BRUGES GROUP CONFERENCE
Saturday, 17th November 2007
QUOTES
Click here to read quotes from the speakers
PODCASTS
Click here to listen to previous events online
BRUGES GROUP CONFERENCE
The threat of the revived and renamed EU Constitution
Saturday, 17th November 2007
QUOTES FROM THE SPEAKERS
The speakers at Saturday's conference will keep up the pressure on Gordon Brown to hold a referendum on the revived and renamed EU Constitution; and expose the facts of Britain's EU membership
John Redwood MP, will say,
"Most elected politicians at Westminster, in Edinburgh and Belfast were elected on the promise of a referendum on the EU Constitutional Treaty. If Labour at Westminster refuse to honour their promise, it is vital that Scotland and Ireland hold referenda to show the UK government how strongly people condemn this needless and undesirable Treaty. It gives away too much power. It has been wrongly described as fundamentally different from the Constitution by the UK government whilst continental governments have recognised it is more or less the same as the Constitution the peoples of France and Holland rejected in free votes."
Dr Anthony Coughlan, Secretary of the Irish Euro-critical group the National Platform, will say,
“The Treaty of Lisbon, the renamed EU Constitutional Treaty, will create a constitutionally new European Union that is legally quite different from what we call the EU at present. It will give this new Union the constitutional form of a supranational Federation and make us all real citizens of this entity for the first time, instead of our being just notional or nominal EU 'citizens' as at present.
“One can only be a citizen of a State, so that if the Lisbon Treaty is pushed through we shall henceforth owe the new Union, it will establish the prime obligations of citizenship, namely obedience to its laws and loyalty to its authority and institutions.”
Martin Howe QC, will say,
"It is important to look at what is in the Lisbon Treaty, instead of diverting attention to the marginal changes from the Constitution. The Treaty abolishes the existing body called 'the European Union' and replaces it with an entity which is given the same name but which is actually a new body which, unlike the old, has international legal personality. Justice, criminal law, foreign policy and defence swept into the supranational legal structure of the new EU. It cannot be denied that this Treaty effects a fundamental constitutional change."
Gerard Batten, UKIP MEP for London, will say,
“Britain's armed forces are slowly but surely being subsumed into a 'European defence capability' - European Union armed forces. This is being done my means such as defence procurement policies, the implementation of new command and control structures, and the pursuit of a common EU foreign policy leading to a 'common European defence'. If this process is not resisted then within a few years Britain will not be able to mount independent military operations.”
Roger Helmer MEP, will say,
“The pretence that the Lisbon Treaty is somehow different from the failed EU Constitution is one of the most preposterous propositions foisted on the public in living memory. In the spring of this year, German Chancellor Angela Merkel wrote as President-in-Office of the Council to EU heads of government proposing "cosmetic changes (to the Constitution) and different terminology but with the same legal effect” - surely one of the most cynical and deceitful proposals ever made by an EU leader.”
Ruth Lea, Director of Global Vision, will say,
"The current debate about the EU is understandably focused on the Reform Treaty and the need for a referendum. But this shouldn't divert us from the need to look beyond the Treaty and look at the more fundamental issue of the right relationship for Britain with the EU in the 21st century. Global Vision believes that Britain needs to negotiate a new relationship based on trade and cooperation whilst opting out of political and economic union - a relationship that is right for the country, popular with the British people and politically feasible."
Christopher Booker, will say,
“It is a fact I have now been observing for some years that the only people who support Britain's continued membership of the European Union are either those who don't really know very much about it or those who in some way or other benefit from it financially.
Cllr Steve Radford, President of the Liberal Party, will say,
“It is ironic whilst our government is committed to assist Iraqi democratic self-determination they are wilfully denying the British people a right to vote on the future of our country, if a referendum was right for an Iraqi constitution is it no less right for the British people.
“The people of the North-East rejected phoney devolution in a referendum, has this experienced frightened the euro-fanatics in Westminster that they would equally be trumped by the commonsense of the British people in any referendum on the EU superstate by stealth.”
Marc Glendenning, Director of the Democracy Movement, will say,
"Many MPs who intend to vote to approve the EU Constitution Treaty without a referendum are in marginal seats, clinging to their jobs by their fingertips. They cannot afford to ignore the views of too many local voters without risking their jobs at the next election. So the key to getting the promised referendum is to now make their dishonourable stance a very personal, local issue for those MPs. Forcing the most vulnerable to choose between supporting a referendum or losing their jobs is how our battle can be won."
BRUGES GROUP PODCASTS
Click here to listen online to John Redwood MP and Syed Kamall MEP
Speaking to the Bruges Group on 1st October 2007
Click here to listen online to Professor's Tim Congdon and Kenneth Minogue
Speaking to the Bruges Group on 25th October 2007
For further information contact:
Robert Oulds
Director
The Bruges Group
227 Linen Hall, 162-168 Regent Street, London W1B 5TB
UK
Tel: +44(0) 20 7287 4414
Mobile: 07740 029787
E-mail: info@brugesgroup.com
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Honorary President: The Rt Hon. the Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven, LG, OM, FRS
Vice-President: The Rt Hon. the Lord Lamont of Lerwick, Co-Chairmen: Dr Brian Hindley & Barry Legg
Director: Robert Oulds MA, Head of Research: Dr Helen Szamuely
Washington D.C. Representative: John O'Sullivan, CBE
Founder Chairman: Lord Harris of High Cross, Former Chairmen: Dr Martin Holmes & Professor Kenneth Minogue
Friday, 16 November 2007
BRUGES GROUP CONFERENCE Saturday, 17th November 2007
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