Somerset – a Eurosceptic county

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The county of my birth, Somerset is defined by a piece on weforum.org as being decidedly Eurosceptic – although it falls short of being one of the 10 most Eurosceptic regions in the UK.

This rather echoes the sentiment that the local rag, the Somerset County Gazette, emits when it is not reporting on Peter Andre, the County’s adopted Z-List celebrity. Another good reason to encourage those considering not voting to do so – although not all will vote in favour. The county, as a traditionally farming one has an uneasy relationship with the EU – although it was not the EU that destroyed the cider industry, as Taunton Cider was swallowed by Matthew Clark/Gaymer’s and Dry Blackthorn is now just a memory.

Taunton is twinned with Lisieux in Normandy (France) and Königslutter in Lower Saxony (Germany) but twinning seems far less active now than it was.

The interesting issue in Somerset might be how a Brexit effects the building of Hinkley Point C – owned by the French EDF. There are some State Aid issues attached to Hinkley C which might no longer apply in the event of a Brexit – hopefully the dreadful alternative of bird-shredding turbines all over Exmoor and Dartmoor won’t be taken seriously.

Author: mdgb

45 years old, came to Austria in 97/98 for nine months and then moved permanently in July 2000. At the time of starting this blog, I have been in Austria for more than half my lifetime.