This in from the office of Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Andrew Turner, in their own words. Ed
Andrew Turner last Thursday (4th February) spoke in the House of Commons’ debate on Parliamentary Sovereignty and EU Renegotiations. MPs from all parties discussed the outcome of the Prime Minister’s renegotiations with the EU. Speaking during the debate Mr Turner made it clear that he does not believe that the UK can trust the EU to ever change.
The Island’s MP said:
“In 2013 … the Prime Minister acknowledged that the status quo was not working for us any more – so he promised us change, reform and even a new treaty. Having received the draft negotiation earlier this week I ask myself, ‘Where are these grand promises of fundamental reform?’ There are none. Not a single clear-cut promise of any treaty amendment.
“The Prime Minister said that the European Union cannot progress with ‘more of the same’. So far, that is all I have seen – more of the same complex rules restricting and burdening us. More of the same inability for change. More of the same foreign dominance that we have not asked for, and that we do not want!”
The ‘emergency brake’ on immigration
Mr Turner went on to criticise the proposals for an ‘emergency brake’ on immigration, saying it was ‘outrageous’ that the final decision on whether to apply the brake would lie with other member states, not the UK.
He also outlined his objection to the use of the word sovereignty in the draft proposals – when there are no proposals for powers to flow back to the UK Parliament, adding:
“The Prime Minister did warn us and say that ‘you will not always get what you want’. But it is becoming clearer that with the European Union you never get what you want.”
Extract from Hansard:
Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight) (Con): I thank the Backbench Business Committee for recommending this important debate. In 2013, the Prime Minister set out the future of Europe in his Bloomberg speech. He acknowledged that the status quo was no longer working for us, so he promised us change, reform and even a new treaty. Having received the draft negotiation earlier this week, I ask myself, “Where are these grand promises of fundamental reform?” There are none; there is not a single clear-cut promise of any treaty change. The Prime Minister said that the European Union cannot progress with “more of the same”, but so far that is all I have heard. It has been more of the same complex rules, restricting and burdening us; more of the same inability to change; more of the same foreign domination that we have not asked for and that we do not want. The European Union is its own biggest threat. How many times will we be promised a more competitive environment? How many times have we been told that red tape will be cut and the single market strengthened? We have yet to see real proposals and we have yet to see proper results—enough, is enough.
I am interested in Mr Tusk’s definition of sovereignty, because the proposals can hardly be called “sovereign”; nor do they let power flow back to this Parliament. Instead, we could receive a “red card”—a red card that can be used only when a group of national Parliaments decide to stop a legislative proposal. A majority of 55% of member states is to constitute a red card, whereas my majority would be 100% of the United Kingdom.
What about this “emergency brake”? It is an emergency that needs to be objectively justified. Whereas it is jolly good that the Commission tells us that the UK would qualify to pull this brake, it is outrageous that the final word lies not with us, but with other member states. We may not, says the EU, have to pursue an “ever closer union”. When the UK is neither allowed to pull its own brake, nor to decide its own emergency, that is when I feel that the ever closer union is still very much upon us.
The Prime Minister described an updated European Union as flexible, adaptable and more open. I can only see a supposedly updated European Union that is inflexible, unadaptable, and blocked. The Prime Minister did warn us, saying: “You will not always get what you want”, but it is becoming clearer by the day that with the European Union you never get what you want. If the European Union really wants us to stay, would it not have offered us more? The European Union has sucked up our sovereignty, and trampled all over our ancient rights and freedoms. Are we simply going to carry on with this relationship we have with the EU, when the EU so obviously does not want to change? Is not the only solution just to say “Leave” to this whole spectacle? This renegotiation is a spectacle; it is too much noise, too much of a farce and much too little substance.
