Democrat Special Issue March 2011
Comment by John Boyd - Editor
Common EU austerity policy does not care a damn about the social consequences
The so called austerity policy of the Coalition Government is a common EU policy being applied across the EU. This common policy is an attack on living standards of all those who work for their living and a blatant transfer of the public sector to privateers. There is a deliberate transfer of money to the rich from poorer sections of society through taxation, diminished pensions and increase in the pensionable age under the totally misleading “tough but fair” ConDem slogan.
The introduction of privatisation in the form of ‘free market’ competition rules into the NHS is the conduit to privatise the NHS on economic ideology enshrined in the European Constitution (Lisbon Treaty). It is also in line with EU legislation on health service directives.
All this is being done in line with the EU Constitution and the four freedoms without a damn for the social consequences for the peoples of Britain. Transferring large sums of money to bail out the banks and the continued payment of grotesque bonuses is only a small part of the picture and a distraction from the overall picture. The peoples of Britain have been largely kept in ignorance of the full implications of EU membership and in particular that the European Union became a superstate on 1 December 2009. We are all now citizens of the EU. The government of the EU consists of the Commission and Council of Ministers. Since December 2009 ministers who go to Council meetings in Brussels are first and foremost responsible to the EU and secondary to their national government and parliament at Westminster. For instance the national budget of Britain has to be approved by the Council of finance ministers to ensure it is line with the common austerity policy.
It does not have to be that way.
The economy needs to be based once again on manufacturing instead of the disastrous financial sector and banks and services. This would provide many jobs but would require the Government to control the export of capital and instead encourage investment in Britain. This would be the basis of trade across the world instead of being truncated by membership of the European Union to the Single European ‘free’ Market.
The call by trade unions to ensure that immigrants who seek work in Britain are not used to lower wages and conditions must be heeded.
There must be a return to accountable and state control of national industries, services and resources including railways, energy, water, waterways, fishing grounds, forests, health services and the financial sector. This requires offending or disregarding EU policies, directives, regulations and legislation.
This leaves only one genuine course to guarantee the rational future of Britain and her peoples and that is for Britain to leave the EU. To help achieve this objective our Campaign fully supports People's Pledge's demand for a referendum to be held on whether or not Britain remains a member of the EU.