
Earlier the Labour government had joined the EUs Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance. This allows member states to ask for e-mail, fax and telephone records of suspected criminals in Britain without a court order. In effect eavesdropping across the EU will be allowed with few controls.
Schengen
The open borders policy to be found in the Schengen which is now part of EU law has reaped a cruel harvest. Our Campaign has always opposed Schengen from when it first appeared some years ago. Our objections to this immigration and asylum policy is that it is unfair and is based on racism by putting up the outer walls of Fortress Europe especially to black and Asian people. The appalling tragedy of 58 Chinese people who died in a truck intended to preserve tomatoes is only the latest episode in a saga which has seen 2000 people die in similar circumstances since 1993. The Belgian authorities all but admitted such refugees are funnelled across the EU towards Britain which has not signed up fully to the Schengen laws. Schengen makes one area covered by Schengen EU member states. If one state refuses entry to a refugee or asylum seeker then all states are deemed to have refused entry to which there is no appeal.
Of course there has to be an immigration and asylum policy but this must not be based on racism or where the applicant comes from. More importantly the root cause of why there are so many refugees and asylum seekers needs to be addressed and put right.
Modern imperialism
The exploitation of other peoples and poor nations is a major cause behind immigration. In turn most exploitation is carried out by imperialism in the modern form of transnational corporations and banks. Many of these TNCs and banks are based in Britain and other former homes of European empires. The objective of these corporations is to have free reign across the world which has been coined "globalisation".
The way to end the need for people to leave their own countries is to end all interference in them. The best way to aid this process is to help break up the European Union and oppose all rapid reaction forces whether they be a European Army or Police force. Our governments must be pressed to use national powers to control the movement of big private capital, curb and bring to an end the exploitation of people in third world countries and horrendous debts which have been imposed upon them.
Lome
Much of this subjugation has been formalised in the Lome Convention which ties 70 former colonies to their original imperial masters in the EU.
The old socialist maxim needs acting upon - those who keep another nation in chains cannot themselves be free.. This means acting against Britain's membership of European Union which is equally detrimental to our own lives.