[Margaret Pilkington]

My memory goes back a long way too.
I recall the European Economic Community being promoted as a trading organisation, rather than the huge political beast it has become.
Yes, the media did dub the EEC as the 'common market'.....I think this was done because using the full title was a mouthful, but also, as you say, it seemed less of a threat.


This so called trading partnership has never had equality at its heart.
Take for instance the Common Agricultural Policy. Farmers were paid not to cultivate their fields. Not to produce foodstuffs.
Why was this do you think? Well, it does not take an Einstein to work out that if we did not produce our own food then we would have to buy it....and we would have to buy it from one of the countries in the 'common market'.
Do you remember the butter mountains....the wine lakes, the surplus of good produced by the 'common market'?
These found their way into our shops and made home produced stuff far less competitive....so producers gave up producing food for the home market....and as the 'common market' had made our food less competitive in our own country, it was obvious that we would not be exporting our food to them......so competition against their goods was wiped out.....and that is a 'market'?

A couple of years ago there was a huge outcry against the practice of fish being caught and not being saleable due to some barmy EU regulations.

Many varieties of apples have died out because they did not meet the EU criteria.....this was not because they were not good to eat, but because some bureaucrat had deemed them to be illegal to sell( I long for a lovely Russet Apple...But never ever see them nowadays).

I consider myself reasonably politically aware. (Even though I do not have any political affiliation)I do not just swallow what the media tell me, I like to seek out information so that I can make informed decisions.

I have not got a clue as to who my MEP is.
I do not ever remember voting for an MEP.
I do not recall ever having been canvassed for my support for any MEP. I do not ever recall what policies my MEP promoted....what he/she offered to gain for our area.
I am pretty sure I am not alone in this.

If you went round Accrington today and asked 100 resident who their MEP is I would be surprised if 2% could tell you.(many would not understand the question unless you ask them in their mother tongue - which is not English, which they haven't bothered to learn)
As far as I am concerned Turkey is not in Europe....and yet this country is being admitted to the European Union. How long will it be before They are asking China to join?

The EU is anti democracy. I have never felt more strongly about an issue than I do about leaving the EU.....however difficult this may be, it is better than the prospect of remaining in this self serving organisation.