It is now clear that a substantial section of the left in the Labour Party has come to the conclusion that the UK should leave the EU, a position enormously enhanced by the TUC statement this week that any deal involving a diminution in employment or social rights that Cameron won prior to the referendum […]
Posts Tagged ‘EU’
Labour’s policy on EU must force Cameron to address public aspirations and concerns
Sep 17th, 2015 by Michael Meacher.It is fairly clear, even among Europhiles who want to stay in, what most people object to about the current state of the EU and what they would like to see changed. The membership fee is uncomfortably large, some £11bn every year. Free movement of labour works well between countries of similar living standards, but […]
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Just what is Cameron for?
Sep 7th, 2015 by Michael Meacher.Watching Osborne yesterday on the Andrew Marr show answering questions on whether Britain should bomb Syria and other foreign policy matters, one did wonder where exactly Cameron fitted. Increasingly Osborne, arguably the most formidable politician in the House at the moment, has already assumed the premiership he has coveted for so long. All the detailed policy-making […]
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Why the Euro is the gold standard writ large…
Aug 23rd, 2015 by Ann Pettifor.The euro not only replicated key elements of the gold standard – but went much further: European currencies were simply abolished. States lost control over both their currency and their central bank. Parallels with the operation of the gold standard explain why, like the gold standard, the euro will fail. The euro system denies monetary […]
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Three-quarters of jobs created in UK went to workers from EU
Aug 23rd, 2015 by Michael Meacher.UK unemployment, which is still as high as 1,850,000, is now starting to rise again. Combined with the jobs standstill, the lack of momentum in pay makes this the most worrying set of labour market figures for a long time. What is equally disturbing is that almost all the increase in employment since the 2008-9 […]
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Do the Germans realise the damage they have done to themselves and Europe?
Jul 19th, 2015 by Bryan Gould.The Wehrmacht had a crack at it – but that attempt ended in disastrous failure 70 years ago. The long-held dream of German hegemony throughout Europe is, however, back on the agenda and closer than ever to realisation. The Greek crisis threw up many sub-plots – many of them of great significance of course to […]
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The end of a civilised Europe? Germany enforces a new gold standard
Jul 16th, 2015 by Michael Meacher.Arguably the so-called deal that has been forced down the throats of the Greek people represents the worst of all worlds. It imposes even more draconian terms than were on offer even a week or two ago, with very little conceded in terms of debt relief, but with such added conditions of austerity as will […]
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The end of my European dream
Jul 14th, 2015 by Richard Murphy.The imposition of German demands on Greece, without consideration for its democracy, sovereignty or interests, is one of those moments that changes everything. I grew up with a European dream. Born in 1958 I was politically aware from a very young age. Much informed my early views, but most influences were, inevitably, personal. I wanted […]
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After the shameful deal imposed on Greece, where are the left Eurosceptics?
Jul 14th, 2015 by Phil Burton-Cartledge.The deal imposed by the Eurozone grouping on Greece is nothing short of shameful. It continues to pile up the debt, reducing Greece to the status of a debt colony of the rich, Northern European countries. It, like all austerity programmes, expects working people, pensioners, the young to pick up the tab for payments that […]
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Greece: not “reforms” but a triumph of ideology over common sense
Jul 13th, 2015 by Bryan Gould.As the Greek crisis unfolds, we are constantly informed by the world’s media that the European power-brokers will agree to a further bail-out only if Greece implements a programme of “reforms”. Most people will see this as confirming their understanding of what the crisis is about. The Greeks, it seems, have mismanaged their economy; so […]
