Fantasy facts

Not for the first time it is necessary to correct the myths and general inaccuracies perpetrated by a number of your regular correspondents concerning our 43 years of membership of EU. The latest have been decrying how we have been done down during our membership and that we are being punished for leaving.

The true history is that the UK has been a leading proponent in the development of the EU and some of its institutions and initiatives supported by the UK include the European Investment Bank, which started here with Peterhead power station in 1974, and in the last decade over £3 billion has found its way to Scotland in projects including M8 upgrades, Aberdeen Western bypass, Aberdeen Harbour expansion and hospitals in Edinburgh and Dumfries.

As for how we have not got our way with the other member countries, the facts are that from 1999 to 2016 the UK Government voted no to EU proposals on 56 occasions and voted yes 2,466 times. We agreed 95 per cent of the time, had an abstention rate of 3 per cent and were in the minority on only 2 per cent of occasions. Is there any other organisation or business where the rate of disagreement has been so miniscule?

Beyond all that, the UK received preferential treatment in opt-outs whereby we retain UK currency and carry out our own border controls. With regard to immigration, the UK can legally remove any EU national who is not work- ing after three months of arriving – although, for their own reasons, successive governments have seen fit to not apply these regulations with any vigour; indicating that it has been the implementation rather than the regulation which has been responsible for many of the ills attributed to immigration.

Bearing in mind the decision to leave was down to the UK electorate and we were not being asked to leave, any unsatisfactory outcome will be entirely self inflicted and in no way would amount to punishment. The EU cannot be blamed for requiring that European Medicines Agency and European Banking Authority should relocate from London to alternative European cities.

In respect of citizens’ rights, the UK is currently offering its own nationals working and residing in Europe a lesser level of benefits than the EU is willing to continue to maintain.

By all means let us have further debate on how our departure from EU can best be managed but can we now give up on the perpetual repetition of unsubstantiated grievances and fantasy facts? GRAHAM HAY

Player Green Livingston West Lothian