*** Dan HANNAN Gets EURC in DAILY MAIL 28-Sep-2010

How many more multi-billion pound EU orders must we cope with before the country goes bust?

By Harry Phibbs
Last updated at 12:51 PM on 28th September 2010

Join the queue: People look for work at a job centre in Kent

As the Government (including a good smattering of Europhile Lib Dem Ministers) faces up to the tough detailed work of cutting spending, they learn that their task is to be made just that bit harder courtesy of the EU.

The European Commission has apparently decided that the ‘habitual residency test’ which restricts the number of EU migrants entitled to claim welfare benefits is a breach of human rights. It is estimated that as a result the cost to the taxpayer could go up by £2.5 billion.

Last year, 46,957 non-UK nationals took the habitual residence test. Of those, 24,604 passed and 22,353 failed. Most of us would feel that those figures show the test should be strengthened rather than lifted.

Remember, this is already a problem which braver politicians - from Labour's Margaret Hodge to the Conservative's Peter Lilley - have been saying needs to be dealt with. Now we are told the rules are going to be loosened not tightened.

Instead of billions being saved, billions will be added to the bill that British citizens will be expected to stump up for. 

Regardless of what our elected politicians might think the decision will be taken in a hideous office block in Brussels by arrogant Eurocrats we have never heard of - still less elected.

Of course freedom of movement has tremendous advantages, and sometimes greater freedom would actually help. It is rather more difficult to employ teachers from Australia, New Zealand or South Africa for example (well-trained and for whom English is a first language) than teachers from the EU countries.

That’s all the more reason to stop overcrowding by benefit tourists so that we can leave room for those who have a useful contribution to make to our country.

 

A YouGov survey earlier this month asked the question: ‘If there was a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union, how would you vote?’ 33 per cent plumped for: ‘I would vote for Britain to remain a member of the European Union.’ 47 per cent responded: ‘I would vote for Britain to leave the European Union.’ There were 5 per cent who said they wouldn't vote and 14 per cent who said they didn’t know. But that poll, by a reputable firm with a balanced sample of nearly 2,000 people, gives us a pretty good indication that if we got the chance we would pull out of the EU.

The Conservative Euro MP Dan Hannan says: ‘Yet this opinion finds almost no echo in Parliament. Only two-and-a-half per cent of MPs are declared opponents of EU membership; if you exclude Northern Ireland MPs, the figure drops to below one per cent.’

Lots of MPs might privately say we should pull out, but what's the good of that? Hannan has a valid point and he has launched the EU Referendum Campaign which is gathering signatures to demand we should be given our chance to pass judgement.

Benefits bonanza? The EU has warned Britain it can't stop thousands more migrants claiming welfare handouts, but will the country be able to afford it?

With such issues as benefit tourism showing us the massive indirect costs of our EU membership, the amazing thing is that it still gets as much support as it does.

Just a couple of weeks ago we learnt that Thames Water was planning to spend £4 billion on a ‘Super Sewer’ programme to provide some marginal benefit to water quality in the River Thames - which is already high by international standards. The £4 billion (which is being passed on to customers) is way out of proportion to the health and environmental benefits. Yet, it turns out that the scheme is to comply with an EU directive. How many more of these multi-billion pound EU directives are we expected to cope with before the country goes bust?

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith is prepared to fight the EU demand through the courts over the benefits tourism. Good for him.

Duncan Smith is a long standing Eurosceptic - bravely joining the Maastricht rebels when he was a newly elected Tory MP back in 1992. It is not hard to imagine his feelings at being expected to find an extra couple of billion out of his admittedly large but diminishing budget.

But what if he loses the court battle? When will David Cameron and Nick Clegg agree to say: ‘No?’

For the message to be credible they need to put our membership on the line.

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