Catastrophe?

From Politics Home we hear Tony Blair warning of catastrophic consequences if the eurozone is broken up whilst maintaining that Britain should keep entry into the single currency as a "long-term option". We also have another 'usual suspect', in the shape of Will Hutton, warning of catastrosphe should the eurozone break-up.

We are no doubt going to hear more statements such as the above in the desperate attempt by Europhiles to save their beloved project, statements intended to frighten the population of Europe, especially the UK - included in which will no doubt be the old claim that 3million jobs depend on our being a member of the EU. It is extremely doubtful whether any form of rebuttal will come from our politicians, especially the leaders of the Lib/Lab/Con who are enthralled with EU membership.

From John Redwood:

"As the rest of the EU sells us a lot more than we sell them, they will not want to disrupt it in any way. They have more to lose than we do. EU goods trade probably accounts for around £120 billion of our output. (EU exports adjusted for the entrepot factor) That’s around 8% of our total National Income. It’s important, but not nearly as important as the 92% that is not dependent on selling things on the continent. Since 2008 the government figures show that our exports to the rest of the EU have anyway fallen by 6%, whilst our exports to the rest of the world have risen by 4%. So the trend has been going against the EU before the crisis. Slowdown in the EU and collapse in the weaker EU economies will accelerate this process."

Not once has the Lib/Lab/Con published a cost/benefit analysis, always arguing that the benefits are obvious, something from which it is possible to draw one's own conclusions. Courtesy of Gerard Batten, Ukip MEP, the latest cost/benefit analysis he has done can be accessed via this post. Besides the scare of lost jobs our politicians cite figures about the percentage of trade, especially exports, that is done by the UK. In this context we have what is called The Rotterdam (and Antwerp) Effect, covered in this post from Helen at Your Freedom and Ours; one which shows that the UK's export statistics are, shall we say, flawed?

Because our politicians lie to us in order to further their own despicable ends it is perhaps pertinent to end with a quotation, the origin of which I know not, but one that is directed at the people of this country and our politicians:

"From the cowardice that shrinks from new truth; from the laziness that is content with half-truths; from the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth - oh God of Truth deliver us!"