So! Was it a Myth?

[Alan Stubbs]

someone else that doesnt read nor know their history ,we (england britain UK whatever) have never been asked nor voted on joining the EU ,in 73 we joined the common market and in 75 a referendum of the people confirmed we wished to remain in the common market.

the EU never existed in either years! later came the EEC which we also never voted on ,we joined the common market and nothing more

 

 

Dave, it's an evolution of the same organisation.

[gozzer]

John, the second link is more an invitation to debate the electoral system within the UK than about membership of the EU / European Community or whatever your preference for the organisation's name happens to be.

 

From a personal viewpoint I prefer the 'first past the post' system as the person polling most votes, wins pure and simple.

 

If you look at the 'single, transeferrable vote' system you could quite ften vote for one person and then have the person who polled second or even third mosts votes declared the winner if no overall majority is achieved in the first round of voting. This sounds like the rigby play-offs where the team that has a clean sweep of wins over the season could end up finishing fourth as a resultt of 2 defeats at the end of a season against teams who have won fewer games and fewer points over a longer period. It's a system loaded in favour of the underdog.

 

Strange that Alan, I just saw it as an account of June 6th 1975.

 

Maybe this might explain (in part), why a referendum wasn't held recently.

 

John.

[Guest Rabbit]

So it seems that the EU regulations/directive on 'non-standard-shaped vegetables DID exist, whether or not it was the supermarkets clout that influenced it.

 

The EU(not the Common Market) came into existance in 1993, so we could not have voted on and joined it in 1973/4/5. I voted for joining a common market, but not for a European Parliament.

 

I don't think it's just KB that may have the wrong idea of historical events.

No I havn't at all, I was just stating what aside from EU or anything else european in that supermarkets demand a standard of product that meets with their required standards, the supermarkets control all their suppliers in that manner.

[chesters1]

Dave, it's an evolution of the same organisation.

 

no its a far different organisation with far greater power than letting your apples cross a border or two without johnie foreigner tipping its cart over,

now johnie foreigner owns the borders ,the apples and the cart and insists johnie foreigners close friends push the cart and has brought laws in making sure you (the old cart pusher) complies.

 

its a bit like subscribing to the sun newspaper and then suddenly have the times ,SKY TV (multi pass ofcourse) and then every other paper on earth murdoch owns demanding you pay for them as well under threat of law,would you merely shrug and pay? or point out you only joined up to get the sun?

[Alan Stubbs]

Strange that Alan, I just saw it as an account of June 6th 1975.

 

Maybe this might explain (in part), why a referendum wasn't held recently.

 

John.

 

John, early in the piece they spoke negatively about the low (67%) turnout to vote in the referendum. 67%? They'd think that was outstanding today!

 

The complaint about the low turnout shouts to me as a complaint from those who didn't get the result they wanted and so would have an automatically jaundiced viewpoint. Come to think of it, not unlike some AN posters on the EU debate!

[Alan Stubbs]

no its a far different organisation with far greater power than letting your apples cross a border or two without johnie foreigner tipping its cart over,

now johnie foreigner owns the borders ,the apples and the cart and insists johnie foreigners close friends push the cart and has brought laws in making sure you (the old cart pusher) complies.

 

its a bit like subscribing to the sun newspaper and then suddenly have the times ,SKY TV (multi pass ofcourse) and then every other paper on earth murdoch owns demanding you pay for them as well under threat of law,would you merely shrug and pay? or point out you only joined up to get the sun?

 

 

Dave, I agree it's a far different organsation from the one we joined in 1975, but it's different in scope rather than anything else. Fundamentally, the changes were agreed to by the UK government allegedly democratically elected. Short of revolution, the only way to change it is via the ballot box.

[gozzer]

John, early in the piece they spoke negatively about the low (67%) turnout to vote in the referendum. 67%? They'd think that was outstanding today!

 

The complaint about the low turnout shouts to me as a complaint from those who didn't get the result they wanted and so would have an automatically jaundiced viewpoint. Come to think of it, not unlike some AN posters on the EU debate!

 

 

You're still seeing something I'm not Alan.

 

The 67% refers to the percentage in favour, not the turnout.

 

Just over 67% of voters supported the Labour government's campaign to stay in the EEC, or Common Market, despite several cabinet ministers having come out in favour of British withdrawal.

 

Unless I've missed something?

 

John.

[Alan Stubbs]

You're still seeing something I'm not Alan.

 

The 67% refers to the percentage in favour, not the turnout.

 

 

 

Unless I've missed something?

 

John.

 

 

Sorry, John...I admit I was scan-reading it and got it ermmmmmm, how can I put this?.... Wrong!!

 

You're right. I would have though that 67% in favour was a pretty convincing majority though for the options to have been offered. What happened since then, we have to blame the opliticians for.

 

As for the crux of what I said about the voting system in the UK, is for my part, truly heartfelt. It is an inescapable truth that there are no people I've met who are in favour of PR in any guise, for whom I'd feel like supporting, though!

[captain cojones]

So it seems that the EU regulations/directive on 'non-standard-shaped vegetables DID exist, whether or not it was the supermarkets clout that influenced it.

of course it existed jim......but as stated in the reply from the eu press office i got...under the conditions stated. i put up the reply pages ago, some might have missed it,so il repeat it.

 

 

 

Reply |dave to EU-UK-PRESS

show details……. Reply

 

 

 

Sorry to bother you with this. but could you please confirm,that the E.U did not try to ban the sale of curved bananas.

i am well aware of the links,etc to your euro myths site,But, there are still, people that despite that, seem to regard this story as gospel truth.

please keep your answer to simple words and phrases,as we are talking people of very limited intelect here.

Im working in southern Spain in the media myself,but im talking about certain people in Britain here of course!!

best wishes Dave R

Reply Forward

 

Reply |COMM-UK-PRESS@ec.europa.eu to me

show details May 22 Reply

 

 

 

Dear Dave

 

Thank you for your mail ....

 

Despite the number of times we confirm "bendy" bananas are not banned, some myths just continue to be recycled.

 

Perhaps it's not well known, but quality standards for bananas were in use for international trade purposes way before the EU came into existence, ie the straighter the banana the more can be packed per box. That type of thing.

 

However, governments and industry set their own standards, ie different, so in 1994 the European Commission was asked by EU agriculture ministers (ie Defra in the case of the UK) and industry to come up with a set of common standards.

 

The Commission did this, and after carrying out extensive consultation across the industry, produced a list of common quality standards which were then agreed by the EU agriculture ministers and have been in use since 1994.

 

So nowadays, rather than have different quality standards for different countries, producers can work in conjunction with one set of quality standards for international trade. Much better for trade purposes!

 

Hope this digest helps.

 

bestest

Jennifer

 

Jennifer Hutton

Press Officer

Representation of the European Commission to the UK

8 Storey's Gate

London, SW1P 3AT

 

Tel.: +44 207 973 1971

Fax: +44 207 973 1907

E-mail: jennifer.hutton@ec.europa.eu

Website: http://ec.europa.eu/unitedkingdom

 

straight from the horses mouth.

incidently....the latest scare story is that the"e.u is going to ban smoking outdoors"(daily express 2 days ago)

Again.......untrue.

[chesters1]

Dave, I agree it's a far different organsation from the one we joined in 1975, but it's different in scope rather than anything else. Fundamentally, the changes were agreed to by the UK government allegedly democratically elected. Short of revolution, the only way to change it is via the ballot box.

 

thats the trouble we dont get as far as the ballot box and as for the EU itself there is no ballot box on its decisions as its leaders are unelected