UK gas bills fund French pensions

The “EU state” project faces continuing risk of failure – plan for it

The political content of last month’s PE warrants comment.

It is fair to criticise Ed Miliband’s freeze on energy prices, but privatisation of utilities did not deliver the competition expected, it delivered UK companies into foreign hands. EDF is still 90% French state owned. UK gas bills fund French pensions.

Is UKIP really borderline “racist” on immigration? “Racist” described those who oppressed people they considered to be “inferior”. The word was hijacked by people with no talent for logical debate. Immigration and over-population are problems each country must tackle as it sees fit. Races and countries are not equal. We sold our utilities, France did not. We have debt, Germany does not.  

UK manufacturers benefit from EU membership but we pay high costs. We fund EU statehood - EU embassies, open borders, diplomats, benefits for EU arrivals, etc. UK policy is just free trade. Free trade is free movement of goods - not people. Immigrants are those who move to a country to stay permanently. Students and visiting workers are not immigrants. The big EU problem, however, is democracy. Modern democracy is “one person – one vote” regardless of wealth. In a single state EU the poor majority could decide how German wealth is spent – alarming! Mrs Merkel insists poorer countries play by the rules. But the EU “sheltered” EU voters from the rules and democracy means rules can be changed. Germany’s “who pays the piper calls the tune” is fair and logical but it is not democracy or EU ideology. The problem will not go away. The “EU state” project faces continuing risk of failure – plan for it.

Sir John Armitt suggests depoliticising UK infrastructure. Infrastructure plans have to consider future numbers of people, their location and their needs. Do we plan for 100m or 50m people? What is sustainable? What risks exist? UK politicians never agree and their independent bodies are seldom independent (re IPSA which decides MP perks). Spending on infrastructure to increase employment is seldom good! It helped the US with the TVA dams of the 1930s but the US maximised Tennessee Valley local labour. Today, Ohio wants Ohio labour on a chemical project it is part funding – good, but taboo in the EU.

John Baxter (last month’s PE) commented – if something doesn’t look right, it probably isn’t. How much looks right today?  

John Allison, Maidenhead

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