The Prime Minister claims to have got such a deal on a reformed EU that he would join it now, if we were not already a member....
Well, what an interesting prospect. Having spent many years in business, the primary consideration I have always had is the matter of whether I can trust the people on the other side of the negotiation. If there is any doubt, I have never been interested in progressing things.
Let us spend a moment looking at the set-up that we are dealing with. I will briefly set out some bullet points, and leave you to your own conclusions...
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The European Court of Auditors (ECA) have refused to sign of the EU's accounts for over 20 years.
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Something like 80% of EU expenditure is considered by the ECA to be insufficiently supported by proper supporting documentation.
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The whole organisation, whilst it has a "democratically" elected European Parliament, is governed by a totally unelected European Council and Commission. The Parliament can only vote on what is put before it by these unelected bodies.
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The elite personnel on these unelected bodies are granted huge salaries, lavish expense accounts and staff resources, and have exempted themselves from paying any tax whatsoever... None at all... And, they will all get extraordinarily generous pensions for life, once retired.
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I find it hard to believe that the likes of Jean Claude Juncker, the President of the Commission, or many of his colleagues, would accept the thought that many lesser EU staffers might enjoy larger office space than they personally have. And yet, one now learns that many EU personnel, especially in the EU equivalent of the diplomatic service, have personal offices with rather larger than the average floor space for one room than that of a British family's entire accommodation space. Some have much more.... Imagine how big M.Juncker's office might be?
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This is an organisation which is happy to waste everybody's money in spending half its time in Brussels, and the other half in Strasbourg - excepting, of course, the considerable time spent in recess. And, I imagine, the size of their offices in each location is similar, which doubles the iniquitous situation to which I allude.
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The President of the European Commission, Jean Claude Juncker, is on record as having said: "If the going gets tough, you have to lie".
Well, as a businessman, I simply do not understand the Prime Minister's claims. There is no way I would do business with a company whose auditors had refused to sign off their accounts for one year, let alone 21 years; whose directors were clearly looking after their own comfort and interests as a priority rather than those of the multitudinous other stakeholders and, who clearly feel that they are in a position that is somehow above the rest of us to the point of being comfortable taxing everyone else whilst enjoying a self-proclaimed tax-free status themselves; and, whose ultimate President has stated that he is happy to lie in order to get his way.
As a businessman and a citizen - with no perverse, hidden incentive to stay in the Remain camp - I see no reason whatsoever as to why I should join such an organisation, on the terms that Mr Cameron has agreed.