21 June (Part 1) - OUT in Belvedere. Not the best of puns Anna
Perhaps next time Anna Firth goes to the top of a hill on a windy day to make a
video she will take a windshield. She could have borrowed one from me. Make the
most of this video, there may not be another and they are getting me into too much trouble
- or it may be my accompanying comments.
They included those about
most employee protection legislation
being ours and not
the EU’s so I did a little bit of research. Correct me if you think I am wrong.
• Paid holiday leave - EU legislation four weeks. UK 5·6 weeks.
Link
• Maternity leave - EU 14 weeks. UK 52 weeks.
Link
• Maternity pay - EU no minimum pay. UK 90% for six weeks then £140 for 33 weeks.
Link as above
• Equal pay - This was law in 1970 before the UK joined the EU.
Link
• Wages - The EU has no minimum wage unlike the UK
where it is one of the highest minimum wages in the world.
Link
• Discrimination - The UK
introduced laws on sex (1975) and race (1965) discrimination long before the EU.
Link
• Health and Safety -
The UK has had rigorous health and safety at work laws since 1974.
Link
Some of the misinformation spewed out by politicians over the past few weeks has been beyond
belief and the exploitation of recent tragic events has been sickening. For me
it is simple, I’d rather be free but poorer than a
wealthy man in prison. If
the Massey’s get their way I might yet draw the short straw from both scenarios.
I came across a non-political INner yesterday. A man who may have had
Indian ancestry but wearing a flat cap and a Tweed jacket and sitting on a bus close to me.
His travelling companion asked how he was going to vote in the referendum.
“IN” he said and the inevitable question was “Why?”
“Because before we were in the European Union income tax was 98% and now it is
only 24% (sic)”. When I was more right wing than I am now I used to think that
proportional representation would be a good idea - based on an IQ test. Maybe it
isn’t such a bad idea after all.
Note: I have no idea what 5·6 weeks paid holiday means either but that is
what the government website says together with their explanation.