PM opens the door for a referendum on renegotiation of our relationship with the EU

From the Daily Mail

In a hugely important development, the Prime Minister has opened the door to a referendum to renegotiate Britain's relationship with he EU. I welcome this. I also agree with the PM on timing. My own view is that there should be a referendum after the next election (once the economic crises have passed) - based on substantial renegotiation. We should go to the EU with a strong mandate from the British people, to repatriate our powers lost to Brussels. With such a mandate, it would put the UK into a strong position into stopping the EU federalist ratchet once and for all.

You can read more HERE and HERE. Liam Fox MP has also written on this HERE.

P.S. Last week, I signed a letter to the PM - alongside one hundred MPs - on the need for a referendum. The text of the letter is below:

"EU Referendum

We are writing to urge you to place on the Statute Book before the next General Election a commitment to hold a referendum during the next Parliament on the nature of our relationship with the European Union.

The case for a referendum is growing by the day, and in particular is justified on the following grounds:-

We suggest there is a consistent majority in this country who believe that the European Union meddles too much in our everyday lives, that the weight of regulation on our businesses is too burdensome, and that the cost of membership is far too high.

The EU is constantly evolving and is very different to the European Economic Community we joined in 1973.
No-one in this country under the age of 55 has had the opportunity to express their view on this signally important matter.

Whatever one’s views on the EU, a commitment on the Statute Book to hold such a referendum would address the very real lack of public trust when people hear politicians making promises – they remember Labour’s broken promises over the EU Constitution/Lisbon Treaty. Such a referendum would address this credibility gap. We suggest the sooner it is implemented, the better."

by Robert Halfon MP - Working Hard for Harlow.

Why I believe in an EU Referendum

On Monday, there was a backbench motion in Parliament, expressing an opinion about a possible three-way referendum on the European Union.

It was a very very tough decision, but I voted against it.

First: it would be better a referendum were held when the UK's economic crises has been sorted.

In the current economic climate, when people are fearful for their jobs and are struggling to keep their head above water, now would not be the best time to win a referendum on getting our powers back from the EU - or even push through the necessary legislation in the House of Commons. There would be a strong liklihood that we would lose such a referendum now, because people are understandably preoccupied with our economic difficulties.

Many people are worried that at a time when we are having to freeze pay for nurses and Police officers, how can it be right to spend £80 million pounds on a referendum?

Second: there was a guarantee from the Prime Minister that we will have a Referendum if there were any serious future changes to the European Union. Unlike the Motion on the Referendum, this commitment has already been enshrined in legislation by the Government through the 2011 EU Sovereignty Act - which I strongly supported.

This is more than likely given the current problems in the Eurozone.

David Cameron confirmed in Parliament this week, that there will be a referendum if there was any fundamental changes to the EU.

He said:

"The key point about the European Union Act 2011 and the referendum lock that we put in place is that any passage of powers from Britain to Brussels results in a referendum. That is the key thing that we have delivered, which means that never again can we have a situation where, as with Maastricht or Lisbon, a treaty is passed that transfers powers from this House to somewhere else without the British people being asked first. I sometimes think that we have lost the ability to make clear what a significant change that is. That is the key thing that the referendum lock delivers, and I think everyone on this side of the House can be very proud of it"

Third: During the debate both David Cameron and William Hague pledged to repatriate powers from Europe.

William Hague said:

"It is my view and the Prime Minister’s view, and the position of the Conservative Party, that we will use future opportunities to bring further powers back to the United Kingdom—to repatriate powers to the United Kingdom in those areas where we believe European integration has gone too far... The only treaty change agreed so far—I am coming to this point—is the one that puts the European stability mechanism on a legal basis, and for that we secured in return, as the Prime Minister explained, that this country will no longer be forced to be part of eurozone bail-outs. We will respond to every proposal by putting forward what we need in return. Any treaty that transfers power to the European Union, and that is interpreted not just by Ministers but by the courts of this country as doing so, will result in a referendum for the people of the United Kingdom."

Further to this I should like to make some concluding points.

I was not forced to vote for the Government because of the Whips or anyone else. On other occasions I have voted against the Government and voted against the EU Budget increase last year, despite a three line whip. After listening to the debate, I decided late into the evening to back the Government - for the reasons given above.

It is also worth noting that the Backbench Motion was non-binding - purely because it was a Backbench Motion.

This meant that it amounted to an expression of opinion rather than 'forcing' the Government to do anything. In other words, even if it had passed there would have been no Referendum.

I do support a general referendum on our relations with the EU, but believe this should be a commitment in the next Tory Manifesto. I would be happy either for a referendum on substantial renegotiation and repatriation of our powers, either before the Government went to the EU to begin negotiations, or, after renegotiation of our membership had been completed - in order to gain a mandate from the British people.

As I have said however, given that there is likely to be a new EU Treaty in the near future, it is likely that referendum will come sooner rather than later.



by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

Ping-Pong Voting - time for an elected House of Lords?

I am writing this tonight, from my Commons Office.  Tonight is a historic night in the new Parliament.  The Lords and Commons are 'ping-ponging' the Alternative Vote/Referendum Bill.    This means that the Lords has disagreed with the Commons majority, the Bill has gone back to the Commons, amended by the Lords, voted on and then returned to the Lords.  This will go on to & fro until agreement is reached and the Bill can then be given Royal Assent.  At the moment the Commons Sitting is suspended as the Lords debate the Bill.  After 1130, it will come back to the Commons.  There will then be another vote..... and then, who knows!

It is a strange thing to be living history as it is made.  Although I have reservations about this Bill - it is the price of coalition with the Liberal Democrats - I do believe that the unelected House of Lords should not be able to frustrate the will of the democratically elected MPs in the House of Commons.  I am in favour of an elected House of Lords (at least a partially elected one), so as to address this democratic deficit.

P.S.  It is bizarre to see Lord John Prescott, who opposed the Lords for many years, gladly cloak himself in red ermine, as soon as it was proffered. He is now the ring leader against the elected Commons. Napoleon in Animal Farm comes to mind.

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

Harlow EU Lisbon Treaty Referendum Campaign

Following my earlier posting, I thought you might like to see some pictures from the Harlow EU Referendum Campaign in February 2008
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Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Debating the Lisbon Treaty with Harlow Council Watch

I am a great believer in debate and discussion, however tempestuous. Good political argument go hand in hand with democracy.

So I was really pleased to be invited (a few days ago), by Harry Harrison, (Chairman) of Council Watch and Colleen Morrison (Secretary), to discuss and debate the Lisbon Treaty and other matters relevant to the European Union. Also attending was Dave White, Harlow Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate.

In essence my case to Council Watch members was as follows:

• Labour had betrayed the Country by not giving the people a chance to vote on a referendum on the European Constitution (known as the Lisbon Treaty), despite pledging to in its election manifesto;
• The Liberal Democrats had promised the same, yet had abstained when the issue came before the House of Commons. If they had kept their promise, Gordon Brown would have been forced to have a referendum;
• The Lisbon Treaty was now law. The EU now had an unelected President and unprecedented right to intervene in our own affairs;
• The case for a referendum had crossed political divides. Tony Benn had backed the Harlow campaign and Robert Halfon, (and Colleen Morrison) had met Mr Benn at Parliament, in the demonstration for a referendum.
  
  David Cameron's response to this is as follows:
  
  
• Repatriation of our powers relating to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, Justice & Home Affairs and Social and Employment legislation;
• A possible referendum after one term of Government, if we have not repatriated these powers;
• A Bill to ensure that the UK Parliament has sovereignty over EU law;
• Any ratchet clauses emanating from the Lisbon treaty (i.e. extension of EU Power), have to have a majority in Parliament.
  
• Legislation to guarantee that any future EU Treaty will be subject to a referendum.
  
  
  

You can read more about this HERE. It is a speech, in which Mr Cameron sets out the Conservative European Policy. Of course, every Eurosceptic is enraged about the failure of the Government to hold a referendum on the European Constitution. If the above measures are enacted, it will at least have a ratchet effect against the ever increasing march towards European Federalism. Moreover, never again, will our political ruling class, be able to sign up to new European Treaties, without giving the people a right to say yes or no through referendum.

I was glad to set this out to Council Watch, and look forward to debating the issue in and around Harlow over coming months.

The best of times and the worst of times

How can one day be so good and bad for democracy at the same time? Well, this Saturday is like no other. First, the Prime Minister Gordon Brown, under relenting pressure (particularly from Sky News), finally agreed, that he would be willing to take part in General Election TV debates with David Cameron. This is great news and is something of a small earthquake in our political system. TV Debates, will accelerate the trends to a more 'Presidential' style of Government, as the performance of party leaders becomes ever more important. Above all, it gives the public a real chance to decide, who they will vote for. These TV election debates will be watched by millions, and will have the capacity to make or break party leaders. It is a great advance for our democratic evolution.

Now for the bad news. Sadly, Ireland voted yes for the EU Constitution - known as the Lisbon Treaty. This was a referendum that was all the more curious, as the Irish voted no in a Referendum, not so long ago. Yet in true EU Style, instead of accepting the result, the Irish were forced to have a second referendum, until the Eurocrats and big Corporate interests in Brussels got the answer they wanted. We now have to wait on the actions of the Czech Republic and Poland, who both have not yet ratified this Treaty - which, if it comes to pass, would in essence bring about European Government in all but name, and greatly weaken the power of Britain, to make its own decisions on a huge range of issues.

David Cameron, has pledged that Conservatives will hold a Referendum on the EU Constitution - something which Gordon Brown promised at the last election, but refused to honour. Mr Cameron has issued the following statement to party activists, (many of whom will be on their way tomorrow to Manchester, for the annual party conference):

"I want to make one thing clear: there will be no change in our policy on Europe and no new announcements at the Conference. There will be no change in Conservative policy as long as the Lisbon Treaty is still not in force. The Treaty has still not been ratified by the Czechs and the Poles. The Czech Prime Minister has said that the constitutional challenge before the Czech Constitutional Court could take 3-6 months to resolve

I have said repeatedly that I want us to have a referendum. If the Treaty is not ratified in all Member States and not in force when the election is held, and if we are elected, then we will hold a referendum on it, we will name the date of the referendum in the election campaign, we will lead the campaign for a 'No' vote.

If the Treaty is ratified and in force in all Member States, we have repeatedly said we would not let matters rest there. But we have one policy at a time, and we will set out how we would proceed in those circumstances if, and only if, they happen.

This is going to be a great Conference. I look forward to seeing many of you in Manchester".

By Rob Halfon ~ Working hard for Harlow, Hastingwood, Nazeing, Roydon & Sheering. http//roberthalfon.blogspot.com

Tony Blair as President of Europe?

Just imagine, an unelected Prime Minister in the shape of Gordon Brown, and an unelected President of Europe, in the figure of Tony Blair. It doesn't bear thinking about. Yet there is a strong possibility that Mr Blair may become President of the European Union.

Given that the EU now inteferes in every nook and cranny of our life, President Blair would mean he would have an unacceptable influence on our domestic affairs. If the new Lisbon Treaty (the European Constitution comes to pass), it would give a President Blair significant powers over Britain, that would rival those of Gordon Brown.

I am glad that Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague has set out his thoughts on the matter:

Tony Blair and the EU Presidency

"Our point about this is that this would be unacceptable to the majority of people in Britain'. It would be a double denial of democracy because we would have a former prime minister returning to a position of influence and power over British affairs without any electoral mandate of any kind. If a figure like Tony Blair assumed the presidency of the EU, it would be Tony Blair who went off to visit the White House claiming to represent all the people of Europe, including Britain once again. "'Just when people thought they were free of that, that would be back and they wouldn't be able to do anything about it.'" That remains exactly the position of the Conservative Party today. We are not, of course, in favour of the creation of the position of a permanent president of the European Council in the first place. It is also something of an academic question, because either the Lisbon Treaty will be in force if a Conservative Government is elected, in which case the Governments of the European Union will already have chosen a President of the European Council, or it will not be in force if a Conservative Government is elected, in which case it is unlikely ever to come into force since a Conservative Government would hold the referendum that people have always been promised and have been denied under Labour.

Cajun Squirrel Crisps and Democracy

As a Prospective MP, I don't get any salary or expenses, so I also have a full time job in London. Driving home I usually pass through City Airport via the Limehouse Link and often stop at an Esso Garage by the airport to fill up and have a cup of coffee.

Although I am on a diet, I often can't resist a packet of crisps and recently bought one of Walker's new special flavours - Cajun Squirrel. As I drove back Harlow way, I got thinking as to whether I would vote for this flavour or my own favourite - Fish and Chips. And then, being a politician I started to think about Walker's Crisps and politics......

What is the biggest vote currently facing the nation? Is it the local elections? The European elections. Fat chance. Does the answer lies in crisp packets?

In the old days, when a company wanted to develop a new product they might have a few boffins create the idea, followed by focus groups and some marketing here and there. After, the new product would appear on the supermarket shelves. It would succeed by its advertising and by a bit of luck.

Walkers Crisps have turned this approach on its head. Instead of centrally announcing a new flavour of crisps to a munching public, the company invited people to send in recipes which were then voted on - by the public via the text or internet. The winning flavours were reduced to just six.

The company then released these six flavours onto the market and, as crisp lovers will know, are available at most outlets. But Walkers didn't stop there at this exercise in crisp democracy. Every packet bought carries a coloured rosette and allows you to vote (again by text or internet) as to which of the six flavours is preferred. The intention is that after the voting ends, Walkers will introduce the extra flavour based on the voting public's final say so.

I expect many political die-hards will watch Walker's Crisp Democracy with cynicism at another marketing exercise. Yet the truth is that more people will know about this Crisp vote than who their MEP is or local MP for that matter.

So what is the lesson for political parties? Why not try and involve the voting public in decision making much more. Instead of centrally announcing policies, why not invite the public to suggest some as long as they are broadly in line with party principles. Get the public to vote the best ones and then use pilot schemes to try them out.

Want a new bypass? Send in your suggestions fully costed - let people then vote on the best suggestion - fully aware of the cost implications and the increase in local taxes.

Worried about a local hospital closing or a particular ward or department shutting down? Offer people a vote, again noting just what the cost implications are. If they want to keep the hospital open, they have choice of paying an extra xxx on their local council taxes.

I appreciate that the above may be too far reaching and too revolutionary in these difficult times, but it is worth mentioning the above to stimulate debate. The voting public are no longer willing subjects content to vote once every five years. They want real engagement and involvement at every level. Walkers Crisp democracy has shown the way forward.

P.S I still prefer Fish and Chips flavour - I have never tasted squirrel before and had nothing to compare it with!!

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Power to the People!

Time and time again local people contact me worried about the Government's plans to concrete over our green belt with thousands of extra houses.

That is why it is good news that David Cameron has announced today that the Government's housing targets will be scrapped, alongside unelected and costly Regional Assemblies like the one in the East of England (EERA).

The Conservative view is that local people should decide where extra housing goes, not faceless bureaucrats or Gordon Brown.

They have also said they will ensure that more power is given to local councils and voters will be able to call a local referendum against excessive Council Tax rises.

We will also be able to elect our own Police Commissioner so we can have some say on policing in our district.

I think that this is good news. We need more local democracy not less. Everyone has had enough of bossy government telling us what to do. Its time to put we the people back in charge of our own affairs!

For more information, please see HERE.


Rob Halfon ~ Working hard for Harlow, Hastingwood, Nazeing, Roydon & Sheering.