TRUST ME, THE EU IS A GOOD THING

It was the EU's 50th birthday at the weekend, although you'd be forgiven for not realising. It took until pages 32 and 33 for The Times to celebrate the occassion. I'll re-phrase, report on the occassion. Even the traditionally Eurosceptic British press couldn't bash the club that has ensured peace and prosperity on a once unstable and fractious continent, so instead we just heard very little about it.

For once I feel well qualified to comment, so trust me the EU is a good thing and moreover a very good thing for us in Britain and I'm going to tell you why:

1) Before the European Coal and Steal Community was created in 1957 Europe was a continent of war. Pooling the two industries of war, coal and steal, was the starting point for the EU and to take the peace and security we enjoy within Europe for granted is extremely ignorant.

2) The single market has greatly improved economic performance and increased prosperity in the UK and the EU as a whole.

3) Notions of lost sovereignty, on the whole, are complete bogus. First, as part of an ever increasingly globalised world the interdependence between nation-states is inevitable and necessary. You only need to look at environmental policy to get the point. Secondly, on certain issues we can always opt-out. It wasn't right for us to join the Euro and we didn't. To comprehensively and crudely prove my point, we could always withdraw.

4) ... and finally, the UK has never been in a such a good position within the EU. That's what my whole dissertation is on so I can't be bothered to go into it. You'll just have to trust me again!

So basically trust me on this one, the EU is a good thing and if you find anyone who can tell you otherwise without ranting 'Kilroy' style, I'll move to Bulgaria.