Thursday 23 October 2014

UK would be 'isolated' outside the EU? Fog in the Channel - Continent cut off!

Another cut out and keep refutation of more common pro-EU nonsense.

1) Outside the EU, the UK would be isolated.

If non-members of the EU are 'isolated' that applies to the entire rest of the world! Little old USA, Canada, Australia, Africa, China, India, South America, etc all 'isolated' outside the EU...

Saying the rest of the world are isolated outside the EU, is like that old joke 'There is fog in the Channel, the Continent is isolated'. This is the call of the 'Little EUer'.

2) We can't leave, the EU are the UK's biggest trading partners.

Well, even if true,  we buy more from the EU than they do from us - we are the net 'customer' they need us more than we need them.

If they want to upset EU/UK trade it will be their loss, we can go elsewhere if we choose to. We can source products from elsewhere in the world, or re-start manufacturing in the UK and create those products ourselves - there is no down side.

3) We can't leave, it would damage our economy.

Well, as we are members of the EU, it is not surprising we do a lot of trade with them - and as an exclusive, protectionist club it is not surprising our trade with the rest of the world has been suppressed.

However, despite our membership for all these years the UK has still kept trade open with many of its old partners - imagine the boost our 'rest of the world' trade could get from the freedom for the UK to cut its own deals directly with them, without the dead weight of EU vested interests trying to maximise their profits at our expense.

Leaving the EU would most likely result in an economic boom.

Tuesday 14 October 2014

Refuting attacks on anti-open-door migration arguments. Cut out and Keep.

Often the same, tired, old arguments are put forward to support EU's Open Door Immigration policy, and to attack opponents of it - so this is a 'cut out and keep' refutation of the usual sequence of challenges.

1) Migrants contribute more than they take.

Well some may well do, but also many don't. Talking about *all* migrants in this way is rather stupid. It assumes that migration must be open door or completely stopped.

Controlled migration/controlled borders would admit migrants who would be of benefit to the UK, and exclude (and deport) those who are not.

2) EU means a Brit can go to 26 other countries - restrict their access, and they will restrict ours.

Well so what? If a particular Brit is of no value to another country, why *should* they let them in? If the Brit is of benefit they will still be admitted!

3) EU 'free movement' means that migrants have free movement, they are the rules.

Yes they are the rules - but stating them doesn't make them desirable! The point of the discussion is to identify what is desirable, not state the rules. No one disputes that they are the current rules!

This line is just a diversion (used when the argument for free-movement is being lost!)

4) You are racist.

Well as there is nothing here about race, just nationality (Brits and Rest of the World) - this line is again just a diversion.

I will add to this list as and when!

Sunday 12 October 2014

Parris, Whips, Hannan and Cameron. #UKIP's perfect storm continues.

I haven't blogged much recently - just tweeted.

I wanted to blog - I want to blog - but... As UKIP's perfect storm has been running its course, 1) I don't want to jinx it and 2) I don't want to help the enemy by analysing their errors.

However, where damage to the enemy has already been done and is irreversible, its too late for them to be helped!

Matthew Parris - what a star!

Matthew Parris, the Gerald Ratner of the Conservative cause. If you don't know what a 'Ratner moment' is, google it...

Matthew Parris, a long time Conservative - once even a Conservative whip(!) - has come out and said that The Conservative party is nasty and crap, and those who vote for it either too rich for it to matter, or too stupid to realise it. Voters/supporters hear this from their opposition all the time - but when you hear it from those you are actually supporting... well that is game over. To say you are a Conservative now marks you out as an over-privileged, sneering, self-important toff, or as an idiot who has been fooled and played for a mug by those over-privileged, sneering, self-important toffs - just as Labour et al have said all along.

Matthew Parris confirmed the worst claims of those who were formerly accused of 'Politics of Envy' - no it wasn't envy, Conservatives really are over-privileged, sneering, self-important toffs who hate those 'below' them.

The Conservative Whips - show us their hands!

More Ratner-esqe moments - as the Conservative Whips declare that they have dirt on evey one of the Conservative MP's and will not hesitate to publish it if any show signs of 'disloyalty' to David Cameron (i.e. should any actually think for themselves, or put their constituents or the country first and think of moving to UKIP).

The important things here are that 1) It suggests that every Conservative MP is dirty 2) It undermines any claim to 'integrity' a Conservative MP may give for remaining in the Conservative party.

Daniel Hannan - why oh why? Now we can surmise, either a phony or the whips bitch!

It used to be that many UKIP supporters wanted Dan Hannan to switch to UKIP, and couldn't understand why he wouldn't. This has changed, and having not made the switch that seems so obvious and clear, he is now generally seen as a nasty siren voice - calling good anti-EU'ers onto the Conservative party rocks where they are neutered for ever.

In light of the Conservative Whips recent statements on enforcing loyalty, it seems the only explanation for Dan to have remained a Conservative is either 1) He is a complete phoney, and never has been anti-EU, and was always a shill, or 2) The Conservative Whips have some dirt on him that is so massively bad that he can never risk it being exposed - what can his secret be?

David Cameron - UK Democracy is a party leaders beauty contest!

'A vote for UKIP is a vote for Miliband, so vote for your Conservative candidate' - wow, just wow. David Cameron is pushing this line, as are his Cabinet and MPs. It shows how much respect they for Conservative candidates as people, individuals, politicians - absolutely no respect whatsoever.

Cameron doesn't care about Conservative candidates/MP's abilities and doesn't think you should worry yourself about them either - the only consideration when you place your mark (according to Dave) is that the cardboard cutout representing the Conservative party is that it won't help Ed Miliband.

The other thing this tells us about Dave, confirming the sneaking suspicion that so many voters have had, is that our political class see General Elections as a vote for a Prime Minister. Party, manifesto, candidate, issues are irrelevant, meaningless - to our political class General Elections are a simple beauty contest between the party leaders - this is what our democracy has been reduced to.