On 19 Feb 2016 at 10:02pm Border Control wrote:
Interesting article in The Telegraph by her.
Check it out here »
On 19 Feb 2016 at 11:41pm Metatron wrote:
Credit where its due she's nailed her colours to the mast.
On 20 Feb 2016 at 12:29am I`m voting in wrote:
Never voted for her and will never vote for her.
On 20 Feb 2016 at 12:54am In wrote:
The woman is simply wrong to claim that immigration is the biggest problem the southeast has to face and that somehow the EU is to blame. Our biggest problem is the unaffordability of housing, largely caused by the exodus of Londoners who are selling their houses to Russian and far eastern "investors" and using the proceeds to drive up house prices round here. Leaving the EU will make no difference whatsoever to that problem.
On 20 Feb 2016 at 5:58am Out wrote:
You are 100% right .
On 20 Feb 2016 at 7:30am resident wrote:
well said Maria Caulfield, I am with you.
On 20 Feb 2016 at 8:37am Fairmeadow wrote:
So the shortage of housing (and the pressures on the NHS and, in the very near future, the shortage of school places) is nothing to do with the 2 million EU workers who are in the UK now?
It is entirely understandable that young people from Spain, Greece and Poland should want to come to work in the UK, where there are jobs, and where the great majority work hard and contribute to our economy. When I was young I spent a few years working in other countries with higher wages - how I could afford my first house. Moving to the highest minimum wage in the EU ( in many respects a good thing) is not going to reduce our pull.
It's all about the numbers for me. As far as I can see, very few EU people come here because of our benefits. Even the Big Issue sellers try to work. Most come here for a better chance of employment and higher wages than they can earn as home. That does provide competition, and keeps wages down, for our own young people. The economy appears to be growing slightly, as best it can be measured, but if the population grows as fast, or faster, as it has over the past 5 years, the average person isn't any better off.
On 20 Feb 2016 at 8:41am bastian wrote:
as usual your figures do not include the number of British residents who leave Britain to work in Europe or further afield every year-we do become immigrants ourselves you know.
On 20 Feb 2016 at 8:43am Redballs wrote:
Well said Fairmeadow.
On 20 Feb 2016 at 9:27am Red Ken wrote:
I wonder who wrote that for her?
On 20 Feb 2016 at 9:54am resident wrote:
we are a small island compared to the rest of Europe, agreed it's all about numbers and we cannot cope
On 20 Feb 2016 at 9:57am Mark wrote:
Fairmeadow, it's not necessarily all about immigration/net-migratration. The squeeze on our infrastructure, our deteriorating education system and NHS has also got to be about our very selectivity targeted agenda for austerity.
On 20 Feb 2016 at 10:08am Earl of Lewes wrote:
@In Wrote is right that house prices are being largely driven up by investors, but population growth through migration is outpacing house building. We need to restrict property purchases to UK domiciles, restrict buy to lets, increasing house building and control immigration, otherwise the young will never stand a chance. Also, rather than taking away disability benefits, how about making Amazon, Caffè Nero, Google and co pay their Corporation Tax?
People should get away from the idea that controlling immigration is some nasty, right wing idea. Many on the right favour immigration as a source of cheap labour to fuel economic growth. I want to see us aim for sustainability rather than growth, with affordable homes and an infrastructure that isn't creaking at the seams.
On 20 Feb 2016 at 10:46am Mr Ryder wrote:
Maria has wrote a good article and highlighted some important issues that show how the EU affects us adversely at a local level.
Absolutely spot on Earl of Lewes.
Not only are the young destined to never be able to own their own home now but they also live in pretty miserable conditions with many in the south east paying around 50% of their wage packet on their rents before bills.
Not only this but they have had their democratic power to change this given away to unelected bureaucrats in the EU.
Cameron has lied, spun and treated us for fools - there is nothing in his deal that gives back us our democracy and nothing in it to restore sensible border controls.
When the living wage is introduced it will mean a free for all coming here to get it and why wouldn't they.
Ask yourself if the EU is so wonderful why are thousands flocking to the most eurosceptic nation and one outside the Euro.
They tried to scare us into the Euro before and now they are doing the same with the EU - they were wrong then and wrong now.
On 20 Feb 2016 at 2:17pm Margot Sims wrote:
Does Maria not realise that if we are out of the EU, France (among others) won't bother keeping refugees out of the UK. Perhaps I should vote against the EU so that we do more for refugees. No - even I wouldn't be so ridiculous as to vote anti EU. We are a small island, and need the common market - ask any exporting business.
On 20 Feb 2016 at 3:39pm Englishman wrote:
We are fortunate enough to have a local MP who is prepared to put her future political career on the line to stand up for what most English people are really thinking.
On 20 Feb 2016 at 3:59pm trooper wrote:
@Margot Sims. I have to say now that despite the fact that I consider our MP a waste of space,time and money she has at least made the correct decision.
As to Margot, allow me to to explain to you the "Export" business.
As I have posted here before I have a financial interest in a HGV company and we trade with the EU every hour of every day on a very very uneven playing field.Continental haulage companies do NOT meet the rigorous standards we have to, their drivers in many cases do not have the correct licences to drive and are paid by the load ie the more you deliver each day the more money you make time off to rest is a joke, we, are not by law (Euro Law) allowed to do this or we will be prosecuted, continental companies ignore this to make more money.I could tell you of the illegal way that continental haulage companies go about their affairs, that would scare you witless. We are admired and trusted by Europen companies and hated by the "by the "Fly by night" outfits that offer dirt cheap rates and all the dangers that go with that, and protected by their respective governments.
Many of their vehicles are death traps, and when they are found their country of origin denies them, No effort is made be a drivers home nation to defend him if he is prosecuted in the UK.
This is a small part of the EU juggernaught,,and gravy train.
"EU is the name corruption is the game".
On 20 Feb 2016 at 5:34pm Sussex Jim wrote:
23rd. June.
Be available to vote OUT.
On 20 Feb 2016 at 5:41pm Dingo wrote:
The Outers remind me of when dinosaurs ruled the earth.
On 20 Feb 2016 at 7:29pm Fred wrote:
The result needs to be Out. The changes won are not significant for the UK. We still have to accept and enact the majority of Euro mandated laws. Our economic reliance upon Euro countries has been reducing over recent years. The majority of UK exports go to non-Euro countries. We are still bound by the Euro charter for social and equality rights. We have most of our infrastructure, gas, electricity, water supply, rail networks etc under non-UK ownership, with Euro countries being main owner. We need to protect the UK from the Euro impacts. Cameron has achieved minimal benefits for the UK...
On 20 Feb 2016 at 8:20pm Earl of Lewes wrote:
@Margot - The trouble is, it's no longer just a common market, but is now virtually a federal state. We didn't vote for that in 1974.
Dingo - The outers aren't all Little England's. Some of us are looking forward rather than backward, to a society based on the principle of 'small is beautiful'.
On 20 Feb 2016 at 11:35pm Not surprised wrote:
The Europe question is a complex one, which makes a Yes/No referendum basically the wrong tool to sort it out with. We need at least 7 options on the ballot paper to do it justice.
Maria Caulfield's article was very simplistic, which doesn't surprise me - anyone who thinks George Osborne is marriageworthy material is clearly severely detached from reality IMHO.
Also, I reckon a referendum vote should be available to anyone over 15. Maybe anyone over 75 shouldn't be allowed to vote? After all, who's going to be living with this decision?
On 21 Feb 2016 at 12:54pm Clifford wrote:
Englishman wrote: 'We are fortunate enough to have a local MP who is prepared... to stand up for what most English people are really thinking.'
You won't know what 'most English people are really thinking' till the result of the referendum comes in. I'm going to vote Out, but I won't be surprised if the Tory/Lab/LibDem/CBI/TUC scare campaign we'll be having over the next few months works and people frightened into voting Stay.
On 21 Feb 2016 at 1:05pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
Fred talks about social and equality rights as though they're a bad thing. I welcome them (and the employment rights and environmental protection afforded by EU regulations).
And Not Surprised is right when he/she says it's complex. The arguments for leaving are relatively simple, the case for staying in is far more complex.
I'm voting in.
On 21 Feb 2016 at 4:26pm trooper wrote:
@ACT. As a self confessed Green with Socialist leanings you could hardly do less. I agree the argument for staying in is more complex, what we have to do then is to watch our backs whilst the other states in Europe do their very very best to destroy any deals we have made.We need to sever all connections with a corrupt, lying, self centered utterly dishonest organisation, that takes our money and we get precious little in return.You have to remember that there are states in the Eastern Bloc who see this country as a cash cow for their immigrants, child benefit etc.Social and equality rights,employment rights, and environmental protection really !!! You really ought to visit some of the states in the EU and preach this, you will be laughed at. The EU regulations of which you write are a farce, the French have ignored them for years, the Eastern European states are not aware they exist.
On 21 Feb 2016 at 5:40pm Mr Ryder wrote:
Have to say Annette seems rather strange you are willing to give up democracy, sovereignty, fishing grounds, borders, control of laws etc and all the rest of it and then on top pay £14.3BN a year for a few pieces of employment and environment legislation something that an elected government could do anyway.
I think people who are leaning to vote remain do have to think about it more carefully because it's not a vote for the status quo, the next round of integration will see us completely submerged within this political club because they will have to have full political and fiscal union for it to conceivably work and I don't think it's a good idea.
I see lot's of people, MP's etc arguing eloquently why they want to see Britain independent but very little from the remainers who don't seem to me to realise what a remain vote would entail or often resorting to scare stories rather than saying actually I do want this superstate to happen.
On 26 Feb 2016 at 11:31pm Meldrew wrote:
Altogether now -
"When Irish eyes are smiling"
Which bit in particular did you have in mind?
Sometimes, there's nothing to lose