grandad wrote:
No, It is what you think the country want. I certainly don't want us to leave the EU and I think it would be bad to stop all immigration.
Stay in the EU - tighter immigration
The Top 10 European Union Myths Debunked
:: The EU Wants To Ban Coffee Machines
Not so, says the European Commission – but from January 2015 brand new coffee machines will need to have an energy efficiency option which would put the hotplate or element into standby after a certain period, although this function could be turned off. EU officials insist that people's existing coffee machines will not be affected.
EU MYTHS top ten
:: The EU Wants To Ban UK Number Plates
It was widely reported that the European Parliament was poised to axe British number plates, ban personalised ones and standardise plates across the EU. The Commission calls the reports "an absurd fantasy" and says such a change would be "legally impossible". Instead, it says, the legislation was for simplifying the process of transferring vehicles within the EU, including a proposal for an optional temporary EU-wide plate.
EU MYTHS top ten
:: The EU Wants To Dig Up Your Garden
In March newspaper reports claimed EU inspectors were preparing to raid British gardens in order to destroy people's plants, criminalising those with rhododendrons in the process. The Commission says this is untrue and that the new rules are aimed not at garden plants but at invasive plant and animal species like Japanese Knotweed, which has damaged the Olympic stadium, hogweed and tiger mosquitoes. It says monitoring these species will be down to individual countries, not "EU inspectors" (a post which, it says, does not actually exist).
EU MYTHS top ten
:: The EU Wanted To Ban Curved Bananas
The grand-daddy of all 'bizarre EU diktat' stories – but, according to the European Commission, not really true. Several newspapers reported in September 1994 that the EU was to ban curved bananas. The EC says the rules only apply to green, unripe bananas, and that the banana industry and national governments asked for such quality control regulations.
EU MYTHS top ten
:: The EU Wanted To Ban Bagpipes
In 2005 it was reported that bagpipes would be banned under new EU noise pollution laws which would not allow noises louder than 87 decibels. However, the Commission says this is only designed to protect workers using loud machinery for eight hours or more continuously. Should bagpipers wish to perform for a continuous eight hours at more than 87 decibels, a risk assessment would have to be carried out on, for instance, the hall's acoustics in order to minimise echoes.
EU MYTHS top ten
:: The EU Wanted To Ban Prawn Cocktail Crisps
The threat to one of Britain's favourite crisp flavours emerged in 1993. But the European Commission insists it never had any intention of banning them. It says that while collating information from national governments on sweeteners and flavourings in different foods, UK negotiators gave an incomplete list. When this was pointed out, the list was amended.
EU MYTHS top ten
:: The EU Wanted To Ban Double-Decker Buses
Stories appeared in 1995, and again in 1998, suggesting the EU was planning to scrap double-decker buses. The European Commission says that while it is trying to make buses and coaches safer and more accessible to people with disabilities, it has no plans to try to outlaw traditional double-deckers.
EU MYTHS top ten
:: The EU Wanted To Ban Firemen's Poles
Reports in 2002 said Eurocrats were ordering firefighters to use stairs rather than the traditional pole to get to their engines, apparently as part of a plan to cut accidents and compensation claims. The European Commission says that while the UK has adopted general provisions on health and safety at work, the EU has never tried to ban what it calls the "essential apparatus" of firemen's poles.
EU MYTHS top ten
:: The EU Wanted To Ban Mushy Peas
The perfect accompaniment to fish and chips looked doomed in August 1995 amid reports that Eurocrats were planning to outlaw mushy peas. The European Commission did issue guidelines on which food colourings could and could not be used. But three – E102, E133 and E142 – survived and can be used in tinned "processed mushy and garden peas".
EU MYTHS top ten
:: The EU Demanded That Pigs Be Given Toys
Reports in 2003 said a new ruling from Brussels would mean toys would have to be put in every pigsty in Britain to keep animals happy and stop them chewing each other. The penalty for failing to do so was reported to be three months in prison. The European Commission says this is not true - the "manipulable material" required in pig pens should be straw, hay or compost, not toys. It says the ruling has been demanded for years by the industry and retailers, and that punishment for non-compliance is up to national governments.