Dear Editor

The failure of the European Union to be more flexible, particularly in relation to immigration controls, led to the referendum outcome. At least the Tory party gave the people a vote on the issue, denied them by the opposition parties.

I voted to leave (one of near 40% of residents in Scotland) despite the predominant political consensus for remain; principally for a host of reasons to do with issues of democracy and national control. The UK result should be democratically respected and not fragmented; it was a UK vote that the Scots should respect since the majority voted in the independence referendum to remain part of the U.K, with all that entails.

I am against any further referendums on constitutional issues unless a clear voting threshold of 60% is reached for a decision, since clearly if the vote is close the losing side don’t accept the result.

I am critical of the failure of the UK Government to properly organise or at least offer a national negotiating strategy involving the devolved administrations and opposition political representatives. As a result we have a ‘Tory’ Brexit strategy rather than a British one. The current strategy results from interminable media and party discussion rather than keeping one’s cards close to oneself and I feel it has been a real mistake to place a divorce settlement figure on the negotiating table with an intransigent and unelected EU team. Britain clearly requires ‘a bespoke deal’ and I don’t see how Brexit is consistent with membership of the customs union and single market as they stand at present. In fact, the difficulty of even reaching the negotiating position we are at reinforces how much sovereign control of our own affairs we have lost and the need to regain it. The freedom to negotiate free trade deals on a global stage, particularly with our Commonwealth Partners, is essential. also don’t accept there is a power grab proposed by Westminster in relation to Scotland; in fact the Tory party have recently delivered devolved tax raising powers to Scotland making the Holyrood Parliament one of the strongest devolved administration’s in the world, although this will never be enough for the nationalists who don’t accept the outcome of the Independence vote.

The Common Market we questionably joined in the 1970’s has grown out of all proportion, becoming unmanageable and undemocratic with aspirations towards federation.  I remember also the ‘misguided’ attempt in the 1990’s to tie sterling to the European exchange rate mechanism and the loss of financial reserves resulting.

We have an unsustainable level of net migration into the UK, especially England, in relation to our available land area, something some other European countries do not share. I note, however, that attempted prevention of free movement in some other European countries i.e. Hungary, hasn’t seemed to raise significant concerns with EU leaders. I noted on a recent visit to Sweden, the significant level of immigration they have allowed but they are re-considering the wisdom of this, following concerns expressed politically. Before Britain joined the E.U. we managed to organise seasonal workers for our agricultural sector and I see no reason why this couldn’t continue and why a new UK immigration policy couldn’t safeguard our need for ‘key’ workers for sections of our economy. I recently supported a motion, unanimously passed at Perth & Kinross Council, regarding clarity on the status of existing EU citizens in Britain, pointing out that most people I know, including those who voted leave, are relaxed about EU citizens in gainful employment and contributing to our society maintaining residential status and voting powers.

There is an urgent need to extract ourselves, without delay, from the disastrous common agricultural and fisheries policies. The UK is a major net contributor to EU budgets so there has to be a financial dividend from leaving that can be used wisely for our own national priorities.

Much has been made of the EU border issue, I suggest blown out of all proportion by the Irish political situation. I recently visited the border between Norway (outwith EU) and Sweden (within EU), noticing no apparent problem with travel across it and no long lorry queues, the use of CCTV and computers providing seamless transition.

We also do not need a return to an international border between England and Scotland, a quite possible outcome if Scottish Nationalist aspirations are realised.

Finally and depressingly, the last 2 years have seen the British establishment and media bring ‘Brexit’ into almost everything, with predictions under ‘project fear’ of ‘Armageddon’ should we deign to leave the E.U. We are not leaving Europe only a restrictive trading organisation under the significant control of big business. There is a tendency to suggest that those who voted leave ‘are somehow misguided and lacking in intelligence’ from those who don’t seem to have any confidence in Britain controlling its own affairs, given its history and still global influence.  This self-doubt is unedifying to me, especially the suggestion that we can’t strengthen our economy without large scale in-migration, which in itself, as I have said, is unsustainable for a relatively small island with finite agricultural land for food production.

Yours sincerely

Cllr Michael Barnacle Independent Member for Kinross-shire

The following is my article on the EU referendum that was sent to the press just before the vote.

Please see below a response to the article in the Perthshire Advertiser of 10 June 2016 for you to use as you so wish before the EU Referendum on 23 June:

Dear Editor

Thoughts on Forthcoming EU Referendum on 23 June 2016

It is good that the British people are finally getting the opportunity to have their say on long-standing concerns over our membership of the European Union (EU).  It has taken a long time for one of our political parties to deliver it.

It is noted with interest, whilst finalising this letter, the article of 10 June 2016 from my council colleague and recently elected MSP, Alexander Stewart, arguing the case for ‘Brexit’ and I wholeheartedly agree with him.  Reference in the article to the ‘pro-EU’ Enterprise and Infrastructure Committee was somewhat misleading since I am a member of it and only my council colleague, Willie Robertson, voiced that position.

I have always been somewhat sceptical of the EU project.  The current union has grown out of all proportion to what we joined.  It is also run by an unaccountable body of unelected officials and there does not appear to be any audited control of expenditure.  It seems folk are increasingly irritated by pronouncements from senior bureaucrats, so-called economic experts who’ve been wrong before and leaders from other states warning the British people of the dire consequences of a ‘Brexit’ or any notion of reclaiming more control of our affairs. There is a democratic deficit when one member state has to persuade 27 others to share a consensus on issues.  Alexander is quite correct to state that Holyrood could be made more democratic and accountable if EU constraints to courses of action are lifted as a result of ‘Brexit’, especially in devolved areas like agriculture and fishing.

The UK remains a ‘significant’ net contributor to the funding of the EU’s programme, a position that would continue with any further enlargement of membership.  This would be more acceptable if the Eurozone economic policies were working but they seem predicated on austerity, low growth and record youth unemployment which many regard as a ‘failed model’.

The EU trading block erects barriers and tariffs on trade, when we should be pursuing free trading arrangements wherever possible as long as there is a mechanism to protect our own vital industries like steel, something the EU seems to put obstacles against.

I believe in the innate ability of the British people to produce and trade in goods of the highest quality effectively throughout the world, whilst protecting workers’ rights, often established prior to EU membership.

It is often stated that the EU has stopped a war but it completely failed to prevent a major ethnic conflict in the Balkans.  I am not convinced that co-operation on our national security will be threatened by leaving the EU since all nations of the world have an interest in working together against the common enemy of terrorism.

Britain has a finite small land area for its increasing population and the current levels of net in-migration to the UK are not sustainable in terms of economy and social cohesion.  The EU’s insistence on free movement of people leaves those who regard control of our borders as fundamental with little option but to consider ‘Brexit’.

I fail to see any long-term advantage to Britain of remaining part of the EU under the current set of proposals that David Cameron is trying to sell as a negotiated deal.”

Yours sincerely

Councillor Mike Barnacle

Independent Member for Kinross-shire

PS           The thoughts expressed are my own and not those of the Independent Group at PKC.