Working Time Directive

I wasn't intending to post right now as I am on a short lunch, but just seen this about the EU Parliament voting 421 to 273 to scrap the UK's opt-out on the working time directive on Bruno Waterfields Blog. Labour MEP's from the UK have joined with socialist MEPs across the EU to bring this into effect from 2011.

Sometimes in conversation with people they ask why I don't like the EU. As a young man I actually quite liked the idea of Europe coming together to work on issues and drive up living standards. I naively perceived the EU as a free-trade area and a zone of political co-operation.

This is of course in stark contrast from the truth. The UK may have MEPs in the EU parliament, but if that parliament does not conform to democratic principles, and is loaded with Euro-Socialists the UK's best interests are not, and can never be served. Telling the people of Europe that they can only work for a set number of hours per week at any time is a restriction on free-choice, it protects no-one that existing legislation does not; and even if it did it should fall to the national legislative to look at those circumstances and tailor the law to suit the national economy. The fact that this will likely take effect in the middle of the biggest European Recession for over 60 years is shocking and frankly criminally and spitefully ideological.

When Tony Blair came returned home with his red-lines intact from negotiations on the various versions of the constitutional treaty he assured the UK that that was that. The EU would never have control on National Security and or Borders, we already know that is not true, and given the motion in the EU parliament today it is again clear that the EU plan is to irreversibly tie all member nations in with promises and assurances and then steam-roller over those assurances. I hope the people of Ireland have a good look at what happened today, for they are once again the guardians of the freedoms of the people in the UK.

If David Cameron wants to win the next election he can do so today. All he needs to do is to pledge a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty upon his election. If the Conservatives are not in power before that date, the pledge should be for a referendum on the UK's continued involvement in the EU. I will pledge Cameron my vote today, if he will give that Referendum pledge today.