Ed: Having seen my appeal a week ago, one of our star letter writers, Roger Arthur, sent me the following letters he wrote to the mighty in the past few months. We are happy to publish them because they show that some issues simply haven’t gone away.
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1. A Letter to the POTUS
Dear Mr Biden
Congratulations on becoming President of the United States.
Here in the UK we will soon be celebrating our Independence – as you did in 1776 – as we cast off the remaining shackles which bind us to the EU Politburo. Please do nothing to frustrate that process.
Many here were puzzled when Mr Obama urged us to succumb to ever-closer union under unelected EU rulers – who can’t be impeached – and by threats from your party to put the UK at the back of the queue, in trade negotiations.
A common Allied WW2 objective was to restore the sovereignty of nation states. So giving preference to an unelected EU Politburo – which wants to end such sovereignty – surely makes no sense.
Sadly some of your colleagues seem to have been influenced by contrived concerns relating to Northern Ireland (NI) and its cross border relationship with the Irish Republic – although the US and Canada trade successfully, without a Customs Union.
Throughout Brexit negotiations, the EU has sought to keep the UK enslaved to its rulebook, using those contrived concerns as a lever.
You will no doubt have grasped that the so called “Backstop”, was introduced in an attempt to trap the UK in the EU’s customs Union, in a direct threat to our sovereignty – which they have made no secret of wanting to end.
But there has been a Common Travel Area (CTA) in Ireland for nearly 100 years and no one proposes to change that. Those with British and Irish passports will continue to be free to move across the border after Brexit, with NI residents able to identify as Irish or British – or both.
Indeed, if the EU would agree to zero tariffs (GATT 24) then there would be no need for a customs border, yielding substantial savings to the EU, which is a net exporter to the UK. Leaving the EU means that no part of the UK shall remain in the EU Customs Union and the UK will not be erecting a hard border.
If anyone does impose a hard border, then it will not be the U.K. Indeed the EU’s chief negotiator (Barnier) said that Brussels will “find an operational way of carrying out checks and controls without putting back in place a border”.
The idea that the UK cannot prosper independently of the EU, without a return to violence in NI, is patently absurd. (As you know the level of violence per capita in NI, is much lower than that in the US.)
It would clearly not be in the interest of the US to have your closest ally leave the EU – as anything other than a strong and independent nation.
Ask why would US Democrats prefer to side with an enterprise which wants to end the sovereignty of nations and which has tried to undermine NATO.
So please don’t be taken in by questionable EU tactics and remember which European country has been the most resolute supporter of your country, of NATO and of government for the People, by the People. Isn’t that what “Democrats” should be supporting?
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.
Yours sincerely, Roger Arthur
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2. I sent this letter to Martin Howe QC early in January. He has not responded, but his Sunday Telegraph Article (paywalled link) does deal with the first item, regarding the NI Protocol:
Dear Martin
Whilst the Brexit Agreement did not achieve the total independence of a WTO exit, it is clearly better than TMay’s WA. It even has a unilateral means of escape, although the penalties incurred by invoking that may be too eye watering to contemplate.
However a number of concerns remain. On page 15 of the Brexit Agreement for example it says that:
“Decisions adopted by the Partnership Council, or, as the case may be, by a Committee, shall be BINDING ….” on the U.K.
But Sovereignty is of course where regulations are proposed – debated and decided in your own Parliament – before being enacted. In that context alone, sovereignty has not been restored.
Also the NI Protocol remains whilst Gibraltar has been dragged into Schengen and a number of other concerns remain. Surely we need to ensure that:
i) the NI Protocol is phased out ASAP,
ii) 94% of U.K. companies which don’t export to the EU, are NOT burdened by EU rules,
iii) our armed forces do NOT come under Brussels command,
iv) we do get full control of our territorial waters ASAP,
v) the level of tax avoidance – allowed by EU free movement of capital – is brought back under U.K. control,
vi) payments to the EU and our obligations for Eurozone defaults, are wound down ASAP,
vii) we revert to a U.K. Bill of Rights – rather than continue to follow ECHR rulings and
viii) that we need to remove all constraints on the U.K’s ability to financially support its strategic sectors.
Since the job is clearly incomplete, we will need to remain vigilant with an EU and it’s Quislings, who have not acted in good faith and who will seek any opportunity to drag us back into bondage.
So I and many others, would be interested to know if you believe that U.K. Sovereignty has really been restored and what you believe still needs to be done. Many thanks.
Best wishes for the New Year,
Roger Arthur
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3. A letter to Boris Johnson, sent on 15th June 2021:
Dear Boris
Your support of genuflection to undemocratic Marxist pressure groups, suggests that you have learnt from the voters of Hartlepool. So let us spell it out.
Most people do not want Woke, they hate cancel culture, they are against open immigration, they do not want to be talked down to and labelled racists.
They hate that our culture and our history is being rubbished and attacked.
They hate that our nation’s heroes are being cancelled. They hate crime and violence, while politicians constantly make excuses for the perpetrators because of ethnicity.
They hate the constant attacks on our police and undermining of their powers to protect us. They hate to see leaders kneeling to minority groups and despise them for it.
They are disgusted that the people of Northern Ireland have been sacrificed as part of the BRINO compromise, which leaves us shackled to the EU rule book in so many ways.
They are fed up with climate change evangelists who demand that each UK household should stump up around £100,000 to meet predicted global temperature rise, based on flawed IPCC models.
You can deceive some of the people for some of the time. But they have seen more than of enough smoke and mirrors and they want strong leadership now – not the virtual signalling that you have been adopting.
They have heard more than enough that you are following the science and it’s worst case predictions – as a reason to keep them cowed into submission.
Please stand up and lead, Mr Johnson, because the goodwill of the people is almost exhausted.
Regards, Roger Arthur
Roger, what a wonderful letter to Boris. Bet you haven’t had a reply!
Roger, regarding your second letter, when you say “Brexit agreement” it looks by your mention of the Partnership Council that your letter is about the Trade & Cooperation Agreement, the so-called free (in your dreams) trade agreement between the EU & the UK. The TCA, just like the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration, is a nightmare if you really want to leave EU control.
However Part Six of the TCA provides that either the UK or the EU may terminate or suspend the operation of the TCA if there has been “a serious and substantial failure” by the other party to comply with fundamental features of the TCA. So the TCA, unlike the WA & PD, does allow the UK to end it.
Sorry Roger, I was pushed for time last night, and didn’t take in your letter’s words “It even has a unilateral means of escape” which proves that by “Brexit agreement” you meant the Trade & Cooperation Agreement rather than the Withdrawal Agreement. The WA has no unilateral means of escape.
You are right to heed the first clause of Article 10 of the TCA, which says “The decisions adopted by the Partnership Council, or, as the case may be, by a Committee, shall be binding on the Parties”. So decisions of the many specialist Committees are binding on the the UK, as well as those of the Partnership Council, and they override the UK Parliament as well.
The second and final clause of Article Ten says “The Partnership Council, or as the case may be, a Committee, shall adopt decisions and make recommendations by mutual consent” (recommendations have no binding force). That means that the TCA only allows the UK to do anything if the EU agrees to it. Which means that the UK remains under EU control under the terms of the TCA.
(Actually Article 10 isn’t on page 15 in the latest version of the TCA online, dating from April, it’s on page 17 of its 2555 pages).
Ralph Protheroe : “That means that the TCA only allows the UK to do anything if the EU agrees to it”.
I always took that to mean including leaving the EU. So I was never sure we did get a unilateral means of escape ?
(We do I think have a unilateral means of escape but not in accordance with the TCA. ie a strong prime minister who would tear up the treaty ?)
PS To clarify my last para which is badly worded, I meant to say we would have a means of escape if we could get a strong prime minister. This would never ever happen underBoJo or the Tory party.
Mary, thank you for replying to my comment. Clause 2 of Article 166 of the Withdrawal Treaty/Agreement says that the decisions of the EU-UK Joint Committee are “binding” on the UK. So the JC overrules our Westminster Parliament.
Article 174 in the Withdrawal Treaty says that the EU’s Court of Justice rules on any disputes between the EU & UK sides on the Joint Committee which involve matters of EU law. As the Withdrawal Treaty is part of EU law that means the EU side will win every dispute on the Joint Committee, and hence the UK remains under EU control under the Withdrawal Treaty.
Article 10 of the Trade & Cooperation Agreement means that the UK remains under EU control as shown above. The Political Declaration likewise submits the UK to EU control, especially where our military forces are concerned.
One way to escape the WA, PD and TCA would be for our Parliament to pass an Act that declared all EU law null & void, or pass an Act giving UK law supremacy over EU law.
Too true.
All good stuff there from Roger Arthur.