Tuesday 16 September 2008

A Tory MEP on Europe

This isn't exactly ringing euro-sceptisism, is it?

We believe that the EU is about people. It must be, and be seen to be, providing and promoting greater opportunities for more people. These include life-long learning; greater mobility to work, study or draw a pension in another EU country; a better work-life balance, and above all more freedom of choice as to how to achieve it.

Phillip Bushill-Matthews (no, I'd never heard of him either) that is. There's little there about the important matters, about how we should be able to get on with things our own way, rather than being bossed around from Brussels. Rather, he's talking about mild changes to this and that law, he's actually proposing that there should be more laws about what you may or may not do.

Just as an example, that "better work-life balance, and above all more freedom of choice" actually translates into proper English as laws banning you from having the freedom to choose your own working hours. For that is what the Working Time Directive does, says that you may not work the hours you desire, if you do indeed desire them.

Actually looking him up I see that he's the current Leader of the Conservatives in the EP. Read more of his piece in The Guardian. It's really not "in Europe but not ruled by Europe". Rather more which of our freedoms would Europe like us to give up next?

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