It seemed too good to be
true for UKIP, and it was. A cynic might even say it was stage managed, a
cynical stunt to show Cameron’s government “standing up for Britain” in Europe.
A few weeks before a by
election where the Conservative party faces losing what should be a safe seat
to UKIP following the defection of their MP Mark Reckless, the European Union
issued a demand for £1.7 billion to be paid by December the 1st. This
was based on our better than expected economic performance, and a new method of
accounting that takes into account the massive gains Britain makes from drugs
and prostitution.
Then lo and behold, a
deal is struck. Britain will now pay half the amount originally demanded, and
in two installments. The spirit of Thatcher’s handbag rises again, and the
headlines praise Cameron and Osbourne’s resolve in dealing with the grabbing
mandarins of Brussels.
Except it’s total
rubbish, as Bloomberg point out here http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-07/u-k-fails-to-win-budget-payment-cut-as-eu-defies-cameron.html
True to his word Cameron
did not pay the full amount by December 1st, he instead
agreed to pay it by September next year, and net of the rebate that we would
have received in the same period anyway.
A cynic might say Cameron has manipulated this
story in an attempt to win a by election by claiming to have won our own money
back when he has actually done no such thing. And shame on anyone gullible
enough to be fooled by this.
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