CAEF

Members may wish to know, if they didn’t already, that I’m also a Member of CAEF, The Campaign against Euro Federalism.  This is very strongly a trade union movement and it consistently speaks against our EU Membership.  Two of the best speeches condemning our membership I have ever heard were from Lord Peter Shore his widow later joined us.  The second being Bob Crowe of the RMT.  Each of them denounced the EU, the former in gentlemanly terms, the latter like a wrecking ball.   

I therefore receive the ‘Democrat’ every month and on the front page of the current issue it reports:-

·           Gallop Survey showed 19% of Greeks approved of the EU in 2013, and 21% of Cypriots.

·           Less than a third approve of the EU, in the UK, the Czech Republic and Sweden.

·           Spain showed a decrease in support from 59% to 27% last year.

·           Ireland went down from 70% to 47%.

All those are bail out countries but Sweden went down 17 points, Finland 14 points and Denmark 10 points.  The Netherlands down from 59% support to 48%. 

It also points out that support among the young in the countries so badly affected by the Euro has dropped by very significant figures. 

Now to quote some data from the last meeting of the Employment Committee which points out that SME’s are the backbone of the EU economy, 20.7 million SME’s provide 67% of private sector employment. 

It also points out that there is a drop in the EU among those who want to be self employed from 45% down to 37% in the last three years. 

50% say they cannot obtain sufficient information on how to start a business.  In that respect the report says that in Belgium it takes 4 days to set up a business but in Malta it is 40 days. 

It lists a whole range of policies which favour SME’s including innovation, competitiveness, internationalism, reducing bureaucracy etc etc.

It does point out that the unemployment rate among young Europeans, aged 15-24, has reached 23% and above 50% in those, “Members states hardest hit by the crisis”. 

This Employment Committee document goes on to worry about a huge brain drain but nowhere does it mention the adverse affect of the Euro currency.