On Saturday I made the trip into London for the Campaign for an Independent Britain conference to promote our EU campaign – the Great EU Rip Off.
It was a very interesting day with some illuminating speakers.
Sir Teddy Taylor, who has long fought against the EU and left Edward Heath’s cabinet over entry into the EEC (as it then was), spoke about his crusade against EU integration. As one of the ‘whipless wonders’, the 8 Tory MPs expelled by John Major for defying the party on Europe, Sir Teddy described the votes that surrendered our sovereignty to Brussels. In all, Sir Teddy’s introduction was an excellent overview to the fight we have on our hands to stop Brussels wasting taxpayers’ money, writing our laws without consulting us and governing us with no popular mandate.
The next speaker was Irish campaigner Frank Keoghan from the People’s Movement for Ireland. He gave a frightening talk about how the Irish government was going all out to propagandise for the EU Constitution Lisbon Treaty in their second referendum due later this year. There are even plans underway in Ireland for the government to put in each house a ‘booklet’ on the EU Constitution Lisbon Treaty. Call me cynical, but how is this going to be fair and balanced seeing as all the political parties (except Sinn Fein), the newspapers and establishment all support the EU Constitution Lisbon Treaty? More to the point, this propaganda is coming out of the taxpayers’ pocket. The Irish people said no to the EU Constitution Lisbon Treaty last time and shouldn’t have to pay for more referenda til they give the answer the EU wants! No means no!
Dele Oguntimoju from the Nigerian Movement for National Reformation gave a chilling description of plans underway in Africa to have an African Union based along EU guidelines and principles. What had everyone gasping in horror was the fact, calmly announced by Dele, that the move for African Union was being proposed by none other than Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
Brian Denny of the Trade Union movement and No2EU was one of the best orators of the day. Showing how broad the eurosceptic movement is, Brian criticised the EU from a left-wing perspective. The democratic deficit, however, is where we all have common cause.
Finally, a message was read out from Henry Nitzsche, an independent member of the German Bundestag. It wasn’t all doom and gloom, however, as we were told about the court case challenging the EU Constitution Lisbon Treaty as being incompatible with German Basic Law. Should that case succeed, it would require yet another renegotiation of the EU Constitution Lisbon Treaty, showing what an undemocratic, remote farce the process has become. One of the best lines of the day came from Henry’s message:
“You in the UK had Margaret Thatcher, who took her handbag to Brussels and won the rebate. We have Angela Merkel, who takes her handbag only to open it and hand over more money to the EU”.
That says it all, really, doesn’t it. The EU takes our money to propagandize its ambition for “ever closer union”. It squanders our money on wasteful projects. It’s Fisheries and Agriculture policies have caused environmental damage and harmed the development of the third world. And to add insult to injury – we’re paying for it! TPA supporters Greta Smith and Ray Adams make their views on the EU below.