The EU costs every household in Britain up to £2,000 a year according to independent experts. EU rules make up at least 6 out of 10 of our laws. So whatever you think of the EU, there's no denying it is very important.
The problem is that the EU is so remote from the person in the street. So people feel powerless. Whatever they say and however they vote, people think it will make no difference. And you can see why. Just look at the way Ireland is being told to vote again on the Lisbon treaty as they had the cheek to give the "wrong" answer last time.
Charlie Elphicke believes that Government is at its best when it is closest to the people. People need to be able to change things. They need to be able to chuck governments out of office. That way, we are all more engaged and what goes on is something we are part of - not something that "happens to us". Charlie wants to see us build a Britain everyone can be part of, where we are one nation be we rich or poor.
Britain has long been a nation with an independent spirit. So the idea of a Federal Europe and the Euro means little to us. Charlie Elphicke believes our aim should be to benefit from a really positive trading relationship with Europe, so we can all make lots of money. But do we really need the rest of it - the Commission, all these laws and the stunning cost of it all? Ideally Britain would get the best bits of the EU (the free trade bit) and leave out the rest.
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Living so close to other EU states we must not be too insular. In reality our anti-EU stance has done us little good. Of course we must look after our own interests but we have much to learn from other countries. Just compare most town centres abroad with the poverty and desolation in Dover. Our councils regards EU grants as an excuse for a "knees up" - result we have nothing to show for the monies they receive. There is a lot more funding we could obtain to improve our lot but we don't even bother to become involved.
- Geoffrey
with you on that chas, the free movement of people and goods is what we all voted for years ago. most europeans want to make their own laws, much as we do. the eu is already outdated, the rest of the world is down sizing and moving towards local control.
- howard mcsweeney
what are your views on the lisbon treaty chas? the majority of the voters want us out of the european experiment now. this is evidenced by the success of the UKIP that will be opposing you and the other candidates in a few months time. this question will be asked of you many times during the campaign.
- howard mcsweeney
I am not keen about the Lisbon Treaty. Labour said they would give us a referendum and they lied. So we had no say. It's now passed and part of EU law. Yet we still need to strike the right balance on the EU. So David Cameron is right that we need to renegotiate to recast our relationship with the EU. While it would be wrong to bind his hands in the negotiation, I would urge for that renegotiation to be wide ranging and aim to get free trade with far less of the baggage and EU law nonsense than we have today. The electoral maths is pretty clear, vote UKIP and you'll get Labour and even more Europe in this Labour Tory marginal. Vote Tory and you get a patriot locally, with less Europe and a recasting of matters EU nationally.
- Charlie Elphicke