Porker wrote:The manufacturers are simply trying to reduce the impact of the meddling on them. Any commercial organisation would seek to do the same. That doesn't alter the fact that the meddling was initiated by a body of people that managed to get into their current positions by promising to make inter-country trade easier. The name changes from "European Common Market" through "European Community" to "European Union" tell the story fairly effectively.
P.
With respect, this last statement has no basis in fact.
This is an extract from the original text of the Treaty of Rome with a few of my highlights.
"HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF THE BELGIANS, THE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, THE PRESIDENT OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC, THE PRESIDENT OF THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC, HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE GRAND DUCHESS OF LUXEMBOURG, HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN OF THE NETHERLANDS(2),
DETERMINED to lay the foundations of an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe,
RESOLVED to ensure the economic and social progress of their countries by common action to eliminate the barriers which divide Europe,
AFFIRMING as the essential objective of their efforts the constant improvements of the living and working conditions of their peoples,
RECOGNISING that the removal of existing obstacles calls for concerted action in order to guarantee steady expansion, balanced trade and fair competition,
ANXIOUS to strengthen the unity of their economies and to ensure their harmonious development by reducing the differences existing between the various regions and the backwardness of the less favoured regions,
DESIRING to contribute, by means of a common commercial policy, to the progressive abolition of restrictions on international trade,
INTENDING to confirm the solidarity which binds Europe and the overseas countries and desiring to ensure the development of their prosperity, in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
RESOLVED by thus pooling their resources to preserve and strengthen peace and liberty, and calling upon the other peoples of Europe who share their ideal to join in their efforts,
HAVE DECIDED to create a EUROPEAN COMMUNITY and to this end have designated as their Plenipotentiaries:"
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Successive Governments may well have marketed the EC in different ways but as far as I can see it is all there in black and white, written 50 years ago.
For what it is worth the UK Government has supported and (consolidated this support) for the last 35 years so the term 'meddling' is perhaps misleading.
Personally, I am reluctant to doubt the learned research that supports the existance of global warming and the case for CO2 emissions causing this as I am reluctant to doubt the relationship between smoking and lung cancer even though arguments can be made against both.
I believe it is inevitable that motoring will become more controlled in the future and as suggested, the enthusiast will have to maintain a classic car in order to enjoy their driving.
What confuses me is the car manufacturers don't want to develop technology to continue to reduce emmissions but seem happy enough to put devices to control driving in their cars. Perhaps they are getting carried away with the likes of ABS and traction control etc and one day will produce a car that we don't actually need to drive.