Not Party Politics, But Principles, by Godfrey Bloom

The European Union is one of the least understood organisations in the United Kingdom. The reason for this primarily is neither mainstream media nor the political class have moved on from the concept of the Common Market.

The long term goal has always been a federal Europe. A Europe more tightly disciplined than the United States, more micromanaged, more centralised than most historical federations. The EU’s founding fathers believed this idea would put an end to the continent’s interminable wars.

History shows a major conflict somewhere in Europe every eighteen months for the last one thousand years. The last world war was so horrific it triggered the federal concept.

The founding fathers also knew sovereign state loyalty runs very deep. Just visit any World Cup sporting event. Humankind is addicted for better or worse to their tribe.

The concept of a federal union had to be done by stealth. The founding fathers were quite open about this. Edward Heath admitted quite openly in retirement that if the true concept were known to the electorate it would not have been supported, as indeed it wouldn’t have.

The 1975 referendum was a confirmatory vote. The UK was already in, the vote was for the status quo. The ballot paper and the campaign were about a common market.

The country was at an all time low, not seen since the mid 1930s, many saw the common market as a saviour for a failing state. I did myself. Continental Europe seemed to have drawn ahead us, they seemed to be doing something right.

THE CAMPAIGN

Remain seemed the simple option, the least bother. The debate was almost totally about trade. Some leading politicians raised the constitutional implications but the nation wasn’t ready for that kind of debate.

Looking back on the constitutionalist arguments on You Tube some of the most brilliant arguments came from the left. Tony Benn, Peter Shore, Michael Foot made devastating contributions, as did Enoch Powell from the right.

Back in the sixties Clement Attlee exposed the true nature of the beast but Harold Macmillan won the argument only to be thwarted by de Gaulle, who understood eventually the British would never be part of a federal mainland Europe.

But the 1975 debate has locked British debate in a time warp. What would be the tariff scenario on automobiles? Will the NHS collapse ? Can our hill farmers cope? Etc. Etc. It has all been about trade, even the usually astute William Rees-Mogg got mired by Andrew Neil on the cost of trainers and shoes! As if that had anything to do with the real debate.

There is also fake assessment of who voted what and why. Old voted leave, young voted remain is an appalling over simplification. The divide was more complex. Public sector workers mainly voted remain. Bankers, thespians, bureaucrats, students, academics and clergy all voted remain.

Provincial middle England voted leave. The butcher, baker, mechanic, hairdresser, cabbie voted leave. A huge ‘old’ Labour support base. There were class and regional differences, too, but they were more nuanced.

WHERE NOW? 

Here is the dilemma and danger. Let’s recap as the referendum was two and a half years ago. The then Prime Minister, David Cameron, wrote to every house in the land at an estimated cost of £9 million. The letter set out in some detail the basic facts and a recommendation to remain.

It also famously mandated the electorate to make the final decision. That decision, it was promised, would solemnly be abided by. No ifs or buts. The turnout astonished everyone and the electorate voted leave.

Then followed a general election in which both main political parties committed in their manifesto to leave. This took party politics completely out of the picture. Labour and Conservative voters (four million) abandoned UKIP, now it seemed redundant. The general election was not based on remain or leave because that was a done deal. Tribal politics reasserted itself. Good old red or blue.

Parliament then overwhelmingly triggered Article 50 and the countdown began. But things started to go wrong. The new Prime Minister had campaigned for remain, as had her Chancellor AND Home Secretary. Deeply dedicated federalists by their own admission.

Then the most astonishing development, a dedicated remain civil servant took the negotiating helm. David Davis AND Dominic Raab were usurped. Olly Robbins was Chairman of the Oxford University European Society in his youth. The entire team consisted of people who didn’t want to leave.

Unsurprisingly the eventual ‘deal’ is remain in all but name. The ‘deal’ is so rotten it is unsupportable and has suffered two huge defeats in Parliament.

THE NEW CAMPAIGN

Changes in tabloid editorial policy together with unashamed bias on BBC, Sky and Channel 4 have started a propaganda campaign based on fear of leave, and an extraordinary vilification of 17.4 million leave voters who are either stupid or racist.

It is implied that moving from 55% trade under WTO rules to 100%  would somehow be ‘crashing out’ or a ‘leap in the dark’. There is a TV blackout of European protest demonstrations, and a veil is drawn over the EU Security Agreement (remember the EU army that was never going to be?).

Parliamentarians committed to their party manifestos are ‘hard’ Brexiteers. But the referendum ballot paper just said remain or leave. There was no ‘turn to page two for further questions’. No hard, soft, poached, fried, scrambled or coddled.

There is a desperation to overturn the referendum result so hysterical it shows clearly the EU is not about trade but something much deeper. The perpetrators of remain are not from the world of trade, indeed they made very conscious decisions at university to have nothing to do with trade. They chose, law, politics, civil service, church, theatre and academe. They know nothing of trade and have a distaste for it that goes back two hundred years.

Faith in politicians is at an all time low, but it will get even lower if the referendum result is not honoured, many Remainers understand this. There is a mood swing for the first time in mainland Europe, the federal dream (incidentally much better understood over there) is crumbling.

Eurosceptic parties will be returned in significant numbers to the European Parliament in May. The dream itself will die with the collapse of the European Central Bank, probably in 2021. The tragedy is that the federalist subterfuge was bound to be exposed sooner or later. Excluding Germany, youth unemployment in the eurozone is 29%, unsustainable in any society.

A more honest approach could have spawned a confederation of European states, by no means an ignoble dream, something supported by the electorate and not just a sinister conspiracy by the political class, big business, banks bureaucrats and wealthy celebrities.

The British have enjoyed a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary government maturing over one thousand years. It is not perfect, it has had many ups and downs but it was based the principle of common and statute law, democratic accountability, a universal franchise and the ability of an electorate to turn out a government they no longer support. Search again if you will those speeches by Tony Benn and Peter Shore on You Tube. This has nothing to do with party politics, but principles.

Godfrey Bloom was a Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire and the Humber from 2004 to 2014.

Something of a Marker by Society, by Godfrey Bloom

The sixty-fifth birthday is something of a marker by society. It means that you are officially old.

You can,of course, kid yourself it is the new 40, you are in late middle age. But you are not. You have the biblical three score years and ten with perhaps a little interest.

Ten years to go then with a following breeze. After a health scare or two it is natural therefore not morbid to take stock.

The mind is particularly focussed for the military historian like myself who has seen more headstones in memoriam to boys in their twenties than enough.

As I deadhead the roses and mow the lawn, and get about my charity business it is easy to fall into the trap that you might not have made much of a fist of it.

This feeling can be quite strong if you are self critical, most of us are maybe with the exception of professional politicians of whom thankfully I never was.

I am often asked to speak at schools and universities, usually on classical liberalism or Austrian School economics, but the questions afterwards usually reflect anxiety amongst the young about how to be successful.

Well, I suppose it is how you judge success and, as Kipling rightly pointed out, how to judge those two imposters.

I would argue the criterion for judging success is experience.

As a baby boomer, I was lucky not to have to fight in a world war as did my father and grandfather. Indeed I had a very soft and cosy ride liberally laced with opportunity.

Did I blow it? My immediate answer to myself at 65 was yes, Bloom blew it big time. But on reflection, not so.

Certainly, I missed opportunities. But much of that can be put down to the folly of youth. I suppose there is nobody on the planet who has not missed opportunities, and we can't always blame youth.

There is always a natural tendency to anchor on the failures, which are often simply easier to spot. 

A ramble through the good things here because the 'what ifs' of failure are of no interest to anyone and can't even be accurately assessed, they simply give us the conundrum, as Frederick Bastiat, pinpointed of 'the unseen'.

Let me hasten to add these observations are not made in any boastful way most of them were dictated by fate, or luck if you prefer.

So youngsters may take a view on how to judge the imposter, and those of my age might like to reflect on the positive aspects of their lives. 

I was born into a middle class home in 1949, the son of an RAF pilot and WAAF mother. A stable happy marriage which is always a sound base camp for any youngster.

My father and his father were public school educated, but in the 1950s there was simply no money. I was extremely lucky to win a scholarship to one of the old Elizabethan Grammar Schools, an opportunity I certainly blew.

If it wasn't rugby, cricket or tennis I took no part, save the school history society giving me an interest I have never lost.

I drifted into the City, took my professional exams, joined the County of London Yeomanry and played rugger for the old boys.

I was in London in the Swinging Sixties, drove a mini and the girls wore them, life was good and I bought a London flat with a mortgage easily affordable for a young professional man. Very young, actually; 21.

Now the details are in a short autobiography, A Guinea a Minute, but that is not the point of this article at all.

I was dealt by fate a very good hand which I didn't play very well. But did I blow it? Here is where you can make a subjective judgment, old or young.

My experiences are in no chronological order or even importance. Some I suspect will seem of little value.

I have ridden with over a dozen hunts from the Vale of the White Horse to the Isle of Wight and as far north as the Percy in Northumberland.

I make mention of this only because I have therefore seen a very large part of one of the world's most beautiful countries on horseback. Only equalled by river or canal.

In my youth I climbed the three peaks ,Ben Nevis, and nearly all the Lake District fells. I have walked the coastal paths from Dorset to Pembrokeshire and most of Yorkshire.

My wife and I have ridden in Wyoming,Virginia and the South American Pampas, seen the storms in the Drackensburg mountains in January gin and tonic in hand, chartered a yacht off Cape Town cruised up the North West passage to Alaska and from Hong Kong to Japan, bathed on Waikiki Beach, seen both Niagara Falls and Milford Sound, even been shown the Golden Temple by the leading figures of the Sikh religion.

Other experiences include joining the best club in the world, the British Army, and passing out at RMA Sandhurst, admittedly bottom of the class.

I was in Germany with my regiment when the wall came down, and more recently rode shot gun from Kandahar to Camp Bastion in a Chinook.

Away from travel and to sport, I have been deeply involved with both junior rugby and ladies' rugby, mostly but not exclusively at Cambridge University.

A brief foray into politics, as with most backbenchers, achieved nothing very much save perhaps a small but not insignificant part in persuading this government to hold a referendum on self-government.

It could have been worse, as some politicians cause active harm.

I have also been honoured with invitations to speak at many of the most prestigious universities in the world, something always valued very highly, and many of the undergraduates I have met I remain in contact with many years on

People as well as places often inspire. I have had some memorable meetings with a very eclectic range of people, lunch with actors, musicians and sportsmen.

A particular favourite with Fred Truman, still unbelievably full of bounce only a few months before he died. A long lunch à deux with a totally un-luvvy-like Edward Fox, and a pub crawl with an irrepressible genius pianist John Lill.

Yet some of the most inspiring individuals were not the famous, or the great and the good, but tireless workers at local level for the common good, standing up to fight against school bullying, against crime families, and for local environment matters.

Although I mention some of the great vistas of international renown, many are on our own doorstep.

The beach walk from Bamburgh Castle to Seahouses, or the views of the Farne Islands from the Cheviot, or my favourite the sight and sounds of Hawes from the northern fell on a summer's Sunday morning, mists and church bells, as good an experience as any I have had in my life.

So we can all make our own luck without great cost because opportunities are everywhere if we know where to look.

On a personal note, I have been happily married for 30 years.

I see too many families wrecked because couples cannot be bothered to work a bit harder at it, give a little here and there.

You will note that I have made no mention of money. I am long enough in the tooth to know money is important, the oil that smooths the engine of life. But make no mistake, it is well down the list of life's priorities.

You can only drink one pint, drive one car, eat one meal at a time. You need enough, but no more than enough.

Although if I won millions on the lottery I would be pleased, indeed amazed as I don't buy any tickets.

I have never changed jobs, moved house or compromised my lifestyle or principles for money, neither have I inherited any.

It may be you are fortunate enough to have a vocation, not given to many of us. I have always envied those in perhaps medicine or teaching where they can be found.

A vocation is wonderfully self-contained, it travels with you permanently through life, it takes away much of the angst in life.

Every morning you know what you have to do, albeit you may not be quite sure how to set about it.

So if you are starting out, then think about what you want.

If you are entering the autumn of your years, then have a think about all those things that have worked out for you. Probably more than you think.

'New' UKIP, by Godfrey Bloom

This is reprinted here at the author's request, with his recommendation to watch Panorama on BBC One at 8:30 this evening, even though "I ended up on the cutting room floor because I stuck to pure fact and not vilification or salacious gossip":

Some newer members have not, it appears, heard the term 'New' UKIP, coined, I believe, by Andrew Neil (perhaps Helen Lewis, New Statesman), but no matter.

Transition to New UKIP was not an overnight makeover. It followed a number of quite deliberate steps to fight the 2015 election. Believe me, I used to be part of the hierarchy.

1. New constitution granting almost complete power to the leadership.
2. An unelected party Chairman, Secretary and other senior positions.
3. The 'adjustment' concession so member votes can be set aside by the leadership in secret.
4. The curtailment of regions to select their MEPs with a much more easily manipulated national vote which also can be circumnavigated and has been.
5. The withdrawal from a basic libertarian ethos.
6. The suspension of due procedure for membership cancellation.
7. The secrecy of the vote counting and refusal to publish members' votes (where are the national lists for the August 2013 MEP vote?).
8. The quite obvious swing to main party political correctness as illustrated by MartyCaine's posts. A fundamental concession to the metropolitan press elite.
9. The strategic advance in favour of a coalition in some form.
10. The ruthless dogma that criticism of the leadership is disloyal to the cause, party, country. Where, I wonder, have we seen that historically?
11. The outright refusal to allow regions to elect representatives to the NEC. Yorkshire Region is still not represented in spite of 400,000 votes. This skews the whole governing body to the south.
12. The final say on PPC selection remains with the leadership.

Folks, I still vote UKIP, remain a member and advocate on TV and radio of UKIP. My record on this is above reproach. Long-term members who still remain know exactly what 'New' UKIP means. The irony is that UKIP governance follows almost exactly the EU method. The referendum 'no' vote polls are now the worst in 10 years. So who in Brooks Mews works for the government?

A few things for the record. I spoke to four packed houses in the north of England in the winter, exhorting people to vote UKIP in May. Head Office vetoed other appearances.

My continued technical support for the region for 12 months, post July 1st, has been vetoed. I paid all staff and kept Yorkshire on the road right up until the 1st of July.

Every TV and radio appearance has me endorsing UKIP. I am a founder member and have donated over £150,000 in the last 20 years in some format. All accounts are logged.

I flag these points up because there are thousands of new members who perhaps think this is how it always was.

The View from Durham Roundabout, by Godfrey Bloom MEP

We shall soon be asked to cast our vote on the Euro Elections, a mysterious organisation to most people who are largely bewildered as to membership implications.

Can they be blamed? Public sector broadcasting and the press, both extremely partisan never seem to bother to outline how it works or how it affects their lives.

Over 70% of our law now comes from Brussels. The only serious in depth study on Brussels and National Law was by the German Government who came to the figure of 80%. These estimates are broadly unchallenged by the Commission or Bureaucracy.

At election time some politicians try to spin it is 10% because the House of Commons only logs community law via a rather arcane assessment procedure. This is too absurd to go into here.

English Law is based on common law and statute law and can be traced, as a system, back to the time of Alfred the Great. Well before Magna Carta.

European Law, Corpus Juris or Napoleonic Code if you prefer is prescriptive. It tells you that which you may do rather than that which you may not. This means since joining the EU our system has been overtaken by the highly legalistic approach to government.

We now have had more law passed since 1997 than the entire period from the Bill of Rights of 1688/9 to the election of the Blair government. In the last 10 years I have seen about 2000 pieces of legislation a year go through the ‘parliament’ which is the amending chamber. Most of it is trivial.

Or is it? A few examples, novelty food ingredients, bottle shapes and sizes, tractor seats, tail gate lights and light filaments, the list is endless. Energy, food labelling, fishery, agriculture, employment policy all come from Brussels.

My desk in the last 10 years has been swamped with pleas from small businesses to vote against some piece of legislation. The effect of which would be to put them out of business. Three packaging companies, a bottling plant and a vending machine company to mention just a few.

The lawyer, regulator and civil servant love all this. Jobs for the boys.

Big businesses dislikes it but know that the unholy political alliance works in their favour. Small and medium size businesses account for nearly 80% of the UK economy and they are in despair.

The political rhetoric is less than helpful. Almost impossible to discern the truth and then translate it into the sound bite land of television.

‘3 million jobs depend on our membership’, an absurdity of infinite and obvious stupidity. The proposition that political union is essential to trade is economically illiterate on an awesome scale.

Over 40 countries now have completely free trade agreements with the EU without the baggage of petty regulation that spews forth from it.

Stand at the roundabout in Durham City and watch Hyundai’s, Kia’s, Subaru’s and Jeep’s shoot past. Our shops are stuffed with Chinese goods. Your vacuum cleaner was probably made in Malaysia.

The argument is to frighten the factory workers whose company has a European export market. Is it likely they will impose tariffs when we are massive net importers from Europe?

Will BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen stand for tariffs? Of course not. Our trade grows exponentially with North America and the Far East. It continues to shrink with the EU.

Demographically and economically the EU is in decline. Addicted to welfarism, statism, bureaucracy and crony capitalism we are already entering the end game.

Youth unemployment is 50% in Greece, Southern Italy and the Iberian Peninsula. Averages 30% everywhere else with the exception of Germany (9%). This is unsustainable in any society.

Even Germany who bankrolls the EU has a debt ratio of 80% of GDP. It is owed £900 billion by the shadow banking system.

Like the rest of the world, government debt is beyond any hope of repayment and default or hyperinflation is the inevitable outcome. No it is not different this time.

So, whom do you vote for in the election?

The fiat currency debt Tsunami will actually make it irrelevant as the EU in five years time will not exist as it does now.

If you believe in the European dream, which is not incidentally an ignoble one, the honest vote is Liberal Democrat.

If you want self-government, or indeed even self-misgovernment, vote UKIP.