Quote Originally Posted by WBA123 View Post
Actually you're right, it was good old Maggie who started us off on our way to the Single Market in 1992 (not the common market)...one of her very few successes.

And how right she was...

Here's a transcript of a speech she made on 18th April 1988;


"We must get this right. Too often in the past Britain has missed opportunities.

How we meet the challenge of the Single Market will be a major factor, possibly the major factor, in our competitive position in European and world markets into the twenty-first century. [end p2] Getting it right needs a partnership between government and business.

The task of government is two-fold: —to negotiate in Brussels so as to get the possible results for Britain; —and then to make you the business community aware of the opportunities, so that you can make the most of them. [end p3]

It's your job, the job of business, to gear yourselves up to take the opportunities which a single market of nearly 320 million people will offer.

Just think for a moment what a prospect that is. A single market without barriers—visible or invisible—giving you direct and unhindered access to the purchasing power [end p4] of over 300 million of the world's wealthiest and most prosperous people.

Bigger than Japan. Bigger than the United States. On your doorstep. And with the Channel Tunnel to give you direct access to it.

It's not a dream. [end p5] It's not a vision. It's not some bureaucrat's plan. It's for real"
Hello again 123. I tend to keep my own own counsel regarding politics and rarely pass comment. As such I've no intention of becoming embroiled in an ongoing debate. However, it's interesting you should quote Maggie Thatcher so extensively. She was indeed an architect in our integration with the EU. Yet she was also an outspoken opponent of the EU increasing powers and influence over domestic policy as was widely reported at the time. I won't be going backwards and forwards to find quotes but I well remember reading of it. Many thanks for sourcing this passage though .

“We must get this right” – whether successive governments have got it right is very much open to opinion and debate, hence the referendum and it’s build up. “A single market without barriers—visible or invisible—giving you direct and unhindered access to the purchasing power ………… the purchasing power [end p4] of over 300 million of the world's wealthiest and most prosperous people.”

A single market without barriers allowing access to purchasing power eh? I think she was referring to free trade between European nations to further enhance their and our collective national wealth. I don’t think her grand plan envisioned the inclusion of economically weaker countries, or migration to the scales you’ve previously mentioned. In all honesty now, do you?

Further to this you've mentioned that the Daily 'Fail' and The Pun (my words not yours) use scare tactics and headlines to influence people's minds. Isn't this exactly what members of the Labour Party do via social media when lambasting the electorate with wildly inaccurate claims regarding funding etc during local elections? Promises for this and that which may or not be economically viable or even costed? I know I'm going off at a tangent here but both sides of the political spectrum are guilty of what you allude to regarding the poisoning of minds.

Personally speaking I gathered an awful lot of information over a long period of time before making my mind up as to which way I'd vote during the referendum. I certainly didn't rely on click bait sensationalist headlines. Much of the information I sourced was from Gov.UK, the EU Commissions site for Research and Innovation and a variety of think tanks both for and against Brexit. I'm sure you did the same, it's just that we came to different conclusions.

Anyway, have you got any idea who we're going to sign, who DM's assistant will be or whether I can finally loff at the Vile yet please ?