MIKE NATTRASS MEP FRICS

THE VIEW FROM HERE

Attitude.

To: The Solihull Times and Sutton Coldfield News

Opposition to EU control comes not just from the UK’s outspoken UKIP but from like-minded European MEPs wanting some form of self-determination or “Independence.” In the EU parliament, UKIP joined forces with those seeking some form of freedom to run their own affairs. The “No” votes in France and Holland and the Irish “No” to the Lisbon Treaty clearly illustrate this resistance and UKIP was the only UK party to financially support those campaigns.

This week, we hear Dutch train improvements will be restricted until 2020 because of EU interference. Erik Meijer, Dutch MEP, says plans for faster connections from 2011 on the new line to Schiphol etc., are under threat. “I want the EU to explain on what grounds they are attempting to block these quite limited improvements to the Dutch rail system.” “The EU system costs €220 million a year, and the Dutch system 23 million. So I'm asking for some explanation as to why they prefer the former.”

Were Dutch train improvement plans derailed by the EU?

In the UK, directives on restricting Post Office funding and opening the Royal Mail up to competition provide only a small example of EU control. Even our border monitoring system of numbers of people entering the UK from the EU conflicts with the EU ‘open borders’ policy and this week an EU official said: “The UK needs to change its attitude.” So as far as I am concerned, he can go and eat his hat, in which case it would be his ‘at-e-chewed.’