A timely Halloween reminder of the Euro facts as Nigel Farage rises from the grave and undead Euroseptics prowl the government's back benches.

The Eurosceptic lie

The Eurosceptics claim the UK could be like Norway, which is not a member of the EU but has access to the single market.  What they don't tell you is (a) that Norway is a liberal social welfare state where people pay higher taxes in return for greater social benefits of all kinds, and (b) that in order to get its access, Norway has to obey EU rules and pay into the EU budget.

If the UK did the same we would have to implement the rules with no say of what they are, and continue to pay our dues without a say over how much.  I somehow don't think rabid anti-European Tory backbenchers would be keen on that arrangement!

How much does Europe cost me?

It doesn't.  According to the CBI, every UK household is £3000 better off (that's £1,225 for those of us who aren't households) each year thanks to Britain's membership of the EU.

The UK pays money into the EU Budget just like every other EU country, but we also get money back through EU funding programmes and the British economy gets a massive boost from the EU single market.

So, in a nutshell, Euro sceptics are after taking money from us and UKIP are talking made-up nonsense.