Mike Weatherley supports free market policies in Europe, but argues against an EU
Constitution.
The
election battle for June’s European Parliamentary elections began
with the publication by Conservatives of their election manifesto. Mike
Weatherley, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Brighton Pavilion, welcomed
the manifesto pledges of cutting red-tape on businesses in Brighton
Pavilion, restoring national
control of Britain’s fisheries, and guaranteeing local voters a say via a
referendum on any future laws which would transfer power away from Britain.
Mike
said:
‘Like
Michael Portillo, I cannot be accused of being a 'Little Englander' - I have a
Brazilian wife and a Danish mother. I am International in outlook. I attempt to
speak French and Portuguese when I can and love to sample local foods and
customs throughout the world. I believe in the free
movement of goods, services, people and capital. And support policies that help
this goal to be achieved across boarders.
The European Union has achieved a great deal.
Together we have created a single market of 380 million people.
But Europe has to change if we’re to succeed in the future. Europe
needs to be more flexible, less bureaucratic and less obsessed with regulation. Countries should be free to work together when they want to -
but they shouldn’t be forced to give up power to Europe if they don’t want
to.
·
Europe faces big challenges.
It may be the largest free trade area in the world.
But our ability to compete is being put at risk by the high costs Europe
imposes on business.
·
Europe isn’t working properly at
the moment. Between 1992 and 2002
employment growth in the EU was half that of America.
·
The way Europe works is outdated.
Its institutions were designed to meet the challenges of the last century
– not the world as it is today.
·
We cannot simply ignore these
problems. If Europe doesn’t
become more competitive we will loose business and jobs to our competitors in
China, Asia and America.
·
Labour’s approach is outdated.
They want to give more power to Brussels and to squeeze every country
into a one-size-fits-all plan. That is why they support the proposed European
Constitution.
·
Conservatives oppose the European
Constitution. It is an outdated
approach to Europe’s problems. It would undermine countries’ ability to determine their own
policies in key areas such as the economy, law and order, and asylum.
Countries have constitutions and Conservatives do not want to be part of
a country called Europe.
·
By saying “no” to the
Constitution, the British people would force the EU to confront its failings and
enable Britain to take the lead in developing a coherent plan to modernise the
EU. This is in everyone’s
interests.
·
Conservatives want a new deal for
Europe so that we can meet these challenges.
We want to create a flexible, competitive Europe.
·
Conservatives believe that
every country must meet the four fundamental requirements of the single market:
the free movement of goods, services, people and capital.
·
But a single market does not need
a single social or industrial policy, far less a common taxation policy.
Allowing countries to pursue their own policies in these areas will
encourage competitiveness in Europe. A
flexible approach would be best for Britain and best for Europe.
Conservatives
believe that countries which want to integrate more closely should be free to do
so. But countries which do not want
to hand over power to Europe should not be forced to do so.
Mike
added,
“The
election gun has been fired in the race for the European elections in June. I
encourage everyone to take the opportunity to have their say on the way they are
governed rather than letting apathy rule.
“Conservatives
want a new deal to create a flexible, competitive Europe.
I am particularly concerned about the unnecessary and excessive Brussels
red tape that is hindering enterprise and job creation in Brighton and Hove. This is why I welcome Conservatives’
proposals that all future European regulations should have time-limiting
‘sunset clauses’, making European officials work out how much regulations
will cost business before introducing them, and allowing MEPs to repeal laws
rather than just create them.
“By
contrast, Labour want to sign up to a European Constitution and scrap the Pound.
Liberal Democrats would go even further – abolishing Britain’s veto on tax
harmonisation, despite the huge damage this could do to our competitiveness, and
creating new taxes levied directly by Europe on people across Brighton
and Hove.”
Two
weeks ago saw the dramatic U-turn by Tony Blair to allow a referendum on the
European Constitution. Mike
comments:
“This
is a most amazing U-turn by the Government.
Only last June Labour MP’s, including David Lepper, the current MP for
Pavilion, marched through the “No” lobby of the House of Commons against a
Conservative motion stating that any Treaty providing
a constitution for the European Union should only be ratified by Parliament once
it has received the consent of the British people, democratically given in a
referendum. Strangely (or perhaps,
not so strangely), Mr Lepper has been very quiet about why he voted ‘no’ to
a referendum before, but seems quite happy to support the u-turn now.’
Mike
adds: “The constitution is just one area of European issues where the Labour
government has lacked decisive judgement. In
the last 12 months Tony Blair has on at least six occasions ruled out a
referendum on the EU constitution. But
what about the single currency?”
“One
day it will be right to merge our currency with another formally - it may even
be the Euro .... but not right now. Probably not for the next decade and
probably not until the barriers to free trade and movement in Europe (one of
which is language - others are the Common Agricultural Policy and Pensions. And
the French Pensions crisis is a potentially massive problem that could seriously
weaken the Euro zone) are removed. And anyway, the world does have a single
business currency when we need one. It's the US dollar. And that won't change by
joining the Euro.”
“With
regard to the EU Constitution, Britain’s ability to determine her own policies
in such areas as the economy, law and order, and asylum would all be undermined.
Indeed, the European Union would gain all the trappings of statehood: its own
President, its own Foreign Minister and its own legal system. For the first
time, the supremacy of EU law would derive not from Acts of national Parliaments
but from a supra-national constitution. Countries have constitutions. Nation
states make treaties with one another. Politicians
should never forget that they govern on behalf of the people. Individual
parliaments, and the politicians elected to serve in them, do not own
Britain’s liberties. They are there to safeguard them. And they should not
diminish those liberties without an explicit mandate from the British people.
That is why Conservatives have said from day one that Britain must have a
referendum on the European Constitution. More
importantly though, Conservatives will accept the verdict of the British people,
whatever it is.”
Mike
Adds: “There
are some very clear and good reasons why people should vote Conservative on June
10. Including:
·
Delivering
for Britain
Conservative MEPs put Britain first.
They believe that promoting British interests is their top priority in
the European Parliament. Labour and
Liberal Democrat MEPs see themselves as Europe’s representatives in Britain.
Labour and Liberal Democrat MEPs want the EU to have more powers.
Conservative MEPs are fighting for a Europe that interferes less in our
affairs and is more accountable.
·
Boosting
British Business and Jobs
Conservative MEPs want to open up new opportunities for British business
across Europe to create jobs and increase prosperity.
There must be fewer regulations and less red tape from Brussels.
Labour and Liberal Democrat MEPs vote every day for new job-destroying EU
regulations and red tape that damages the competitiveness of British business.
·
Standing
up for British Farmers and Fisherman
Conservative MEPs make sure that the voice of British farmers and
fishermen is heard in the European Parliament.
The EU’s policies on Agriculture and Fisheries have a major impact on
those industries in the UK so it is vital that British interests are well
represented. Labour and Liberal
Democrat MEPs show little interest in rural issues.
It was a labour minister from Westminster and a Liberal Democrat Minister
form Scotland who signed up to the disastrous Common Fisheries Policy deal,
which has seen 40% of the UK whitefish fleet scrapped in the past two years.
·
Fighting
Fraud and Waste in the EU
Conservative MEPs are at the forefront of the fight against fraud, waste,
mismanagement in the EU. A series
of whistleblowers have brought their concerns directly to Conservative MEPs,
because they know their complaints will be listened top and acted upon. Labours EU Commissioner Neil Kinnock has been in charge of
reforming the European Commission since 1999, but a series of well publicised
scandals have shown that he has failed. The
Liberal Democrats described an EU mismanagement scandal involving millions of
pounds as a “storm in a teacup”.
On
1 May it reached the borderlands of the old USSR.
It
will then glide into the Balkans in 2007, and in theory it could land in Turkey
10 years from now, giving "Europe" a border with Iraq.