Actions threaten jobs

The European Union (EU) is vital to a prosperous North Wiltshire and Britain. That is not just my opinion. Talk as I have to the leaders of Airbus in Bristol, listen to the leaders of Honda or BMW in Swindon. They and other major employers in our area, are clear that a Britain outside the EU is a much less attractive business proposition, so threatening the jobs of my fellow residents in Yatton Keynell and very many others across the towns and villages of North Wiltshire.

If these big companies and others go elsewhere, then the small and medium-sized firms that work with them will suffer too. They will not be the only ones. As an agricultural engineer, I know that many of our farmers are hard pressed, and so is our natural environment. Both benefit from EU money.

Our exporters also know the value of EU membership. The 300 million citizens in the EU are our largest market by far for our goods and services. We would have to be mad to turn our backs on that.

As I said in my appearance on BBC 1’s Sunday Politics at the weekend, the importance of staying in the EU makes the argument over whether to have a 45p or 50p top rate of tax pale into insignificance.

In fact the only people who will really benefit from Britain leaving the EU would be organised crime and terrorists.

Currently the EU arrest warrant introduced by SW Lib Dem Euro MP Sir Graham Watson, means that there is no hiding place in the EU for such criminals. Indeed one of the London bombers found that out for themselves when they were shipped back from hiding in Italy to be tried and convicted in our courts within days.

Of course, like anything else, there is plenty of room for improvement in making the EU work better for all of us.

Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament have pressed hard to cut out waste bureaucracy and red tape, and expose expenses scandals.

Yet James Gray, his anti-European Conservative friends and their UKIP allies seem more interested in wrecking Europe than improving it. So what is that really all about?

The truth is that the Conservative Party are hopelessly split on the EU, many ‘want Britain out’, many ‘want Britain in’. Their party political ‘sticking plaster’ to cover over this split is to call for a new vote on Britain’s EU membership.

Let me be clear, if the EU wanted more power over Britain, or to change the treaties that govern the EU, or we were joining the Eurozone, then of course we should have a new vote. Indeed that is exactly the decision taken by our Parliament and set out in the coalition agreement signed by David Cameron and Nick Clegg. But none of these changes are happening.

The Liberal Democrats are the party of ‘In work and In Europe’. We want a stronger economy and a fairer society. We joined this coalition to sort out the economic mess Britain was in.

Now, thanks to the stability we have helped create and the policies we have pushed through in government, Britain’s economy is recovering at last.

There is still a long way to go. But the destabilising antics of James Gray will not help that recovery. Many other people also recognise this.

Last weekend I spent Saturday and Sunday seeking the views of hundreds of Royal Wootton Bassett residents. One of the questions I and my team asked was on Britain’s future in the EU. I am pleased to say that the good sense of local residents shone through. They, like the business leaders and entrepreneurs, whose businesses create jobs and wealth in North Wiltshire, say ‘let's stay in and get on with building a stronger economy’.

From the opinions of local residents it is clear that there are many differences between myself and James Gray, they recognise the importance of apprenticeships, keeping politics out of education, cutting income tax rather than inheritance tax, boosting the pupil premium in our schools, introducing a new higher council tax band for two million pound homes and many other import issues.

And I have no doubt that they, like me would welcome a regular debate of these and other issues in the pages of the Gazette and Herald, so that the voters of North Wiltshire can be clear on where we stand when they come to make their choice between us for their next MP at the May 2015 General Election.

Thus I challenge Mr Gray to a fortnightly debate in the pages of the Gazette and Herald. This way the people can hear our different positions on a wide range of topics and come election time they can decide on the basis of knowing what we each stand for.

Dr Brian Mathew

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for North Wiltshire