Corbyn’s wariness of the Single Market is reasonable – but is it because the UK follows the rules?
Jeremy Corbyn appeared on The Andrew Marr Show as the Labour Conference kicked off.
Those of us who have been arguing for continued Single Market membership have a little food for thought here.
The EU does attach conditions on membership. Topically, EU rules demanded the privatisation of the Royal Mail (I’m told by an employee). That’s why it was sold off on the cheap by Vince Cable into the hands of money-grubbers who are doing their best to ruin their workers’ lives – hence the current threat of strike action.
But my Royal Mail friend had another nugget of wisdom – he reckons the EU tried to impose this demand on other countries, like Germany, but they rejected it. And nobody pushed the point.
So, why did the UK accept all these EU rules when everyone else just picks and chooses whatever they fancy and throws away the rest?
Perhaps the way forward is just to tell the EU-rocrats we’ll stay in after all – but on the same terms as countries like Germany.
How about that, Europe?
Jeremy Corbyn has said he is wary of committing to stay in the European single market because it would restrict the powers of a future Labour government to implement party policies.
the Labour leader said he wanted tariff-free access to the single market with a close relationship to the EU, but said he was wary of committing to full single market membership… “That has within it restrictions on state aid and state spending. That has pressures on it, through the European Union, to privatise rail, for example, and other services. I think we have to be quite careful about the powers we need as national governments.”
Corbyn said there was some dispute about how far governments could stretch state-aid rules, suggesting the government could have acted more decisively to protect the UK steel industry, something the Conservatives had said was constrained by EU rules.
Source: Corbyn says he is wary of committing to stay in European single market | Politics | The Guardian
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https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/jan/02/royal-mail-privatisation-european-commission-curbs
EU did NOT force Royal Mail sell off. That is Right wing crooked propaganda and union not getting their facts correct !
https://leftfootforward.org/2016/04/eu-law-helps-to-protect-our-postal-services/
Germany, France, rail services government run, `not privatised `and I believe also their utilities , but they do buy/run invest in other countries utilities especially the UK, This contradicts Corbyn`s claims and as you say why do we follow the rules, is there an incentive in doing so meaning UK Gov. lets others invest and benefit from our assets, and no doubt their inner circle creams off the profits via shares.
Well, here’s the relevant EU regulation – Article 345
(ex Article 295 TEC)
“The Treaties shall in no way prejudice the rules in Member States governing the system of property ownership.”
And as for rail re-nationalisation, who owns SNCF? Deutsche Bahn? RENFE? Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane? Trenitalia? NMBS/SNCB (Belgium) ?
Paper tiger.
What is the point in having a club with rules if the members ignore half of them? Why bother having rules, if one can pick and choose? It makes not sense to me. I have heard as much, before but again, it makes no sense to have rules that can be ignored at will.
Well Railways are regulated under the eu’s legislation the first second and third railway directive, imposed by the unelected commission :- 1991 EU Directive 91/440 was created to make it a legal requirement for independent companies to be able to apply for non-discriminatory track access (running powers) on a European Union country’s tracks.
Back in 1975 we were promised more growth and prosperity, as well as a more secure europe.
We sadly have only seen decline and less security, just look into Europe’s stance on the Ukraine, supporting Fascists against Russia, and no I don’t think Putin is an angel without question, but he is certainly not a fool.
People are blinded by unfounded claims of promises of prosperity and security, we are a nation of 65 million or so people, In Global terms we are pretty insignificant, the idea we can trade our in a global market is even within the EU is to forget that we have a large trade deficit already with the EU. We have been living the myth of the EU ever since we joined, what we need is a Labour government that can invest in essential services and create industries, spending directly into the economy all of which would be outlawed by the EU. We are a sovereign nation with its own currency, we can spend into our economy and pay for our public services in a way that Europe with its single currency can not do.
The reason that does not happen already, is because we have a Tory Neo-Liberal government.