OPINION OF THE WEEK: Steel industry can’t compete

IT is impossible for our steel industry to compete when the Germans and French pay half of what we pay for energy.

This is both immoral and wrong when the Germans are still mining Lignite, the dirtiest coal, which has not declined. Their greenhouse gas expulsion still remains approximately double to ours.

We are made to import wood pulp to feed our power stations, surely it would be more logical for the Germans to import the wood pulp (which in itself is a crazy idea) and us to burn our own cleaner coal, if the objective is to reduce emissions in Europe. If joining the EU meant equality this is far from the facts.

Successive weak governments have caved in to the EU and made it impossible to compete fairly.

It is also wrong that the Chinese are allowed to dump steel in the UK when again they use dirtier coal, from Australia. Why we should wish to trade with China is illogical; they export more goods to us than we send to them and they are also the largest manufacturer of counterfeit goods.

It is about time our highly paid European representatives stood up for our interests and what is fair and logical and if they cannot do this we should leave the EU, and quickly.

Martin Ward, Moorgate

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