Daily Express Start No. 10 petition for EU referendum

THE great British public has a chance to help force a key vote on Britain leaving the European Union.

We are calling on readers to grasp this unique opportunity to thrust the argument right to the heart of UK democracy - by signing up to this new online petition demanding a referendum on EU membership.

Once you have signed up via the box below we will add your signature to our exclusive “Britain wants a referendum to leave the EU” petition which is registered on the Government’s new directgov e-petitions website.

The Government has said it will consider any public campaign backed by 100,000 signatures for a debate in Parliament.

Joining our petition will force the country’s politicians to openly discuss an issue that is gathering momentum as Britain bails out failing Eurozone states and our laws are increasingly being adversely affected by EU human rights laws.

This newspaper’s historic crusade - the first to demand that Britain must quit the EU - has already been backed by almost 400,000 people by a postal coupon campaign earlier this year.

Senior Tory ministers and MPs have expressed their support for us in driving the issue of winning freedom from Brussels interference to the forefront of national debate.

Mark Reckless, the Tory MP for Rochester and Strood, last night urged “as many people as possible” to sign up to our latest petition.

“This is excellent news and I am extremely supportive of the wonderful campaign by the Daily Express which has helped push the debate onto the national stage,” he said.

“I would urge as many people as possible to sign up to this petition so we can push the debate for a referendum into parliament once and for all.”

Another staunch supporter of our crusade, Tory backbencher Douglas Carswell, said: “I for one will be signing up.

“The Government has said they want more direct democracy and I hope they welcome the Daily Express’s efforts to give us a chance to debate whether there should be a referendum on the EU.”

The Eurozone crisis has only heightened the sense of urgency for a referendum which will give people the chance to decide if we are better off out of the EU altogether.

In the past year the UK has stumped up a colossal £12.5 billion to help rescue Greece, Ireland and Portugal with bail-outs.

With possible further economic disasters looming large on the horizon in Spain and Italy the financial noose on Britain from Europe could tighten even further.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage last night urged the Government to take notice of what he expects to be a groundswell of support.

“Direct democracy is a great principle and one that UKIP has been advocating for years. It is great news that the Government is introducing this scheme, and of course the Daily Express is absolutely right to take the opportunity to call for a referendum on our EU membership."

** To get involved, please sign the petition HERE. They will collect all the responses and add them to the Government’s new directgov e-petitions website **

It's refreshing to see that honest main stream newspapers still exist in Britain today. I would urge you to sign the petition even if you are pro EU, this is a golden opportunity to test whether  or not Great Britain is still a democracy.


From http://www.express.co.uk/web/referendum

Daily Express - EU RULING COULD FORCE OUT OLDER WORKERS

The landmark decision by the European Court of Justice has provided employers with “wriggle room”

Monday July 25,2011

By Daily Express Reporter

A NEW European ruling could lead to British firms forcing thousands of workers to retire against their will, experts warned last night.

The landmark decision by the European Court of Justice has provided employers with “wriggle room” to justify compulsory retirement at the age of 65.

It could mean older staff being forced out to make room for younger colleagues.

Experts described the ruling as “extremely worrying”. Ros Altmann, director general at Saga, said: “It is essential that we stop employers using age as an excuse to throw people onto the scrapheap.

“This ruling sparks concern that employers might be encouraged to try it.”

The “default retirement age” of 65 was abolished by the Government in April.

But the European court ruling last week that a German law requiring state prosecutors to retire at 65 was justified has opened up new avenues for firms to argue that staff are not fit to work beyond a certain age.

Chris Ball, of The Age and Employment Network, said the ruling appeared to suggest a retirement age can be justified to promote a younger workforce.

“More worryingly, it could open the door for employers to put forward questionable arguments about the fitness of older workers as a reason to retire them early,” he said.

Daily Express - KEN CLARKE: NEVER RULE OUT JOINING THE EURO

David Cameron has vowed there is no prospect of Britain even considering joining the single currency

Monday July 25,2011

By Alison Little Deputy Political Editor

KEN CLARKE was at loggerheads with David Cameron yesterday after taking a “never say never” stance over Britain joining the troubled euro.

Mr Cameron has vowed there is no prospect of Britain even considering joining the single currency.

But former Chancellor Mr Clarke left the door open, saying only that Britain would not be in the eurozone “for the foreseeable future’’.

Pressed in a TV interview yesterday to agree that growing integration between eurozone members meant Britain would never join, Justice Secretary Mr Clarke said: “Certainly nothing is going to happen in the next decade but I find ‘never say never’ in politics is a very good rule.’’

He immediately came under fire from Tory MP Douglas Carswell, who is a leading backer of the Daily Express’s crusade to get Britain out of the EU.

Mr Carswell said: “The reason Britain always ends up being on the wrong side of almost every public policy issue I can think of is because we leave it to people like Mr Clarke to make these decisions. Again and again we see the governed having a lot more common sense than the governing.

“If it’s left to the people in Westminster, I’m sure they would put euro membership on the table again.

“But the 60 million people who constitute the country would be appalled by this sort of thinking.’’

Mr Clarke also criticised people who seemed to relish the prospect of euro collapse in the debt crisis hitting countries such as Greece.

He stressed that Britain would suffer if its major trading partner – the eurozone – did badly, adding: “The euro certainly is going to survive. The eurozone is not going to break apart and any attempt to dissolve it will cause disaster.’’

Mr Clarke said it was wrong “for the British to say ‘whoopee, at least we’re not in the eurozone’,” as though that makes some great difference.

Perhaps someone could lend ken a pair of glasses so he can see what's going on in Greece!

PLAN FOR EU FLAG ON ENGLAND SHIRTS

The fact that 50% of British people wish to leave the European Union will mean that moves to display the EU flag at national sporting events would be be repugnant to many people, says UKIP MEP Paul Nuttall.