Harmonisation of Railways
"Mr. President,
Harmonisation of railways across 27 states has very little attraction to the UK. Competition may be good for commerce, but you can leave us out and we will deal with the economics of running our own service. If the standardisation process necessary involves change of track widths, width of platforms or changes of voltage on electrified lines, as it will in some parts of the EU. Then good luck to you all, but leave us out.
Such is the magnitude of legislation from this place on railways that we will all be surprised if a private operator can be found, who can jump through all the hoops, at anything like an economic cost. We have only one rail link with the continent and this passes through a very useful tunnel. Bearing in mind that we are being railroaded, by these directives, due to one single tunnel, it may lead some to say, that the channel tunnel should be concreted up in the middle. The British and French can then use their respective halves for the safe storage of nuclear waste.
This would eradicate the expensive need to harmonise a rail link to the UK... as no link would exist. Please try to control the endless stream of directives from this place, or to put it another way, railways run on sleepers, what a pity this place doesn't run on similar lines."