Continental winds of change blow towards Britain

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33110, 28 December 1972, Page 9

Continental winds of change blow towards Britain

!(N Z. Press Assn. —Copyright> : LONDON, December 27. Britain enters 1973 next week as a new nation. a European nation. [

Although her entry into thej European Common Market,! ion January 1, has beengreeted with yawning apathy j ; by tire majority of the British; people, it will be a momen-i tous event which will affect' 'them in all aspects of their j (daily life. Bein o part of the E.E.C.i 'will have impact on every! man and woman: in the high street, at work, shopping, in! their children’s schools, on! their radio and television, | and on holiday. In the “Mother of Parlia-! ments,” the House of Commons. a European dimension! will be given to debates by the need to examine direc-! fives and legislation emanat-' ing from Market headquar-:: ters.

• Directives will lay down [objectives to be achieved by member-States within the framework of their own laws: Market legislation will have the effect of the law of mem- [ ber-States, although it will [require adaptation.

But Market critics on both! 'sides of the Commons intend,' Ito give a lesson to European! I institutions on how demo-! icracy works in Britain: they: imean to prove that in Bri-j tain, at least, there will be! ino government by decree, i There is, however, the pros-! pect of an upheaval after the l I next Genera] Election. If; i Labour wins, Mr Harold Wil-.' Ison’s present intention is toj 'renegotiate the terms of I membership, and put them to! , the test of another Genera!! ! Election. But in two years time Lab-! four’s present policy may ap-l pear outmoded, and pro- , Marketeers in the party be-i Jieve that it could be dropped! !by then. The Labour Party has voted j ! not to send a delegation to' I the European Parliament in ! (Strasbourg, in eastern France,l■ and for the next 12 months,':

[at least, Britain’s representa- ! tion there will consist of Coniservative and Liberal memibers of the Commons, and I peers. Financially, London is [strongly tipped to become the (Common Market’s heart, so (the City seems destined to be [one of the strongest gainers !from entry. Centuries of experience as a provider of banking, insurance, and shipping expertise have resulted in London having no serious European rival as an international money centre. Since British entry became a certainty, there has been an influx of Continental banks and other institutions into London, and City investors are already investing heavily in European com-' panies.

British industrialists face 1 stiff competition in home , markets "as European manuj facturers try to increase their ! share of the lucrative British trade. But they will be given a breather: trade barriers between the former Six and Britain are being eliminated over four years, rather than! in one swoop.

[ The nation’s farmers see (Common Market entry as an [opportunity to expand and 'prosper, but for the shopper it must mean eventually higher prices in the shops for meat, dairy products, and corn-based items, such as bread and beer, though some vegetables and fruits may be cheaper. Dairy farms have increased their herds on the assumption of higher prices for butter and cheese; the pig population is growing, in spite of rising feed-price problems and the appearance of a new disease; and, after several years of decline, sheep numbers are increasing.

Common Market entry will open new opportunities for workers: a Briton choosing a job in another Market country will have all the rights of a national. He can demand • the same pay and working (conditions, claim equal union (rights, training facilities, social security, and access to housing and (property, as the workers of the country he 'selects.

He will also have the automatic right to take his immediate family to live with him.

Equally, British employers will have the right to recruit, workers from any other E.E.C. country.

Entry is likely to give impetus to the British trade [unions’ claims for shorter hours and longer holidays; and although the unions have voted against British entering Europe on the present terms, they have been strengthening their international links. “Euro-Ed.” as it is called is unlikely to bring many changes in Britain’s system of schools, universities, and examinations. The Minister of Education (Mrs Margaret (Thatcher) has made it clear that entry will not mean Central Government responsibility for school and college curriculums, as in Contin-j ental countries.

But an increase in social and cultural exchanges by pupils and teachers is forecast: negotiations are under way on mutual recognition of qualifications, and British

education authorities are already increasing their European studies. There is no fear of the British Royal Family becomjing isolated and outmoded in I the new expanded Europe, for lit is still the most “royal” part of the world. Of the Nine, five are monarchies: Britain, Belgium, Denmark, Luxemburg and the Netherlands. Some date back more than 1000 years with unbroken customs and ceremonies. Three have Queens as Mon-arch's—-Elizabeth of England, Juliana of the Netherlands and Margrethe of Denmark. King Baudoin rules in Belgium, and Grand Duke Jean in Luxemburg, The most senior Sovereign is Queen Juliana, who succeeded in 1948, followed by the King of the Belgians, in 1951. and Queen Elizabeth in 1952. The increased movement of I capital and goods between Britain and Europe must I create greater opportunities for crime, and the police forces are preparing to meet the danger. 1

British policemen in many -I areas are studying French and German; fraud squads are j being trained in Common - Market regulations, Interpol 11 is being built up; and police • authorities are discussing the ’ possible establishment of a : central European criminal re- : cords office. , For motorists, a trip across the Channel will be much the : same but motoring offences ’committed on the Continent I-—often left behind at prej sent —may now follow the i .'traveller home. bringing' •licence endorsements and; [penalties. One argument building up: .already is over Europe’s giant • I freight-carrying trucks, ’ J christened “juggernauts.” Britain is fighting a rearguard action to prevent the 40-tonj I monsters—eight tons heavier ■than the present British limit! —from being allowed on the • roads throughout the nine I Common Market countries. | [ Environmentalists see the ! juggernauts as threats to the ! countryside, through their sheer size, noise, and diesel I fumes.