All Them Rules Innit

Vote Leave claimed that the EU forced 72 laws on the UK. In a long twitter thread, Jim Grace took a look at these rules.

The commons library looked at how many UK laws were influenced by EU laws. https://t.co/jTb6CQU2mx
4,514 out of 34,105.
And out of the EU laws that influenced the 4,514 ….Vote Leave discovered 72 that were forced on us against our will. 72! https://t.co/EqZXZBruBM
pic.twitter.com/gdNWUcTgRd

— Jim Grace #FBPE (@mac_puck) January 21, 2019

Full thread of Jim Grace’s tweet:

Brace for mega thread on “ALL THEM RULES INNIT” There is a type of of brexiter who is motivated not by xenophobia, or Empire nostalgia, or buccaneering trade fantasies, but instead by “all them EU rules”. Sadly they can never name a single one. So I have done some research…

The commons library looked at how many UK laws were influenced by EU laws. http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/RP10-62/RP10-62.pdf … 4,514 out of 34,105. And out of the EU laws that influenced the 4,514 ….Vote Leave discovered 72 that were forced on us against our will. 72! https://gallery.mailchimp.com/1026e6b00f73284a7e46eb046/files/20151009_UK_influence.pdf#page=5

So… what inequities were forced upon us, what degradation, what humiliations for a proud island nation?
Let’s have a little look shall we?
I have put a link to each law we voted “no” to… and my own TLDR, if you don’t fancy wading through the legalese….

(1/72) 29/03/1996 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:31996L0021 …
EU: Food labels should say if Aspartine is present.
UK: Nonsense. Bloody red tape!

(Linked to cancer, headaches and seizures, even Pepsi USA stopped using it by 2015)
(2/72) 29/04/1996 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:01996L0022-20081218&from=IT
EU: Ban on livestock growth-boosters with hormonal, thyrostatic or beta-agonist effects (carcinogenic residue in meat).
UK: Aw come on – a little bit of cancer never hurt no-one.

(3/72) 03/06/1996 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:31996L0035&from=EN
EU: Safety advisers dealing with transport of dangerous goods on public roads etc must be properly trained and regulated.
UK: Bleedin elf’n’safety gorn mad. Wassamatta wiv a bit a toxic spillage across a playground?

(4/72) 27/06/1996 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A31996R1168
EU: we need some conservation measures to preserve North Atlantic fish stocks.
UK: Ah Phooey. There’s plenty o’ fish in the sea. We’ve even registered on the website.

(5/72) 22/07/1996 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:31996L0070
EU: additives to mineral water must be safe and labels must be honest (eg “spring water” has to come from an actual spring)
UK: This will kill our sales of Dell-boy Trotter’s “Peckham Spring Water”.

(6/72) 24/09/1996 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:31996L0071&rid=2
EU: posted workers must be given the same pay and conditions as local workers.
UK: You’re kidding! The whole POINT of posted workers is to undercut the locals and undermine their employment rights.

(7/72) 09/12/1996 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A31996D0715
EU: lets have a consistent approach to data collection on goods traded between member states?
UK: Hmm. That buggers up our carousel fraud schemes, somewhat.

(8/72) 17/03/1997 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:31997L0012
EU: Lets tighten up on livestock health checks, paperwork and traceability.
UK: God, you’re not still pissed about that mad cow thing? IT’S SORTED! Twust us – we’s Bwitish.

( Soon after: 10M animals slaughtered during foot and mouth)

(9 & 10/72) 22/04/1997 & 26/06/1997 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=OJ:L:1997:106:TOC
EU: We still need to protect those fish stocks.
UK: Aww. Cant we just keep fishin’? There are so few left, we want to catch as many as we can before they are ALL gone.

(11/72) 22/07/97 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:01997R1554-19970805
EU: OK folks: lets have a single set of rules about drying, powdering and labelling hops – instead of everyone making it up as they go along.
UK: We LIKE making it up as we go along. (Hopping mad now)

(12/72) 20/10/1997 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:31997R2087&from=en
EU: Don’t add tartaric acid to wine. And here’s how tariffs on grapejuice from 3rd countries should be calculated.
UK: We LIKE adding dodgy things to wine. And the French, Spanish and Italian winemakers should do what WE say!

(13/72) 11/12/1997 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:31997R2087&from=en
EU: firms from outside the EU may carry passengers between destinations in the EU (cabbotage) without needing a registered office in the EU.
UK (1997): Not happy.
UK (2021): Splendid idea.

(14/72) 16/12/1997 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:31997R2536
EU: Lamb and sheep meat to be classified in a consistent way as soon as possible after slaughter.
UK: That violates the English common law principle: “you may as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb”

(15/72) 16/02/1998 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:31998R0411
EU: Trucks for livestock journeys over 8 hours must have bedding, feed, water, ventilation, partitions and access for inspectors.
UK: Why spend all that money? Innit all just meat on the plate at the end of the day?

(16/72) 18/05/1998 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A31998R1048
EU: This is a Gas turbine/nomenclature/tariff/temporary partial thingy-me-wotsit.
UK: If that’s not worth dying in a ditch for, I don’t know what is.

(17/72) 19/06/2000 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32000R1363&from=EN
EU: We are going to intervene in the sugar market to create price stability and protect farm incomes.
UK: We don’t like it. (Be really cool if you reformed this system in, ooh say, 2006…)

(18/72) 04/12/2000 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32000R2699&from=EN
EU: These are our proposed subsidies for fruit and veg growers.
UK: We don’t like fruit and veg… can you subsidise laxitives and Anusol instead?

(19/72) 29/01/2001 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/GA/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32001R0216
EU: Let’s increase the tonnage of bananas we take from ACP countries at the lower tariff rates?
UK: NEVER! You may take our blue passports, but you will never get your hands on our BANANANANANANANAS!

(20/72) 19/12/2001 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:51999PC0744
EU: After the mad cow thing and the dioxin thing… maybe we should tighten up on compound feed and how it is labelled?
UK: Knee-jerk regulation is the wrong mooooohve.

(21/72) 27/06/2002 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32002R1177
EU: South Korean State Aid for shipyards is undercutting our yards on LNG tankers; time for countermeasures.
UK: We couldn’t care less about Danish shipyards; Thatcher destroyed all of the UK’s about twenty years ago.

(22/72) 27/02/2003 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2001:0283:FIN
EU: we must ban the advertising of tobacco products in printed media, radio, TV, events sponsorship etc.
UK: just hang on a mo’ – there’s good money in those deathsticks, you know.

(23/72) 03/06/2003 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32003D1152
EU: we must set up an EU-wide computer system to combat evasion of excise duty on booze etc.
UK: but we like evading taxes…

(24 & 25 /72) 22/07/2003 http://assets.panda.org/downloads/gmosadangertosustainableagriculture.pdf
EU: Proper labelling of food that uses genetically modified ingredients – so consumers can decide not to buy them if they are worried.
UK: Bugger consumers! What they don’t know won’t harm ’em”

(26/72) 26/01/20014 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32004R0261:EN:HTML
EU: airlines should compensate passengers for delayed or cancelled flights.
UK: we don’t support this proposal because …um…because…we are just utter, utter bastards.

(27/72) 28/02/2005 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32005R0374 …
EU: In 2000 we dropped sugar tariffs for some Balkans countries and we want to row that back a bit now.
UK: NO! (We’re sweet enough…)

(28/72) 07/05/2007 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Refugee_Fund
EU: Greece Italy and Spain are bearing disproportionate costs housing asylum seekers – everyone should chip in to help them?
UK: Sod the Greeks! They shouldnt have put their country so close to the Middle East.

(29/72) 07/05/2007 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:52011DC0858
EU: OK can you chip in to funding a programme to help asylum seekers return home?
UK: You ‘avin a giraffe, mate?

(30/72) 23/05/2007 Solidarity and management of migration flows
EU: Another whip-round needed; to help member States in receiving, and in bearing the consequences of receiving, refugees and displaced persons.
UK: Why should WE help? A friend in need… can sod off!

(31/72) 30/05/2007 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32007R0715
EU: Common standard for emissions testing and what maintenance information vehicle manufacturers should provide.
UK: Aw – do we have to? I mean…air polution only kills 36,000 in the UK each year. https://www.kcl.ac.uk/lsm/schools/population-health-and-environmental-sciences/newsrecords/air-pollution-could-cause-36000-deaths-a-year-in-the-uk.aspx …

(32/72) 24/09/2009 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32009R1107
EU: no pesticides that are; carcinogenic, mutagenic, toxic to reproduction, sensitising chemicals, very toxic, explosive or corrosive.
UK: EU spoil sports!

(33/72) 14/12/2010 https://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/f67f2a21-c752-11e1-b84a-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
EU: we need rule changes to allow us to do development type stuff with middle-income countries (eg China, India & various states that don’t meet the OECD criteria for “Official Development Assistance”)
UK “no” 1st reading & “Yes” 2nd

(34/72) 17/05/2011 https://oeilm.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil-mobile/summary/1148778?t=d&l=en
EU: There’s a potential period of legal limbo between the expiry of current fisheries legal framework and start of the next one. We need a temp. extension to cover the gap.
UK: (“Fish? FISH? – ‘ad their chips, their chips, hawhawhaw!”)

(35/72) 12/09/2011 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/LSU/?uri=CELEX%3A32011R1077
EU: Lets create a new agency, eu-LISA, to ensure 24/7 resilience in the IT systems that keep our borders safe (asylum database, visa database, security, fingerprints, criminals).
UK: We LIKE being flooded with crim’s and asylum seekers.

(36/72) 27/10/2011
Apparently we voted against the EU budget for 2012.
Except this https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-16201-2011-INIT/en/pdf … says we voted FOR.
Whatevs.

(37/72) 30/11/2011 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/236119/8232.pdf
EU: We need a 5% increase in budget.
UK (and NL): No not a penny more!
EU: OK. How about no real terms increase, just inflationary uplift?
UK: Still not happy!
EU: Soz.

(38/72) 14/02/2012 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&reference=A7-2012-0032&language=EN
EU: We’ve funded food banks since 1987. 13M people rely on them. Then SOMEONE blocked our budget increase last year. Can’t we keep the funding going for another 12 months?
UK: NO! Let the plebs starve; the very sight of them affronts us.

(39/72) 09/03/2012 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32013D0258
EU: The European Refugee Fund needs more dosh, to help those countries that are bearing the brunt.
UK: Having taken moral and ethical advice from Voldemort, Sauron and Satan himself, our view is: TOUGH SHIT!

(40/72) 26/07/2012 EU: We need more cash. https://blogs.ec.europa.eu/ECintheUK/the-uk-and-the-eu-budget-the-facts/
EU: Our budget was 1.2% of members’ total GDP 10 years ago – now it’s 1%. Come on, members? (your national budgets have all INCREASED as a %ge of GDP).
UK: Not a penny. & everything is your fault, & we hate you.

(41/72) 08/10/2012 http://register.consilium.europa.eu/doc/srv?l=EN&f=ST%2010090%202012%20REV%202
EU: The Maritime Safety Agency needs re-organising & more muscle to punish oil spills from ships and oil rigs.
UK: (Gulp! Probs OUR oil rigs.) WE OPPOSE!

(42/72) 21/11/2012
EU: We need a bit more money – really.
UK: We don’t care. This is an opportunity to grandstand for our euroskeptic electorate over really tiny amounts of money.

(43/72) 10/12/2012
EU: We need about £0.4Bn for 2012 (Or 4 DUP MP’s, if you prefer)
UK: We don’t care. This is ANOTHER opportunity to grandstand for our euroskeptic electorate over really tiny amounts of money.

(44/72) 12/12/2012
EU: OK we have trimmed it by about 10%.
UK. Still don’t care!

(45/72) 26/02/2013 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32013R0228
EU: Canary Islands, Azores, Madeira etc are struggling due to their remoteness. Lets help them?
UK: Tough titty – their fault for being so remote. Can’t they be tax havens like Cayman and BVI?

(46 & 47/72 ) 24/06/2013 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32013R0575
EU: We need prudential supervision of credit institutions and investment firms so that stuff like Lehman’s and the 2008 crash don’t happen again.
UK: Oh don’t worry. If the bankers go bust again, taxpayers will bail em out.

(50/72) 10/10/2013 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:32013R1023
EU: we want to make some changes to the employment contract for EU staff.
UK: they’re your staff – do what you wan….Wait! We oppose! (Dunno why….)

(51,52,53) More pointless budget grandstanding.

(54/72) 12/02/2014 https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-6418-2014-INIT/en/pdf
EU: Fund our Hercule III programme to combat irregularities, fraud and corruption affecting the EU budget.
UK: Er…anti-fraud you say…hmm… WE OPPOSE! (Soz.. just got to pop out and make a call…)

(55/72) 11/03/2014 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=celex:32014R0223
EU: Let’s provide funds for the most deprived – these people are really suffering.
UK: Hey! We have been deliberately CAUSING deprivation with our austerity programme – now you want to undo all that work! WTF?

(56/72) 12/03/2014 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32014R0236
EU: we need to agree rules for funding stuff like development, democracy, human rights, European Neighbourhood.
UK: every one of those things is anathema to us.

(57/72) 12/03/2014 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32014R0230
EU: We want to establish an instrument to fund stability and peace in countries.
UK: Stability and peace?! Wipe me arse with them.

(58/72) 12/03/2014 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32014R0235
EU: Lets establish a financing instrument for the promotion of democracy and human rights around the world.
UK: Sod off! Lets establish an instrument to wipe out democracy and human rights in the UK. Call it “Brexit”.

(59/72) 12/03/2014 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2014.077.01.0077.01.ENG
EU: Lets establish an instrument for co-operation with 3rd countries.
UK: Co-operate on THIS, mofo!

(60/72) 12/03/2014 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32014R0233
EU: Lets establish an instrument for development cooperation.
UK: Development. Cooperation. Aid. These words make our skin burn.

(61/72) 12/03/2014 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32014R0232
EU: Measures to reduce poverty, promote development, trade, education and science in countries that border the EU?
UK: SOD DEVELOPMENT! SOD TRADE! SOD EDUCATION, SOD SCIENCE AND SOD ALLEVIATING SODDING POVERTY!

(62/72) 12/03/2014 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32014R0231
EU: Help for pre-accession countries to get ready for joining the EU.
UK: SOD THE SODDING PRE-ACCESSION COUNTRIES! SOD ‘EM TO HELL AND BACK!!

(63/72) 16/04/2014 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32014L0054
EU: Measures to give FOM workers protection from exploitation.
UK: But we WANT to exploit FOM workers – it helps keep our UK-born workers under the thumb.

(64/72) 16/04/2014 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32014R0423
EU: Boring bit of housekeeping re staff pensions, let’s hope no eejit takes this as an opportunity for pointless, immature, grandstanding.
UK: Someone mention my name?

(65/72) 16/04/2014 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32014R0422
EU: Same again re staff pensions, let’s hope that eejit feels he’s made his point already.
UK: Do you ever get that feeling of déjà vu?

(66 & 67 /72) 30/09/2014 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32014R1141
EU: Now (Cameron) no political donations from dodgy Russians, Criminals or organised bicycle-seat sniffers. Farage? stop spunking your expense account on “other stuff”!
UK: Hey! political corruption is an UK tradition, immemorial.

(68/72) 13/10/2014 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2014/1144/oj
EU: Enhanced labelling for EU Agricultural products; not just nutritional info, but also food safety, traceability, authenticity, health, animal welfare, environment, sustainability.
UK: Less information consumers get, happier we’ll be.

(69/72) More budget grandstanding for the Mail readers.

(70/72) 05/03/2015 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:32015R0759
EU: These measures will protect National Statistical Authorities from interference by their National Governments.
UK: You think? Hahaha – one day we will put Rory Stewart in charge.

(71/72) 05/03/2015 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32015R0758
EU: Some rules about type approval of e-Call systems (they automatically call 999 in a car crash)
UK: More Euro-bollocks. Wouldn’t have saved Diana, hawhawhaw.

(72/72) 23/06/2015 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52015PC0569
EU: The CJEU needs more judges to deal with a big backlog of cases.
UK: But we LIKE cases to wait ages. It means only the wealthy – who can afford to wait – can get justice.

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