Home What's New Speeches & Articles Newsletter - Apr 2008 Biography Diary Contact Information Photo Album Parliamentary Highlights Publications Links MEPs' Transparency   Conservative Party Latest News from Conservatives.com Conservative Party Website
		Ten things you should know about the EU Constitution Lincolnshire Echo - September 22 2003 Spot the odd one out from the following four statements about the proposed EU Constitution: •   "A great leap forward for European integration". So says former French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing (who chaired the drafting committee) •   A "giant step". EU Commission President Romano Prodi •   "Fundamentally changes the structure of the Union" -- EU Commission's official assessment of the Constitution •   "Just a tidying up of the treaties". The often-repeated view of Britain's Labour government Tony Blair's description of the draft Constitution as "Just tidying up" is worse than spin. It is a direct lie. Indeed the Labour view is greeted with astonishment and derision on all sides in Brussels. -- not just amongst sceptics, but amongst passionate integrationists like Prodi and Giscard d'Estaing. But don't take my word for it. Judge for yourself. The Constitution will: 1.   Force us to give up our British veto in 30 additional areas (or more, depending how you count them). 2.   Give the EU a duty to harmonise member-states' economies and social policies (the courts will use this point to over-rule any tax opt-out that Tony Blair may get). 3. Give control of our asylum and immigration to Brussels, along with energy and transport. 4. Require us to give "active and unreserved support, in a spirit of loyalty" to the EU's common foreign and defence policy. Defence sourcing will come under EU control. 5. Reduce our voting weight to below 10% of the EU -- and, for the first time, below Germany's. 6. Give the EU a "legal personality", making it autonomous from member-states, and opening the way for Brussels to take over Britain's permanent seat on the UN Security Council. Blair has promised not to accept this -- but he also promised us no Constitution, and no Charter of Rights. This will be yet another Labour reassurance that becomes a broken promise. 7. Create a permanent EU President (who will out-rank the Queen) and an EU Foreign Minister. 8. Make explicit the supremacy of EU law over British law. 9. Create an EU Justice Department and Public Prosecutor able to undertake investigations here in Britain (and backed by the EU Arrest Warrant). 10. Enshrine the so-called Charter of Fundamental Rights. This Charter will create a field-day for lawyers. Article 52 allows the EU to curtail our rights, while article 54 limits the right of free speech. Whether you want more Europe or less Europe, whether you love it or hate it, you cannot avoid the fact that Prodi and d'Estaing are right -- this is, indeed, a huge leap in European integration. In his 1996 book "A Young Country". Tony Blair himself said that no further powers should be handed to Brussels without the approval of the people, either in a General Election or in a referendum -- but now he seeks to deny us a referendum. A very large opinion poll recently showed 88% of the British people want a referendum on the Constitution. An ICM poll in September showed that 82% of trade unionists want a referendum, and 74% want their union to campaign for one. The European Parliament has called for national referenda in all member states. The Conservative Party, the Lib-Dems, and many Labour politicians are calling for the people to have a right to decide. Blair is looking increasingly isolated on the issue. As Iain Duncan Smith has said, "No one can believe a word the Prime Minister says" -- least of all on the Constitution. The people have a right to a say on their future. We must have a referendum. For more information on the Constitution visit www.bonde.com