DC: a policy on Europe you can believe in

You can see a video of David Cameron amd William Hague talking about the Conservative response to the ratification of the Lisbon treaty at Youtube here, or at the bottom of this post.

Here is a statement which DC made yesterday on the subject:

"Yesterday {e.g. 3rd November - CJW} the Lisbon Treaty was signed by the President of the Czech Republic. It is now set to become EU law.

I know from the huge number of letters and emails that I have been receiving how much people will resent the fact we cannot now have the referendum we were promised by Labour. But I have always been clear that, if this situation came about, I would immediately set out how a Conservative Government would respond.

First, if we win the next election, we will prohibit, by law, the transfer of further power to the EU without a referendum. Never again should it be possible for a British government to transfer power to the EU without the British people's consent.

Second, we will introduce a United Kingdom Sovereignty Bill to make it clear that ultimate authority stays in this country, in our Parliament.

And third, we want to negotiate three specific guarantees with our European partners over powers that we believe should reside with Britain, not the EU.

* We will negotiate the return of Britain's opt-out from social and employment legislation in those areas which have proved most damaging to our economy and public services.

* We also want a complete opt-out from the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

* And we would negotiate for a return of powers in criminal justice to prevent EU judges gaining steadily greater control over our criminal justice system.

If I am elected Prime Minister, the British Government I lead will be an active member of the European Union. Like every other Member State, we will fight our corner to advance our national interests. But our guiding principles will be that Britain's interests are best served by a European Union that is an association of its member states - and we must never allow Britain to slide into a federal Europe.


Comments

Anonymous said…
stupid boy
Jane said…
David Cameron has been honest. The Lisbon Treaty is now law. Conservatives were committed to having a referendum, whilst there was a hope that the Treaty would not be ratified before a General election. It would be deceiving the electorate to hold a referendum as the result could not now be realised.

The Labour Party deceived the electorate with a false promise of a referendum. Then reneged on the promise on achieving power.

Whilst EC law is supreme it still has to be incorporated into the British legal system by Parliament. It is necessary to have a Government that will ensure that British interests are represented in Europe. If parts of a regulation do not meet this county's interests then derogations are possible. Negotiations can take place from a position of strength. There is no need to blindly follow every directive from Brussels.

Ireland and the Czech Republic only signed after being given concessions. It common practice in getting international agreements realised.

David Cameron's Conservatives are committed to making Britain a strong voice in Europe. It will still be possible to benefit from European market liberalism and fight Britain's corner politically.

Conservatives will not roll over on their backs in Europe.
Anonymous said…
Well, this is boring
Chris Whiteside said…
Thanks for your comments, Jane. I did wonder whether to delete the childish nonsense from "Anonymous" but decided to leave his posts up to illustrate what passes for intelligent debate among the few remaining supporters of the Labour party.
Jane said…
A vote for UKIP in Copeland is a vote for Jamie Reed.

Appeal to all disappointed Conservatives. Look at the broader national issues, the state of our economy, the huge debt and ask which of the two major parties is best for the country and best for Copeland?

In Copeland it is a two horse race, between Chris Whiteside and Jamie Reed. Voters, please do not give your vote to Jamie Reed by voting UKIP. Look at the long term interest of the nation and the constituency.

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