European Affairs

I agree absolutely: that is what has happened, and it makes things more difficult to rebuild. However, we still have to do that. The main cause of that drifting away of jobs has been the overvaluation of sterling until now, as well as our having allowed British industry to be taken over lock, stock and barrel. Even Cadbury, a lynchpin of British industry, is now threatened. We have to rebuild British industry, but it will be difficult to do that in a European context, given the restraints that Europe places on investment in our industry, our firms and our production, and the fact that those will be highly competitive with their European counterparts. It is time to say to the Foreign Office and the rest of the Government that we have to give up the infatuation with Europe—the romantic-eyed, naive view of Europe—and start carrying out a hard, cold calculation of the costs, which are damaging to our country. It is time to stop the romance and religion, and get on with the business of that cold hard calculation.