Ahead of the European elections, we asked representatives from the major parties to submit an article making the case for their party. Today, former Medway UKIP group leader Roy Freshwater puts forward the argument for his party..
Mrs. May’s Withdrawal Agreement (treaty) is a complete betrayal of the referendum decision. 88,997 Medway residents voted on the 23rd June 2016 to leave the EU and take back control of our money, our laws and our borders. The government made up of ‘remainers’ and mostly elitist MPs after three years has presented us with a ‘Not Really Leaving the EU Withdrawal Agreement’. It will not satisfy leavers or remainers, and cost many millions in payments to the EU that should be spent on improving the lives of British communities and Medway communities. Its intention is to make it possible to reverse the referendum decision or, if it is implemented, to pave the way for re-entry to the EU in a few years’ time.
UKIP is the only political party that stands for a complete and unencumbered exit from the European Union with a manifesto to take back control.
UKIP is the only party with a manifesto and the only real opposition to rules and laws from the European Union for the British people for over 20 years – and forced the government to give a referendum to British people in June 2016.
UKIP was the only party to publish a Brexit plan, entitled ‘Brexit Must Mean Exit. Taking Control. The UKIP Plan for Leaving the European Union’ (July 2017). This is available to read or download on the UKIP website.
In short, UKIP stands for: no more money to be paid to the EU, no more EU laws imposed upon us, no more jurisdiction over us by the European Court and no more open-border EU immigration making our housing crisis worse.
UKIP will continue to fight any ‘withdrawal agreement’ HM Government agrees with the EU unless it gives the UK total independence from the EU, and fully restores the UK’s former status as an independent, self-governing, sovereign state.
UKIP wishes to remain good friends and trade with the EU to our mutual benefit but without any political connection with the EU. A clean exit from the EU will include withdrawing post-Brexit from PESCO (Permanent Structure Cooperation), the EU’s ‘Defence Union’, or nascent Army, which the Government agreed to prior to Brexit.
Britain’s international standing will be enhanced by leaving the EU as it will be able to act independently, whilst retaining its membership of the UN Security Council, the World Trade Organisation, the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, and over 100 other international organisations of which we are a member.
Outside the European Union Britain will be a more prosperous nation. It will regain control of its trade policy, free business from unnecessary regulation, regain control of its agricultural industry and restore its fishing industry. Increased prosperity will mean more jobs, and more tax revenue to pay for the things we all want for the British people.
The European political project is falling apart and will be soon after we leave to be replaced by independent European and other countries with a good relationship with each other, trading with each other, without needing a bureaucratic Superstate.
The growing unease about the federalist project means that Hungary and Poland will be next to bow out of the EU, followed by Denmark, Ireland, France, Sweden, Italy, and Greece.
This is no treaty to take back control, no treaty for a newly independent nation. It does not quantify the financial liabilities, which are open-ended and could be much larger than the low £39bn Treasury estimate. We have little power to abate the bills and no power to abort the bills. It would probably result even in failure to take back control of our fishing grounds. UKIP is demanding Mrs. May go back to the EU and explain why the UK people and parliament have opposed this treaty, and ask them to think again if they want an agreement before we leave. She needs to make it clear we now intend to leave without signing the Withdrawal Agreement.
Roy Freshwater is the former leader of the UKIP group on Medway, and a former councillor for Peninsula.
Very well put Roy.