Turkey - BREXIT - NATO - Afghanistan - what a muddle

NATO's initial intervention into Afghanistan was commanded by Turkey, under Major General Hilmi Akin Zorlu. Perhaps Michael Gove & Boris Johnson can explain why they were willing to allow British Troops to be led in to battle by a Turkish General, yet we are not allowed to cooperate with them on economic development, or social, cultural and scientific projects within the EU.

The EU , Boris Johnson & Hitler

In the week that Boris Johnson plunged the EU debate into the depths, with his offensive comparison to Hitler's NAZI regime, I was reminded of the EU's birth.

Europe is a continent that has a history of warfare, the most savage being WW2. Out of those ashes the victorious allies established a cluster of international alliances to prevent a repeat of such horrors. First was the Council of Europe, the brain-child of Winston Churchill. Its rules were simple, only Democracies could join, and they had to guarantee their citizens Freedom. These include the right to marry, free speech, and freedom from fear of persecution. In 1940 very few nations were eligible, military juntas still ruled parts of the West, and in the East the Iron Curtain fell. It was a beacon of hope that helped other nations discover that freedom was better than dictatorship; today it has 47 member states. At its heart is the European Convention of Human Rights – a charter of individual freedom and rights guaranteed not just by British Law but by all of Europe. Only Belarus & Kazakhstan have refused to ratify these basis freedoms – and it would be betrayal of those who fought for our freedom for Britain to join that pitiful group.

NATO was established to act as a mutual protection and defence force. Of its 28 members, 22 are in the EU. It intervened to stop civil war in the Balkans, patrols against piracy around the Horn of Africa, and provides troops to fulfil the EU's role as peace-keeper and nation builder.

The most significant organisation arose from a series of trade pacts, that bonded Europe's economies together in a such as way that a new European war would be unthinkable. The European Coal & Steel Community (ECSC) merged with other organisations to develop in to the European Union (EU). At is core is the principle of free trade, and freedom of movement. The EU is far more than a crude free trade area, all its citizens are also granted new freedoms that our parents could not dream off. Nearly 3 million Brits have used that freedom to live, work & retire in the Algarve, Costa del Sol and elsewhere in Europe.

The EU plays a key role in environmental and consumer protection. Almost all of the so-called 'European Laws' are no more than basic regulations covering food safety, the use of toxic chemicals, safe working practices and common decency. You must have international agreement on environmental protection, as dumping garbage into your neighbours garden is not an acceptable option. These rules apply to all member states of the European Economic Area (EEA), so leaving the EU to join an as yet unknown free-trade area would not allow us to abandon these regulations; it would however mean that we will cease to have any say about their content.

A good example is the highly successful common fisheries policy, which saved the North Sea from dying. I am unsure if Nigel Farage was planning to issue cod with passports, and establish underwater border posts – but fish swim about. So successful is the Common Fisheries Policy the North Sea is now restocking with fish, and its operation has been duplicated by Norway and the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (USA, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Japan, and others).

Workers rights are key element of EU rules, guaranteeing maternity rights and fair treatment of people with disabilities. Enforced excessive working hours are no longer allowed, and EU regulations underpin factory and machine safety. You cannot have a genuine free market if some countries are allowed to ignore the rules to undercut the prices of decent employers who value their staff and invest in safe working practices.

Above all it is the social, cultural and scientific collaborations that have been ignored in the debate. The EU runs the only International Scientific funding programme apart from the UN, now known as Horizon 2020. British universities and businesses are the second largest recipient of these funds, which are won by free and open competition. Thanks to these actions we now have the Mobile Phone – the GSM standard was the result of EU funding for the European Telecoms Standards Institute (ETSI) which established a common set of rules for mobile phones, and created overnight a multi-billion £ market. Thanks to the European Stem Cell Centre we have successful treatments for blindness (Macular Degeneration), and work continues on other debilitating diseases. The ERASMUS programme enables 1000's of young people to travel to the EU to gain skills and training, as well as supporting similar programmes in the UK. British scientist will be locked out of Horizon 2020 the day that we BREXIT.

No organisation is perfect, but the EU has developed from a desire to bring the people of Europe together without destroying our national character. It has given us freedom, prosperity, 50 years of peace, scientific and technical advances, environmental protection, consumer safety and workers rights. Do not take us back down the road of Nationalism and isolation.

Over the next few weeks Berwick Labour Party is hoping to leaflet and reach out to you all. If you would like to help our campaign to promote the EU from the viewpoint of personal freedom, consumer and environmental protection please help us get the message out. We are also pleased to be hosting the Berwick EU Debate at the Swan Centre on the 10^th June. We have guests from both sides of the debate. Come and listen, and most important of all make sure that you are all registered to vote.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-berwick-eu-debate-tickets-24902473970?aff=ebrowse