The Sick Man Is Europe

So you've had to cut your household budget because of the recession. That meal out once a week is now a takeaway. That holiday in Cancun is a week in the Lake District.

Then you get told that your hours are being cut at work because of the recession. You have to sell the second car. The takeaway is cut as paying your overdraft becomes harder.

Then one of you gets made redundant. You struggle to pay the mortgage and losing the house is a possibility unless you manage to cut the household budget even more drastically.

Then you hear your next door neighbours are in even more of a mess, largely because they spent even more heavily on life's luxuries than you did. What do you do?

If you don't really care what happens to your own family then you pay off your neighbour's debts for them, despite telling your kids they can't have a holiday this year, or a McDonald's at weekend. Of course you would wouldn't you?

For your family substitute the UK. For your neighbour substitute Ireland, Greece, Portugal etc.

Now tell me, when we're having services cut and people are being made redundant, that membership of the Europan Union is good for the UK.