to believe the EU should keep its grubby mitts off our vacuum cleaners

[longfingernails]

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/10423431/EU-energy-saving-rules-cut-power-of-vacuum-cleaners.html

We have enough nanny state petty interference and red tape from our own government. We don't need more from the unelected and unaccountable faceless bureaucrats from Brussels.

Longfingers for prime minister! F*ck the Eu.

Might go get a new Hoover at 2200 before we are banned... Stupid eu

If I promise to Hoover half as much as everyone else shouldn't be a problem can I have a powerful Hoover?

Wow, i can think of a few things the EU should be sorting out and Vacuum cleaners is definitely not one of them

Bloomin' Heck - what they going to go after next?!

Do you honestly believe this drivel?!! Really?!!!!
You don't just think it is the Torygraph stirring?
Don't believe everything you read - even on MN!

They are also trying to interfere with our jam!

Inconceivable!

I've got a sebo Felix and its great just checked the wattage and its 1300 watts so fine under the new regulations.

Henry's are 1200watts and the dyson i checked was under too. So before getting all upset about it which vacuum cleaners are actually affected?

Instead of buying on the basis of input power (wattage) they want us to buy based on the strength of the suction. Higher wattage does not necessarily result in greater suction. The idea is to get product designers to design vacuum cleaners which can suck as well as or even better than today's models but using lower input power, ie less electricity. Given the way the cost of electricity is rising this seems an eminently sensible idea, IMHO.

Next time you are passing a shelf of vacuum cleaners, check the wattage vs suction printed on the boxes and be surprised.

James Dyson is launching a legal challenge
www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/engineering/10365762/Dyson-takes-EU-to-court-over-vacuum-standards.html

But he should not have to be in this situation at all.

What Will They Ban Next?

I wonder if the EU has any elected UK representatives? Or even UK-government appointed ones? Or is it really staffed solely by those Sneaky Foreigners who do things in secret, and don't publish consultation documents and draft regulations, or have votes?

What elephant said, it's about showing energy rating, as we have for fridges etc with no problems.

And the EU hasn't been causing problems with jam. It's been a domestic legislation issue. Which has had a negative impact on UK manufacturers selling into the (huge) European market place. Having consistent EU rules would help.

For info, the EU does publish impact assessments and consultations on new policies. The UK has democratically elected representatives in the EU, and our ministers get to vote on new legislation too. The EU isn't just made up of foreigners, we do get a say too.

If what elephant says is right then of course Mr Dyson would be challenging it.

These are proposed regulations - they are not law yet. They will have to go to the european parliament for review/discussion (which is entirely made up of people elected). They can ask questions, review and reject if they want to. They can send the commission back to re-draft or try again. They will also need to be reviewed by the european council. Only when the parliament and the council agree will any regualtions come into force and become law. This is a long drawn out process and many things go through the review stage or get put on the list to be reviewed. It is very unlikely something like this would go through uncontested - James Dyson will be contesting and putting his comments in to his MEP (hopefully). This will probably not even get looked at before the elections next may which means it would have to get on the list after the new parliament is in place. There really are bigger things on the agenda that have been delayed and delayed and delayed which are further up the agenda (central clearing, solvency II, shadow banking stuff, actually central clearing is through and now being implemented - if you don't know what these things are, your life really is better for not knowing....)

"newspaper publishes anti-Europe story shock"

Next time you are passing a shelf of vacuum cleaners, check the wattage vs suction printed on the boxes and be surprised.

I think I've just fallen in love

James Dyson is launching a legal challenge

James Dyson grandstanding? Who would believe that?

The economic and societal benefits of keeping inefficient Dyson vacuums are very important to the factory workers making them in Malaysia.

I'm still pissed off that the hemp bedding I buy isn't allowed to contain citronella anymore because of the EU

So many other countries seem to choose which bits they follow, why don't we

I got a banana stuck in my hoover once. It wouldn't have got far if it was a proper bendy banana like you used to get. Sadly they were banned by the Eurocrats and the Brussels-mandated politically correct straight banana went all the way up the hose and had to be cut out.

We need to repatriate these powers PDQ.

"So many other countries seem to choose which bits they follow, why don't we"

Pretty certain we do.

The banning of powerful vacuum cleaners shows idiocy of such staggering depths that even the EU will be forced to backtrack.

What is truly damaging is when EU stitchups on so many other areas of mundane and yet important policy are not exposed by the press. We need to get out of the EU as soon as possible - until then, constant vigilance against Van Rompuy and his unelected cronies must be our watchword.

The auditors have not signed off the EU accounts for 18 years. Van Rompuy could have fixed this by allowing more transparency and accountability. Instead, his instinct is to order the auditors to tone down the negativity!
www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/eu-chief-orders-auditors-to-tone-down-the-negativity-29579069.html

So many other countries seem to choose which bits they follow, why don't we

It may appear that way but that isn't how it is. EU law comes in the form of European style law ie a statement of aim open to interpretation on how to get there. Other EU countries have always operated this type of legal system so go with the flow. The UK is unique in that its law is literal, what you see is what you get. So the UK follows the directive word for word whereas the others follow the overall intent.

But there's no suggestion that high powered vacuum cleaners will be banned. they'll still be allowed.

All that's being proposed is that vacuum cleaners come up energy performance labelling in the same way that fridges, washing machines etc do.

You'll still be able to buy high powered inefficient vacuum cleaners if you want, or low powered efficient ones, or indeed high powered efficient ones.