We are capable of making laws

Objection m'Lud! Nominated (unelected) EU commissioners swear sole allegiance to the EU and promote the EU project.
By The Newsroom
Published 1st Apr 2016, 14:03 BST
Updated 2nd Apr 2016, 08:16 BST

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The council of ministers represents the member states’ interests while the European Council (Stephen Hardy, 25/3/16) guides its political direction.

MEPs represent parties.

In parodying the famous Life of Brian sketch, Stephen lists ‘what the EU has done for workers’ omitting the increasingly onerous EU legislation which forces production to outside the EU, destroying British workers’ livelihoods.

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Most EU legislation modifies and codifies (under the ‘acquis communautaire’) long-standing British legislation: workers’ education rights, holidays, work-place health and safety legislation, maternity leave etc.

In fact, the unwritten international convention on a maximum eight-hour/48-hour average working week (56 hours for certain jobs) had voluntarily held since the Washington Conference (1919) and Balfour Committee (1924) without need for legislation!

Likewise, gaps in work-place health and safety legislation were covered under civil common law torts of negligence but today, under EU competence, by specific criminal legislation such as the catch-all management of health & safety’s risk assessment: no perceived hazard? No risk! (Reg 3.16a.iv).

But a hi-vis jacket is required! Why?

Today, nearly all areas of Westminster’s jurisdiction (except self-defence and ‘domestic’ laws – the origin of ‘over 70 per cent of UK laws...’) are subservient to superior EU Competences ensuring commonality (‘acquis communautaire’).

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Hence, those 80 per cent of British companies who do not export must needlessly comply with EU laws which benefit Sardinian penguin farmers (I jest)! Why?

The difference between UK and EU legislation is that ours is based on centuries of equity (equal treatment), precedence (case law) and the unwritten Common Law (Laws of Tort) with judgement by our peers on ‘test of reasonableness’; it is respected world-wide.

Where specific legislation is needed, an act follows (invariably introducing lawyer’s loopholes)!

In contrast, EU law is based on Napoleonic Codes, permitting its citizens only what is authorised by numbered articles, leading to EU directives (introduced as UK Acts), or automatic EU Regulations (plus around 2,000 annual related Statutory Instruments) bypassing parliament.

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Britain is perfectly capable of making good (and bad) laws. I rest my case.

Barry M Jones

Bixley Lane
Beckley

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