|
A Reflection By Jim Allister MEP on the
EU Reform Treaty
Now that Gordon Brown has foolishly signed up, without a
whimper, to the recycled EU Constitution, he must deliver
on the Labour Manifesto pledge of a referendum.
Make no mistake this “Reform Treaty” is the old
Constitution merely by another name.
It contains the same legal obligations as the rejected constitution.
It involves further massive haemorrhaging of sovereignty to
Brussels. Quite apart from establishing the apparatus of statehood
for the EU, with a President, Foreign Policy Supremo and legal
personality enabling the EU to make international Treaties,
it, very significantly, gives up the national veto on dozens
of more policy areas.
This is the most far reaching treaty ever.
It will transfer 105 new competences from member states
to the EU and establish 68 new areas for majority voting where
member states vetoes will be abolished. For comparison the
Treaty of Rome contained 38 areas for qualified majority vote,
the Single European Act on the Internal Market from 1987 contained
12, the Maastricht Treaty 30, the Amsterdam Treaty 24 and
the Nice Treaty 46. In addition the new treaty contains a
mechanism - Art 33 TEU - for moving further decisions to qualified
majority voting, without asking the peoples of Europe. It,
therefore, is a charter for rolling centralisation. As for
the UK’s supposed “red lines”, these will degrade
to mere pink smudges, soon to be rubbed out by a federalizing
European Court of Justice. As a law-making Court the ECJ at
every turn strengthens Brussels' control. Blair had opt outs
on the last Constitution, they were no more durable or meaningful
than what Brown has this time. Opt in, opt out, shake it all
about, its still the same old game of building the European
Superstate.
Just as Brown ran scared from an election, so he is now
running scared from letting the British people have their
say on this latest ruse to further deplete member states of
sovereign power. No election means Labour's 2005 manifesto
promise of a referendum must stand. No referendum means no
mandate for Brown to proceed to ratification. That is the
bottom line upon which all democrats should unite.
The opposing views on this de facto Constitution are rooted
in fundamentally divergent views on how we see Europe.
If, like me, the Europe in which you believe is one which
offers free trade and economic advantage through the cooperation
for mutual benefit of sovereign nation states, then you will
oppose these changes.
If, on the other hand, your vision for Europe is for total
political and economic integration, where the nation state
is an irritant and obstacle, then you will embrace this Constitution,
for it is undoubtedly a vehicle headed in the direction you
wish to go, which will steamroller out of existence all vestiges
of national sovereignty and statehood.
I unapologetically believe in the sovereignty and supremacy
of the nation state, because I believe in national electors
being able to control the actions and policies of those who
govern them - something which is rooted in the gains of the
Glorious Revolution.
You can either be governed nationally or internationally
through an unaccountable edifice like the European Union.
Jim Allister, MEP
|
