Re: EU Swindle Of The Century
Originally Posted by
JBR
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No. We shall continue to participate in NATO.
That would be interesting.
I wonder how effective the unified countries of Europe would be at resisting potential Russian expansion.
Interesting times ahead.
You could be wrong: (on the reading list for mps)
This month, the EU has finally come to a decision on how it intends to treat ‘third country participation’ in Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and the European Defence Fund (EDF)*in future. This decision had been in development since mid-June when, at the same time, the EU announced it would be expanding its defence budget from*€600 million*to*a massive*€13 billion*by 2021.
The decision arrived at by the EU*is*that ‘third countries’ will*be allowed to get involved with PESCO and the EDF on a ‘case-by-case’ basis. This should not worry the UK, one would at first assume, as the UK is not signed up to PESCO.*In fact, the UK is one of only 3 current*EU*Member States which are*not signed up, along with Malta and Denmark.*However,*a closer look at the Brexit White Paper suggests this decision should worry those who are adamant the British Army should*not*be involved in the EU Army.
Theresa May’s Chequers proposal explicitly lays out how this current*Government envisages our future relationship with the EU on defence. It seems to be aiming for*ever closer collaboration. This is something*Get Britain Out*has warned about in a previous article for Comment Central*here.
Reported on by*Veterans for Britain*here,*Lord Owen,*while*speaking at the Henry Jackson Society earlier this year, stated the UK needs to “make a full, wholehearted commitment to NATO… and not play games with EU defence.”
Unfortunately,*the*Government’s*Brexit*White Paper states the UK ‘supported PESCO’s launch’, and supports an ‘inclusive approach to European [defensive] capability’. It goes on to say the UK wishes to work with the EU to make the EDF more inclusive to ‘third countries’.
Well, the EU has granted*the Government’s wish.
Most worryingly of all, however, is not simply the fact the UK is walking carelessly into an ever-closer unison with the EU’s defence*strategy*(which could*also*clearly undermine NATO); by encouraging PESCO, it*could feed the EU’s hunger to become an*overarching federal*super-state.
Even more worrying*is one little line, tucked in note 85 of the Brexit White Paper. What*does it say?*It states that not only is the Government*keen to hand over our*own British*soldiers,*to the*EU to get involved in EU-specific missions, but on these missions, the UK will be:
“respecting the EU’s decision-making autonomy.”
This is the most damaging line regarding defence in the White Paper, because it is the admittance*of relinquishing all power to*the EU. We will not just be surrendering soldiers to the EU through further, deeper integration, but we will be surrendering all power over*what is done*with*our troops,*and regardless of the EU’s objectives in these missions, to the EU.
This would be a disgrace if we were IN the EU, let alone when we are OUT*after Brexit. How can*anyone possibly*imagine*any situation*which*means*surrendering*the orders and lives of our*British Armed Forces*to unelected EU bureaucrats? This is NOT the Brexit we voted for in any way, shape or form. It*means more surrendering of power to Brussels, and a further way to be shackled to the EU in our post-Brexit state.*