tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36227136.post4615057055256849803..comments2008-10-20T10:40:46.133+01:00Open Europe blog teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16171019222913793556noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36227136.post-43637280829695850302008-10-16T22:28:00.000+01:002008-10-16T22:28:00.000+01:00How dare Denis McShane imply that we do not wish to discuss the effect the EU has on our ability to govern and make laws for ourselves. The man is living in cloud cuckoo land if he seriously believes what he has been saying.<BR/>The EU is an interfering busybody that we the Great British Public dislike intensely.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36227136.post-71485063693315043942008-10-16T17:14:00.000+01:002008-10-16T17:14:00.000+01:00However reasoned the argument against our continued membership of the EU none of the Eurofiles in Whitehall will acknowledge it because they have all accepted the 30 pieces of silver from Brussels. The EU gravy train they're all booked on can't really leave until the Lisbon Treaty is full ratified.<BR/>The EU club has a membership of 27 but only about 5 (including the UK) pay any subs, the rest are freeloaders. It is worth noting that, only Britons over the age of 51 have ever been allowed to vote on our membership of the EU, I don't know how big a proportion of the population that is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36227136.post-52179380931587685112008-10-15T17:09:00.000+01:002008-10-15T17:09:00.000+01:00I have e-mailed Denis MacShane a copy of the actual written answer from the German Ministry of Justice, with the numbers. He can no longer claim it's the ravings of an obscure German sceptic whose name he forgets!<BR/><BR/>Roger HelmerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36227136.post-564718746557307102008-10-15T13:09:00.000+01:002008-10-15T13:09:00.000+01:00OK, I see that now.<BR/><BR/>Difficult to condense into a soundbite, though!<BR/><BR/>Peter GardnerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36227136.post-54177034171171088362008-10-14T16:03:00.000+01:002008-10-14T16:03:00.000+01:00This is how they calculated the figure, according to our German source:<BR/><BR/>750 (directives) + 18.187 (regulations) = 18.917 EU legislative acts<BR/><BR/>1.195 (Gesetze) + 3.055 (Verordnungen) – 750 (directives) = 3.500 German legislative acts<BR/><BR/>18937/22437 = 84.4% <BR/><BR/>To avoid double counting, the 750 directives were subtracted from the total number of German legislative acts, since directives have to be implemented via national legislation.Open Europe blog teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298566546867244328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36227136.post-4930590432261654542008-10-13T17:26:00.000+01:002008-10-13T17:26:00.000+01:00One could suppose that a directive is approximately equivalent to a law and that a regulation is approximately equivalent to a Rechs thingy. On the former basis I make that about 60%.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36227136.post-4290137927901948922008-10-13T13:42:00.000+01:002008-10-13T13:42:00.000+01:00Hi,<BR/><BR/>We're not sure why Roman Herzog said 84% because as you say the figures he cites actually suggest 76% at the most. <BR/><BR/>We are currently waiting for contacts in Germany to come back to us on where the difference in figures comes from.<BR/><BR/>Either way, MacShane's claim that there is no source for the figures ("75 or 80%") was clearly rubbish designed to undermine those people who are making an effort to clear this controversy up.Open Europe blog teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16264607701574814301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36227136.post-21353268934788434442008-10-13T13:23:00.000+01:002008-10-13T13:23:00.000+01:00Hi,<BR/><BR/>I can't make 84% out of those figures, much as I'd like to because its a figure I often quote. I need to get it right. How do you get 84% from those figures?<BR/><BR/>Peter GardnerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com