Labour criticise Nigel Farage's choice of venue for public meeting

The Labour Party are so desperate to undermine UKIP's surge ahead of the EU elections in May that they've sent out a press release criticising Nigel Farage for holding a public meeting in a building that got funding from the EU.

The Sage in Gateshead was partly funded by the EU Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which, according to Labour, means that Nigel Farage and UKIP are hypocritical. One of the Labour EU election candidates and TUC secretary, Judith Kirton-Darling, says that the £10m of our own money that the EU graciously gave us back to help build the Sage and other local landmarks is proof of the north east's important relationship with "Europe" (they mean the EU).

It costs us about £53m per day to be a member of the EU and we get about £1.6bn per year back via the ERDF. That's less than 8.5% of what we pay in. There is no such thing as "EU money" because the EU doesn't generate wealth, it leeches off the wealth of member states and loses approximately £1 in every £4 it is given to waste and fraud. The small percentage of our own money the EU gives us back isn't something to be grateful for, it should shame the politicians who allow so much of our money to be spent abroad when so many are in need at home.

EU fines UK £150m for not advertising ERDF

The EU government has fined the UK over £150m for not putting the EU's logo on things that the EU Regional Development Fund has partly funded using UK taxes.

Confused?

It's quite simple.  The EU gives money to cultural and infrastructure projects all round Europe and in return the EU ring of stars logo has to be displayed prominently at the site of whatever the money has paid for and on letters, leaflets and posters to do with it to advertise the generosity of the ERDF.

Which is all well and good if it's someone else's money you're spending but the paltry amount of money the EU Regional Development Agency gives to the UK is far less than the obscene amount of money we hand over to the unaccountable, corrupt European Empire.  In exchange for the EU giving us back some of our own money we are supposed to put up plaques and signs with the EU logo to show them how grateful we are and when we don't, they take more of our money in fines.

These plaques and signs are a blight.  The most inappropriate one I've seen is at Blists Hill Victorian Town on the side of some restored Victorian machinery.  Incidentally, the new post office they built at Blists Hill has modern rubber flooring rather than authentic wooden flooring because of EU regulations but that's a different matter.

It's about time these advertisements were removed from the sides of roads and tourist attractions, they're a blight on the landscape and a seemingly permanent reminder of our subjection by the European Empire.