BEFORE deciding which way to vote in Thursday’s EU referendum I would suggest readers take a look at a short video featuring one of the UK’s leading EU law experts, Professor Michael Dougan, from the University of Liverpool Law School.
He considers the claims and counter-claims from each side and assesses the UK’s future position, both as a member of the EU and in the wake of a vote to leave.
The video can be found by typing the words ‘Liverpool Law School Michael Dougan EU lecture’ into an Internet search engine.
My personal view is: what harm has 40 years of EU membership done to the UK? We are the 5th largest economy in the world and our unemployment rate in April 2016 was 5 per cent, the lowest since October 2005. Over 31 million people are currently in work, the joint highest number since records began in 1971.
The EU is bureaucratic and needs reform, but European legislation has introduced the right for a minimum 4 weeks annual paid holiday for full-time employees, equal rights for part-time workers and parental leave at the birth of a child for both fathers and mothers.
European regulations have set energy saving standards for electrical appliances, saving billions of pounds in wasted energy and helping to reduce CO2 emissions.
We now benefit from automatic 2–year guarantees on manufactured goods.
Our young people can study, volunteer and work in other European countries. Older people can retire and live in other European countries, should they choose to do so. We have benefitted from 70 years of peace in the EU. What’s the problem?
Pete West
The Old House at Home Salisbury Street
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