The question is prompted by an article in The Cumberland News which relates that the Tullie Museum is being forced to end free passes to anyone resident in the Carlisle district as it infringes EU law.
"The scheme appears doomed after council officials came across a European Court of Justice ruling against the Italian government, which had allowed Italian pensioners free entry to museums and monuments.
The court declared in 2003 that Italy had: “Infringed the community law principles of the free movement of services and non discrimination by allowing discriminatory, advantageous rates for admission to cultural sites only in favour of Italian nationals."
If it is shown to be advantageous to issue free passes to Tullie Museum for Carlisle residents, then surely it is also discriminatory to issue free bus passes to pensioners - both schemes showing advantageous financial benefit to one particular section of society?
It is a fact that taxes could be drastically cut if we just did away with Parliament - thus saving the enormous and totally unnecessary expense of our elected representatives who no longer make the majority of laws in this country and let the EU manage everything - which they do virtually, anyway! Not a course of action that I would suggest I hasten to add, being a believer in a nation's right to self-governance, but to underline the fact our Parliament is subservient to Brussels whilst Britain remains a member of the European Union.
When will the British people wake up to the reality of European Union membership? Needless to say, not while the political elite lie and in so doing 'hide' the truth on this subject - ably assisted by the compliance of the MSM. I am reminded of the words of Abraham Lincoln:
"To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men."
Update: Have also come across this story - which also features a 'concessionary element' in that it too allows a financial benefit to a section of society.
Just a thought...................
5 comments:
So what about this then?
Foreigners banned from Big Ben
Sue,
Yup just as bad, although no financial concession involved in that. In the case you highlight though we have the old excuse of terrorism used as a means to curb yet another 'freedom'!
Ignoring the EU and external governance issues I assume the age concession is legal but the geographical one, restricting it to Italian pensioners only, is not as it discriminates on the basis of race?
When we were touring Germany a few years back, quite a few B&B places lent us discount passes for things like the local swimming pool or museums on the basis that these were given to the local tax-payers, and as we were paying the local tax on our rooms we were entitled to he same privilege.
I wonder if this has been banned?
W42, that may be so however, it is still a concession which must go against the ruling of the ECJ? In which case it just shows what a illogical ruling it is!
EP,See comments above. Maybe the B&Bs were of the same opinion as me? Nice to see though........
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