The truth about EU migration

I studied law commencing at the start of the 1990s, which was around the time of the
Maastricht Treaty 1993. It was made very clear to us in lectures and from reading that
one of the purposes of this treaty was to enshrine sex and race equality and anti
discrimination legislation already existing across Europe and to extend it on a European
context. It did not and was not intended to change the original rights of workers to move
around the EU to find work; one of the Four Freedoms created after the Treaty of Rome
1957.
Freedom of movement of people came with restrictions which we were advised were
intended to ensure that the unemployed of one nation could not become a burden upon
any of the other nations. These included having a period of up to six months in which to
seek work during which time they had to remain self supporting in respect of all of their
personal or housing needs. If they failed to find work then their right to be there lapsed
and they could be asked to leave the country. Maastricht meant that you could not
discriminate against an applicant simply on the basis of nationality, but it did not create a
universal federal right to welfare benefits. The treaty was signed up to by a Tory
government and despite objectors there was no sense that they were creating Benefits
Tourism by doing so. EU migration was supposed to be limited by the availability of work.
Countries should only be open for EU migrants when workers are required; and self
limiting to the occupations where vacancies exist.
I have no idea when things changed in the interpretation of these obligations but it was
some time after the Blair government was elected in 1997. Things did not change in
Europe as Brits have never been afforded the right to move and claim benefits straight
away in any European country I am aware of. I am unable to say whether we commenced
dishing out benefits and housing to EU migrants through extreme generosity or extreme
incompetence but undoubtedly it did commence and this provided the ammunition
sought by UKIP; who were created in 1993 to fight a slant towards greater federalism.
The parties leading up to the 2015 election started talking about no right to benefits for
migrants until they have contributed for a set period of years and requiring them to have
health insurance. The ability to create these restrictions is not new, although it is
apparent that the Conservatives only realised this during the final two years of the
coalition government. A case brought by a Romanian against the German government for
refusing him benefits was dismissed by the European courts last year, finally confirming
the point. The right for us to do this has always existed. I have tried to highlight this and
introduce it to debate on several formats but on each occasion I have drawn no response
and certainly TV Current Affairs programmes have ignored my contributions.
The Conservatives were in a position to lance the UKIP bubble by dispelling the myth that
nothing can be done to limit EU migration. If there are no jobs and no benefits then it is
self limiting. Having seen the narrow victory secured in the election it has become clear
that they had no desire to do this as the disaffected drawn towards UKIP were primarily
working class Labour voters. What I predict will now happen is that the Conservatives will
negotiate with other European countries over a period of time during which, having
stopped benefits being doled out, EU migration will decrease massively. They will
proclaim this as a huge change in our relationship, a shift in the balance of power, and a
victory for David Cameron. Surely we arent seeking a return of sexism and racial
discrimination? The EU has to keep 500 million people happy and it does so by being
anchored at the centre ground of politics. Anything extreme is most likely to be a local

construct. It is fashionable to blame everything on the EU, as the Scots like to blame
Westminster, but we did this all by ourselves.
Name & Address supplied - Michael Loat, 44 Milking Stile Lane, Lancaster 11/05/2015