Tuesday, January 11, 2011

No wriggle room say Govt

David Liddington the current Europe Minister was baffling away on the Today program this morning, trying to persuade us that the Europe Bill being debated today in the House is substantial,
"We are saying any future change to EU treaties, however minor, will be subject to a full Act of Parliament.

"Any extension of EU competencies, (such as) a decision like joining the euro, would have by law to go with a referendum. There would be no wriggle-room for the Government.
Yeah right Mr Liddington. Why am I not convinced?

Please note that "any future change to EU treaties, however minor, will be subject to a full Act of Parliament."
So what. This is not any future changes will be subject to a referendum is it. And with your vast payroll vote, any future changes can be whipped through with the support of her Majesty's opposition who agree with you on maintaining the EU status quo.

Thus when the Treaty changed last year in the light of the Bail out, there was a heavily whipped vote. But the people did not get their say.

And you still keep for yourself the right to decide what is, and what isn't "extension of competencies".

I am sorry but I, and the majority in the country don't trust you or your government on this. And more, you know it.

The wriggle room you mention, is that the one with the Elephant in it?

1 comment:

Mike Wood said...

I think we've had this discussion before. As a basic point of constitutional principle, Parliament cannot bind its successors and so any Act requiring a referendum on future power shifts could simply be nullified by a single line in a later Act saying along the lines that "This Act ratifies the X Treaty, notwithstanding the provisions of s3(a)(b)(c) of the Fictional Referedums (Transfer of Powers) Act 2014.

Therefore, Liddington is right to say that any future changes would be subject to a full Act of Parliament. That future Act of Parliament should only go through if there is, first, a referendum supporting the change.

The position at present is that Acts of Parliament are only necessary if the Treaty contains measures that will need to be enforced by British courts.

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