The Euro Crisis Explained...

[VNA]

It is the assumption that the majority of people are happy to pay higher bills for cleaner energy, or that they can afford to heed the regulatory advice of the numerous quango's.

Recent surveys have shown that people are concerned about global warming and their environment.  The fact is we are doing too little to late, and we'll perhaps pay a much bigger price. 

Not only were the electorate not consulted on these matters, but their views are held in contempt.

Of course we are.  And if individuals, groups or organisations want to have a say, our democracy allows them to have a voice if they choose to do so.  Democracy is not just for polling day, and nor can it be run on referendum on every issue.  You elect and/or lobby. 

I don't agree in the slightest that you can't have an open market without having to comply with EU directives,

I doesn't matter whether you agree or not, if you want open access you have to comply with the rules.  Hence why the Japanese are in Europe, to get access they otherwise would not have, and yes they too have to play by the rules.

Consider the spectacle of packing up and moving the entire government of Europe from Brussels to Strasburg once a week, then back to Brussels the following week.  Not only poorly thought out in terms of waste emissions, manpower, and EU funds, but a sillier notion I've yet to hear of. The EU is simply a bunch of bureaucrats playing with other peoples money, which they consider to be an endless supply.  I find it breathtaking that once much of Europe suffocated under the Soviet system, only to be consigned to what amounts to a modernised Soviet style system.

Yes at times it's nuts.  Europe needs to get leaner and smarter, but to suggest it's totalitarian state is just being silly.

Those factories on foreign soil may have to comply with EU directives, but at home in Japan they don't.

As I said they are there because they want access to the market.  It's the only way they can sell the huge numbers of cars that they do in Europe, otherwise they would face trade restrictions.  And of course it works well for us, because not only do they build for Europe, they export from Europe. 
Put it this way, the UK is trying to re-build it's manufacturing base (it's finally noticed how Germany rides out all economic storms), but if we pull out of Europe (our biggest customer), well maybe we'll find ourselves playing the Japanese game and moving our factories inside Europe to access the market.  That's how stupid leaving the EU would be. 

I agree that this country has been mismanaged and run down, which is the result of a similar set of politicians not listening to the wishes of the electorate.

So we didn't elect Thatcher, we didn't vote for a Labour party dressed in Tory clothes.  The people get the government they deserve.