There are pluses and minuses in any political structure. That includes the European Union.

Free access to a larger market for our goods and services. Simpler travel across European borders. Increased power and influence at International level. These are the obvious benefits.

Over the years, Conservative party policy has dictated an ambivalence towards Europe. We want the benefits of membership but we want to retain the illusion that Britain is a world power that matters. We want to be able to eat our cake and have it.

With another layer of bureaucracy comes more rules and regulations. These rules and regulations are put together in Brussels and may not be suitable to the Scottish business environment. What is good for a goat herder in Greece may not suit a sheep farmer on Lewis.

Some EU regulations have had a disasterous effect on Scotland.

Ask the fishermen in Peterhead. Ask the ship yard workers in Port Glasgow who were laid off last Friday. Ask any patient who has to travel further for maternity services or an A & E Department.

All of these people have been adversely affected by EU regulations.

Farmers spend a large part of their time herding bits of EU paper, not livestock. Business of all sorts have to contend with compliance issues. Compliance to EU regulations which might have nothing to do with their particular business.

Ask the prisoners in Scotland's jails.

They are loving it. Cash for slopping out. Cash for being identified as an inmate on a phone call.

Ask Cameron Fyffe.

He is making a fine living out of the human rights statutes on the EU books.

We do need human rights. We do need health and safety regulations to protect workers from unscrupulous employers. But we need them in our terms that are appropriate for conditions in Scotland.

Prisoners forfeit most of these "rights" when they commit the crime.

Under the existing political structure with the authority transferred to Brussels, we don't have the ability to determine our own fate. We are powerless.

The SNP have the delusion that an Independent Scotland will have the ability to make things happen in Brussels. Its not going to work.

All you have to do is look at the numbers.

The map on the right shows the numbers of British MEPs by region.

Scotland has seven.

On any given issue, Scotland can be outvoted by Cumbria who have nine!

The total number of MEPs in Brussels is 785. We have 7.

How are The Magnificent Seven going to accomplish anything. This is silver screen fantasy.

To have any chance of dealing with our particular problems, we have to regain control.

Because we have a history as a nation, because we have a devolved parliament, because we have a national football team, we think we are somebody.

We're not.

The numbers for MEPs aren't rigged. They reflect the population distribution in Britain today.

In football terms, we should be playing Yorkshire, the West Midlands or the South West. We shouldn't be on the world stage with Italy and France.

We shouldn't have a world class football team because we don't have the population numbers to support it.

Walter Smith or Alex McLeish can and do work wonders on the pitch where it is eleven players in the blue strips of Scotland against another eleven.

In Brussels, its seven against 778.

Its never going to work.

Out of the EU.

Vote Scottish Jacobite on May 3rd.