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Melanie Phillips home page
Melanie Phillips' peerless blog. Read, and learn.
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Lots of interesting nibbles - and a ruthless swatter of economic gibberish.
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Must-read left of centre blog from writers who understand the threat to the West.
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The thoroughly sensible thoughts of renowned left-wing academic Norman Geras, Professor of Government at Manchester. And cricket, too.
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The public sector reform group; their website is an invaluable source of data and ideas.
Centre for the New Europe
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| December | 07 |
| 2006 |
Well, I've read David Cameron's remarks in Brussels, and credit where it's due. It's superb stuff - spot on in most respects:
Last year the EU made helping lift Africa out of poverty a priority. But many of the EU's policies are making poverty in developing countries worse. The EU remains committed to a largely unreformed CAP, an economic and humanitarian disaster which pushes up food prices for the poorest people in Europe and helps lock the developing world in poverty. And the EU still has higher trade barriers against poor countries than it does against rich. That's not good enough and it needs to change....In 2000 Europe's leaders said they would make the EU the most competitive knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010. EU politicians repeated their call for economic reform in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. But since 1998 new EU regulations have cost business £37 billion.
I've said before that every time he opens his mouth I'm a little - sometimes a lot - less likely to vote Conservative. Well, I stand corrected. His remarks are exectly what needed to be said.
And this earlier pledge to pull out of the Social Chapter is in the same mould:
When we talk about regulation, it's impossible to avoid the role of our principal regulator, the European Union. In particular, we need to look at the Social Chapter. No British government will ever build an environment in which enterprise can truly thrive unless it controls the power to legislate in this area. That's why Britain must not stay in the Social Chapter. I know this is controversial. But I will be guided not by dogma - either Europhile or Europhobic - but a hard- headed assessment of what works for Britain. And it is obvious to anyone who knows anything about business that the Social Chapter doesn't work.
MessageSpace
"what works for Britain" is also dogmatic Stephen. Although our political leaders have to be pragmatic, can't you see that the EU is, at the very least, a gravy train for lawyers and bureaucrats alike? At worst, it's the start of a modern day Holy Roman pan-European Empire.
More like a latter-day Comecon cum Warsaw Pact.
How much influence does Camera-on thinks he has over the EU ? This sounds very much like his previous statements on Europe, and I'm sure when the going gets tough he'll do the U-turn thing again.
There's only one answer as far as this corrupt self-perpetuating bureaucracy is concerned, and that is to get out now and get out quickly. As a Tory voter for over 25 years it pains me to say this, but the (former) Conservative Party is a mirage, shimmering in the last fading desert light. Sorry if this sounds a bit poetic and cynical but I'm really hacked off with their unwillingness to listen.
By the way, I'm less than 50 years old and no, I don't have a blue rinse
To answer the above, I think Cameron has considerable influence. As the next PM after Brown, of course Europe would like to know what they're dealing with.
Dear James (please excuse me whlist I drag my soapbox across the floor...)
The EU neither like nor care what Britain thinks. It is so big now that no single country "controls" its direction, particularly Britain. Movement is the sum of the power of thousands of bureaucrats, grinding their way down the valleys of Europe like some monstrous humanistic glacier, eroding away national identities, liberties, cultures, and legal systems.
David Camera-on has little relevence to this process. I suggest you visit your nearest glacier, stand in front of it, and try pushing it back up the hill. Hercules couldn't do it. A sound-bite merchant can't do it
Influence ? I don't think so !
Simple is good - let's just walk away and let us return real power to Westminister and local government.
Well Stephen you obviously missed this bit of the Cameron EU criticism fest from the Financial Times on 7 December at a different meeting in Brussels
"Mr Cameron lavished praise on the European Commission and said he fully shared its drive to tackle climate change, cut global poverty, reduce red tape and improve Europe’s competitiveness."
I'm disappointed that you have not yet realised that Cameron's only perceived saleable talent is for PR: he will say anything to get power: even dissing the EU. Unfortunately he won't actually do anything about it. His sole unequivocal undertaking during the Tory leadership election was to get the Tories out of the EPP by July 2006 if he was elected leader. They're still there!
Could we now have David Cameron explain to us in detail how or by what method he thinks the European Union is to be reformed. Praising the Commission is not enough. Mouthing platitudes is not enough. What does he suggest we do? The budget is set till 2013. The treaties, the root of the problem, have to be changed unanimously at an IGC, for which he has conspicuously not called, and then implemented by each state separately. The Council of Ministers? Has he heard of Qualified Majority Voting? The European Parliament, which decides everything in committees and votes only on amendments to directives or the occasional regulation?
PS The Social Chapter is part of the treaty. How is Cameron going to bring Britain out? Can we have ideas instead of warm treacle-like waffle?