Let’s talk about money, because ultimately that is what is behind all the high-falutin talk about ‘principles’. Let’s also talk about money because it’s something our beloved Remainers won’t talk about or, I believe, are wilfully ignorant of.
For the last three years Remainers have been pointing at that fat squirrel called “The Bus!!!” whenever they wanted to shut up Leave arguments. The other fat squirrel they always point to were the £39 bn, the oh-so reasonable ‘divorce bill’, always justified with the argument that of course, being Brits, we’d pay our dues. Never mind that the Treasury and the Bank of England were far too busy creating Project Fear scenarios to even think of asking for a proper accounting from Brussels!
Here then are some figures which I found ever so interesting. Just savour this headline in the DT: “Britain’s EU contribution rises by 20 per cent in year, as UK’s booming economy props up Brussels’ budget” (paywalled link).
Ah! Let’s remind ourselves that this is our money, for which we worked. Let’s also remind ourselves that, according to the May Treaty which M Barnier and which our own Remainers are defending with tooth and claw, we have no say about how much we’d have to contribute nor how our money will be spent as long as we’re chained to Brussels. Here are some gory details:
“Britain’s contribution to the EU has shot up by £2.6 billion per cent in the past 12 months, new Treasury figures show, as the UK’s growing economy was used to prop up Brussels’ budget. An “eye-popping” £15.5 billion was sent across the Channel in the year ending March 31, compared with £12.9 billion the year before – an increase of 20 per cent. The extra money would be enough to put 50,000 more police officers on the streets or fund 81,000 social care beds.” (paywalled link)
That, our Remainers would say, is fine, is to be expected, no need to make a song and dance about it – we’re ‘rich’. Funny how the Labour Remainers who demand a ‘Labour Brexit’ don’t seem to be worried about our money pouring out of the country! There’s more:
“Treasury accounts published this week show that the increase in Britain’s contribution was driven by a rise in UK Gross National Income, which is used to calculate the largest part of the payment. It went up by £2.7bn, pushing the gross contribution to £20.3bn, which is reduced to £15.5bn net after the UK’s rebate of almost £5bn is deducted.” (paywalled link)
The Treasury, ‘Fortress Remain’ and provider of Project Fear scenarios, made reassuring noises:
“Britain is the third-biggest contributor to the EU, after Germany and France, and accounts for 13 per cent of the total EU budget. A Treasury spokesman said: “Our contribution fluctuates between years depending on factors like economic performance and profile of EU spending. The amount goes up and down over the course of each seven-year agreed settlement. This figure is still within the forecasted EU budget.” (paywalled link)
I do wonder why it is that I can’t find any Brexiteer politician, for example from the ERG, demanding Treasury forecasts for budgets after we’re ‘Out’.
Furthermore, I wonder why it is that Remainers are not up in arms about our taxes being used to prop up the EU instead of being used here at home, to ‘fight Tory Cuts’ and ‘austerity’.
And I do wonder why it is that our current Chancellor of the Exchequer (well, he is for the next five days), Arch Remainer Phil Hammond, is so determined to keep us in. Here’s an assessment by Iain Duncan Smith:
“Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader and chairman of Boris Johnson’s leadership campaign, said: “These figures are eye-popping. It’s ironic that as Philip Hammond launches his final vote fear tirade whilst voting against his Government – without having the decency or principle to resign – the Treasury shows that an increasing amount of British taxpayers’ money continues to pour into bottomless EU coffers.” (paywalled link)
Good question – especially in view of two other gems which our Remainers, wannabe Brexit-Wrecker Hammond first and foremost, wish we didn’t know. One is this:
“Britain’s budget deficit ballooned by more than analysts expected last month after the Government borrowed £7.2billion to help balance the books in Philip Hammond’s second-to-last month as Chancellor. It was the highest June borrowing figure for four years and £3.8billion more than the same month last year, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. The shock surge in public sector borrowing could present a fiscal burden for Britain’s next Prime Minister as it may limit their ability to cut taxes or increase spending.” (source)
The other gem shows nicely that and how Labour, wanting to become the Remain Party, have no understanding of plain numbers – yes, I know, that’s not News – as this quote demonstrates:
“’With the Conservatives obsessed with no-deal Brexit and a race to the bottom on taxes, the outlook for our public services after years of austerity is grim,’ John McDonnell, Labour’s shadow chancellor, thundered. ‘Instead of investing to grow they have passed on the deficit to hospitals and local councils, overseeing stagnating wages and productivity,’ he said.” (source)
Investing what? The money has gone to the sacred EU! Given that background, the actions of Mr Hammond become even more questionable. Reported in The Express (here), this is what he said:
“Asked by France’s Le Monde newspaper on Thursday whether delaying Brexit “again and again” was a good idea, the Chancellor said: “No. But in practice, an extension of the [Brexit] deadline is absolutely necessary. Between the summer break, the arrival of the new [European] Commission and the new British government, it is simply impossible to negotiate anything before October 31. If the next government is sincere in its willingness to reach an agreement with Europe, then it must ask for more time. “If it does not, parliament will insist on another delay.”
He of all people must know that another delay will mean more of our money pouring out into Brussels coffers. It is, to say the least, disturbing that he and his Remain cohort amongst the Tory MPs are so keen to ‘push the nuclear button’ (here) and bring down the Johnson government rather than compromise, as the still current PM Ms May advised in her last speech.
Tempers inside the Tory Parliamentary Party, the MPs, are running high as this interchange documents:
“One minister prepared to vote down Mr Johnson told The Times: “We will be out of government. But that’s preferable to a no-deal Brexit. He will be out in ten weeks. It’s country before a party that has been hijacked by f***wits.” link, paywalled)
Oooh – swearwords! How extremely collegiate! Who’d want to work with, ahem, “f***wits”, excuse my French! Iain Duncan Smith makes a very good point:
Iain Duncan Smith, Mr Johnson’s campaign manager, said: “It’s deluded to think that running the risk of a Marxist government is standing up for the country. How can they possibly think that the risk of an antisemitic, Marxist government is outweighed by the risk of our departure from the EU?” (link, paywalled)
Meanwhile, the Brexit gossip is about distributing the top jobs according to ‘political merit’ rather than expertise:
“The former Brexit secretary is understood to be in line for either Chancellor or Foreign Secretary after telling Mr Johnson he would not settle for a lesser Cabinet role. The Telegraph understands the pair have been in contact in recent days. Home Secretary Sajid Javid had been regarded as the front-runner for the top Treasury job but insiders say the remainer “has not done enough” to support Mr Johnson’s campaign.” (paywalled link)
Here’s another name being thrown into the ring by gossiping ‘sources’:
“Jacob Rees-Mogg is being considered for a ministerial role in the Treasury amid criticism that the department has become “the architect of Project Fear”. The leading Tory Eurosceptic MP is being tipped to succeed Liz Truss as chief secretary to the Treasury amid Boris Johnson’s desire to accelerate preparations for a no-deal Brexit. […] Mr Rees-Mogg said: “I know nothing about what Boris plans, but the Treasury has been the architect of Project Fear.” (link, paywalled)
Ah well – we’ll have to wait and see. It’s only for a few more days after all.
Tomorrow will be the last Sunday where the Brexit Wreckers will be able to make their case live on TV to the Nation. It’s up to us, again, not to let them get away with it and to show That Lot that, holidays or not, we’re watching and we will remember them, come the GE they so want.
KBO!
~~~ *** ~~~
75 years ago today the assassination attempt on Hitler took place. Much has been written about Stauffenberg and ‘Operation Valkyrie’. I just want to draw your attention to the one man who barely gets mentioned but without whom this would not have happened: Henning von Tresckow. Do read this brief history of his opposition. That, dear friends, is what making a principled stand looks like.
Once we are out(!) it would be good to have our version of the Nuremburg trials to deal with those who consistently try to derail our exit from the EU and see them consigned to a place where they can neither be seen nor heard. We can dream…
Your readers may be interested in my response to a ludicrous claim in a tweet by a Barnaby Edwards, who claimed that EU membership cost 34p/day/head!
I have looked at some figures and list them below.
From “EU Expenditure and Revenue 2014 – 2020
2017 UK Contribution GNI (budget contribution +VAT) 10.575 Billion euros
TOR (sugar levy and customs duties) 3.180 Billion euros
TOTAL UK Contribution 13.757 Billion euros
TOTAL UK Contribution (using today’s exchange rate of .903) £ 12.42 Billion
Annual Cost of loss of fishing rights £ 3.0 Billion
Interest at 2.5% on total nett budgetary contribution of £275 billion) £ 6.88 Billion
TOTAL Taxpayers Cash lost due to the EU in 2017 £ 22.3 Billion
So £22.3 billion/capita is 914 p/day assuming 66.87 population in 2019.
The Barnaby Edwards tweet claims that the cost/person/day is 34p. This is only taking into account the budget contribution which works out at £8.2 billion. It completely ignores VAT, customs duties and loss of fishing rights as is usual for the remainer fraternity. The £6.88 billion (or thereabouts) cost of the interest on the total value of NETT budget payments since 1973 is also always ignored. This is not the full picture as it ignores the cost of interest payments over the 45 years, so it will be significantly more than that.
However, the above figure only gives the monetary value of the UK’s taxpayers cash given to, and lost forever, because of being in the EU. The REAL COST of being in the EU must now be well over £200 billion/annum due to complying with EU imposed laws over which our elected MP’s in the HoC had no choice or chance to discuss as EU law took precedence over UK law. See Tim Congdons reports “How much does the European Union cost Britain?”. This figure includes the direct cost figures quoted and also analyses the indirect costs of EU membership. Remember it cost the UK householders £68 billion to comply with the EU’s water directives and HS2 is going to cost the UK taxpayer £100 billion by the time it is finished.
For a population of 66.87 million £200 billion works out at nearly £8.2/day a more realistic figure that the pitiful 34p/day claimed by Barnaby Edwards. Furthermore, it is unrealistic to spread the cost over babies, children those who do not work etc. It is fairer to allocate the cost amongst the UK’s 30 million taxpayers, who in the end, actually have to shoulder the cost. This means that the cost to the UK economy of being in the EU is actually £18.26p/day/taxpayer. So much for Barnaby Edwards tweet!
thank you for all your work over so many years. It has been invaluable
Besides the economic aspect another problem has reared its ugly head. It seems that Trump, with his praise for Boris and Brexit, now sees Brexit as an opportunity to turn Britain into a military servant in its wars around the world, with Iran already in pipeline fore American intervention, holding out the carrot of a trade deal.
That would indeed be going from the frying pan into the fire. Brexiteers should keep as far away from America as possible.
Or maybe he is just praising Boris and Brexit; a breath of fresh air for him after the stultifying fug he’s been having to deal with.
Just out in ‘BrexitCentral’ an article which really should put the frighteners on Remain:
“It’s not alarmist to say we could face a €200bn EU bailout bill if we fail to execute a no-deal Brexit”
As the author says – this is arithmetic, not alarmism. Ask Hammond, ask Labour, ask Remainers why remaining in the EU is fabulous for our country!
Reply to Vivian regarding the UK’s £200 billion potential bill if we don’t get out quickly; BrexitFacts4eu.org (the Brexiteer’s Bible) states the ‘UK is ON THE HOOK for up to £394 BILLION of the EU’s debts’ because of the failing Eurozone!! Published on 7 July 2019 – look it up!
“Oooh – swearwords! How extremely collegiate! Who’d want to work with, ahem, “f***wits”, excuse my French! Iain Duncan Smith makes a very good point:”
‘Greasy’ is not a swear word. Greasywits suits them. Foiewits also has the image of a goose being force-fed with a tube, a nice simile for the way our politicians look forward to a life of greasy luxury in the restaurants of Brussels.
JF
(Not entirely serious)
Nice try – ‘greasy’ doesn’t fit the *** following that ‘f’ … ! But suitable, eminently suitable!
As these so-called f***wits seem to be on our side perhaps it is finewits. The speaker (and Speaker!) however are flabwits.
Nice – I’m sure we can all go with that!
🙂
Another good reason to leave the EU, the truth about globalisation. This is a very interesting video.
Rosa Koire. UN Agenda 2030 exposed
https://youtu.be/3PrY7nFbwAY
This video explains perfectly why the EU is so interested Ireland, for the EU treatment of Ireland epitomises the globalist agenda she talks about.
– the free movement of people goods and services.
– enslaving the people though social instability and insecurity, austerity, debt, low wages, un-affordable housing, making farming unprofitable reliant on EU subsidies, closing down native industries, putting the people into cites without adequate infrastructure and services, billions spent on infrastructure for import distribution, privatisation of public assets and services.etc.
– but even worse is the campaign to replace Judaeo/Christian human rights with “rights” based on atheism, evolution, and the Enlightenment, destroying all the institutions on which people rely for stability and security, social, economic, political, educational, and especially religion Judaeo/Christian based true human rights.