Excellent Richard.

I cannot fault the logic of this post. In effect, invoking Article 50 means we leave but not with immediate effect - and until we have sundered the umbilical cleanly and with surgical precision - a two year window will thus ease in the appropriate measures and leading to a satisfyingly total severance from the diseased host - the EU.

UKIP's nonsense and flannel - prevaricating over some type of a referendum is too little too late: we need to commence the withdrawal from the European slave Empire of economic lunacy and ASAP.

Apologies for being somewhat pedantic here but wasn't the election meant to 'legitimise' matters?

If not then why hold them?.

To show democratic form only in my view....

I wonder if they would? The car industry in the UK is always portrayed in a way that obscures its true size, tourism contributes far more, about five times more, in GDP that car manufacturing. But then I suppose it's how you measure these things!

So yes these car based jobs are important but let's also wonder why the manufacturers came to the UK in the first place. It has to be because the skills are here. Even the Mercedes Formula 1 team are UK based and I don't think they would take off to lo-cost Bulgaria if the UK left the EU!

Another reason to stay is that the emerging markets for many manufacturers are Russia and China, so what's that to do with the EU? Anyway the owners of Jaguar-LandRover are an Indian company who are not daft and see that selling a high cost car into these markets made in the UK is not a disadvantage.

Also the manufacturers who came to the UK did so years ago knowing full well that the UK was the most eurosceptic country of the EU and unlikely to join the euro. It did not put them off and could have even been factored into their plan as an advantage as it hedged their bets. Seeing how the euro is getting on right now you may think they got that right.

So finally I say that a plan, like the Harrogate Agenda, that improves the opportunity of the UK to be independent and to set the optimum conditions for manufacturing in the UK rather than simply comply with an EU wish-list is going to increase its attraction to outside investors.

Inch by inch we creep closer to a UKExit! Although it seems to be a snail's pace the direction is clearer now. This is even if the political elite pulls a distraction by offering an initial in/in referendum - including approving/disapproving negotiations for the repatriation of a number of the UK's former powers, which would be followed up by a confirming or rejecting referendum. But the EU is almost certain to reject any major repatriations, while perhaps granting a few minor items as tokens. Then the natural choice will be 'No' & UKExit!

Both Cameron & Miliband know this well enough, & that's why they are so hesitant to commit themselves to an EU referendum. Even so, slowly but surely we are getting towards the moment of truth. Cameron cannot stop it, & gets weaker by the day.

Watchet

Do we really want to be telling people about Harrogate Agenda strategy? Wont they more likely exclude us from any movements in the near future if so?

There will be a lot of "under the horizon" stuff ... but since, as a matter of strategy, I think we should not go out of our way to attract legacy media attention, we can be well assured that the chatterati will remain in ignorance of us. The broader point though, is that we have the winning ideas ... other movements will eventually join with us ... or their supporters will and they will disappear. We are the Borg of politics ... resistance is futile!

Edited by user 19 November 2012 14:47:17(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified