I want a referendum

Gordon Brown travelled to the EU summit in Lisbon last Thursday, where EU leaders reached a final agreement on the revised EU Constitution.

Despite being warned by the Labour dominated European Scrutiny Committee of MPs that its so-called “red lines” were not met and would “leak like a sieve”, the UK Government did not push for any further changes to the text before signing up.

The revived Constitution – now to be called the “Treaty of Lisbon” – will be formally signed at a ceremony in the Portuguese capital on 13 December.  The Government will then try to rush it through Parliament as quickly as possible. 

The Prime Minister hopes that by giving the subject little time for discussion, he will be able to quell growing demands from Labour MPs for a referendum.

In reality the “Lisbon Treaty” is the same as the rejected EU Constitution.  It would mean the same huge transfer of power to the EU, and if signed it would be irreversible.

Ten Reasons Why It Matters:

1.  Our right of veto given up in over 60 new areas – on everything from employment law to criminal law we will be able to be outvoted and forced to accept EU laws we don’t want.  Giving up the veto in just one area – energy – would let the Commission force through a directive which the UK opposes which would cost Britain £6 billion pounds.

2.  Britain weaker in Europe - Our voting power to block legislation is also cut by 30% – which could allow through a raft of EU laws we are currently blocking – costing us billions more.

3. A powerful new EU President – Nicolas Sarkozy says Tony Blair should be the first President of the EU.  The new post means yet more powers will be taken away from elected national Governments and given to the unelected EU President in Brussels.

4. A de facto EU Foreign Minister – who will now be called “high representative” to try and fool people – but he or she will have all the same new powers – including the automatic right to speak on our behalf at the UN on issues where the EU has taken a common position (which is something the UK Government tried hard to block, but failed).

5. Further moves towards a common defence - Many European leaders see the plan for the blandly-named “structured cooperation group” in defence as a significant step towards ambitions for a single European Army.  Angela Merkel called for a “common European army” in an interview in German newspaper Bild earlier this year.

6. The European Court of Justice gets power over UK home affairs for the first time.  The Government itself admitted that giving it power over criminal justice and policing would “raise fundamental issues relating to national sovereignty”.  In October last year Geoff Hoon warned it would cause problems for our immigration system as many applicants would appeal to the European Court, causing a huge backlog of applicants waiting for hearings. However, the PM has signed up anyway.

7. Charter of Fundamental Rights made legally binding – the European Court of Justice will be able to strike down UK law if it thinks the rights enshrined in the Charter are not respected by UK law.  Under the Charter the Court will will have power to rule over everything from industrial relations to the rights of criminals, the right to free speech and the rights of migrants.

8. The EU can define criminal offences and sentences by majority vote.  The new “treaty”, like the old Constitution also includes a ban on “disproportionate” prison sentences.

9. EU powers over our public services.  It would give the EU important new powers over health and education, over rules on how much is spent on public services, and how those services should be run.

(10) In the future the EU will be able to get more powers without the need for any new treaties.  It provides that our right to say no can be gradually abolished in new areas without a new treaty and without the Government necessarily having to consult Parliament – reducing the accountability of the EU even further.

And, last but not least:

Because the Government promised us a referendum.  Gordon Brown has said “The manifesto is what we put to the public. We’ve got to honour that manifesto. That is an issue of trust for me with the electorate.”  Well, the Labour Manifesto at the last election said: “We will put it to the British people in a referendum”.

Paul

SOS

 

 

On Wednesday I revisited the Shoulder of Mutton Public House (I’ve blogged about a meeting to save the Pub back in March). The current situation is that a planning application has now been submitted to replace the Shoulder of Mutton with 8 houses and 12 flats. The SOS meeting (Save our Shoulder) saw regulars, and councillors formulating an action plan to fight brewery Marston’s all the way to the planning committee. 

The main point of the meeting was to highlight the fact that in losing the pub, we would also lose the invaluable car parking provided by the shoulder in Tettenhall wood, which would have a devastating effect on the community. Dr Mark Wilson, of the Wood Road clinic, said: “As well as coming here for a drink, people use the car park when they come to Tettenhall Wood. If they have nowhere to park when they come to the shops, the post office we will lose business.” Local residents on Mount Road also made it clear that it was vital that users of the car park, such as church-goers and those on the school run, made representations to the planning committee.

I was also given the opportunity to speak and encouraged those who were gathered there to spread the message, to not give up the fight and preserve a central part of the community. As a young boy one of my earliest memories is going into a working mens’ pub in Bilston. At first I was quite intimidated and couldn’t understand why my father was frequenting such a place. Upon reflection I can now remember the feeling of community and belonging that was in the Pub on that night, and unfortunately those feelings are very rarely found in our busy modern lives. People have until the beginning of November to make their views known. The plans will be discussed at a meeting on December 6 and I’ll keep you posted in terms of what’s happening. 

Paul

Respect for our Elders

Last Friday I met with local representatives from the National Pensioners Convention. I am pictured speaking to Les Cooper who spoke passionately to me about the injustices heaped upon on our senior citizens in the last decade. I’ve come from a fairly traditional background and personally spent many years looking after my grandmother (after-all she looked after me when I was a child).

Both my parents are now retired and again they are being penalised because they’ve tried to do the sensible thing and have saved for their old age. Perhaps the most galling illustration of this injustice can be summed up by Gordon Brown.  A transcript of his speech at Labour’s 1993 party conference:

” I want the next Labour government to achieve what in 50 years of the welfare state has never been achieved – the end of the means test for our elderly people”.  Another case of the British public being patronised and treated like fools.

Paul

Lana meeting in Penn and Merry Hill

Last weekend, just before setting off for the party conference, I attended the Penn and Merry Hill Local Area and Neighbourhood Arrangements meeting at Saint Joseph’s Church. A great atmosphere, with a magic show to entertain the children.  One issue that particularly concerned me related to a conversation that I had with one of the Community teachers from Highfields school.  The school has a particular need for a swimming pool, to improve not just the general level of fitness and obesity levels of our children but also to enhance their confidence and general well being. The obvious point is that the situation has been made worse by the closure of Compton baths, despite a commitment to education, education and education in the last ten years.

Paul

” At all times I will be strong in purpose, steadfast in will, resolute in action ”

 Gordon Brown outside Number 10 after meeting The Queen, 27 June 2007:

We were also promised a new type of politics, without spin and with a government directly accountable to Westminster, rather than the Media. After a decade of Brown and Blair politics, we have reached the point of having a Government which holds office because it wishes to maintain the trappings of power and an opposition  who wish to govern to improve the lives of the British electorate. Does Brown genuinely believe that he is the change required after 10 years at the fulcrum of decision making in Whitehall ?

In my life, be it in business or in sport, I have always made decisions based on the facts available to me and on my gut instinct. Perhaps that’s Gordon Browns most tangible flaw. In order to have a gut instinct a prerequisite is that you need ……. guts! As demonstrated this weekend and when he coveted the Labour leadership in competition with one Anthony Blair, he blinked first. Strong, a conviction politician, a politician to provide the change that 21st century Britain requires ?

Hopefully at some point in the next two years our prime minister will give you the opportunity to answer that question at the ballot box.

Paul