The EU Constitution: Context and Predictions
PRESS RELEASE
 Two years ago the Bruges Group
predicted the path of the EU treaty and warned of the consequences of
railroading integration on Britain. Now the Bruges Group looks at what will
happen next. And how Britain can finally resolve the EU question and become a
good neighbour to the continent, rather than being an overcharged
lodger.
We
predicted in early 2005 that the EU Constitution would;
- fail somewhere in a referendum
(France and the Netherlands voted No. Britain would have certainly done
the same)
- the rejection of the Constitution would provoke a panic in
Brussels
(EU leaders did not know what to do next, EU Commission Vice-President,
Margot Wallström, even moved onto Plan D)
- this panic would create the opportunity for Britain to rethink our
terms of EU membership
(This however was missed and the EU stumbled on)
- a failure to change our membership would mean the original plan
would go back onto the table, and the breakup of the EU would become
inevitable
(The federalists only idea was to re-submit the same old tired
Constitution, just under a new name)
What happens next and why a vote
is inevitable
Brown under pressure
The Prime Minister has found himself stuck in the middle between the masses of
people demanding a referendum on the Treaty and the Europhiles that are
floating the idea of holding a vote on our very membership of the EU.
The inevitability of a referendum
A referendum, sooner or later, is inevitable and long overdue. The British
public will not sit idly by as they see a referendum on the revived and
renamed EU Constitution taking place in Ireland. They will not forgive the
Labour Party for breaking its 2005 election manifesto.
After the fiasco of the election that never was, Brown cannot afford to duck
the will of the British people yet again.
It is just a matter of what the final question will be.
More wasting of taxpayers money
We can expect the Government will restart is costly, yet futile, roadshow to
convince us of the ‘benefits’ of EU membership without actually naming
any.
The European Commission will also spend more of our money on propaganda in a
vain attempt to make us support the Reform Treaty. We can be sure that some of
this propaganda money will come from the European People’s Party which the
Conservatives in the European Parliament are members of.
The opportunity of the revived EU Constitution
A vote rejecting EU integration in the UK will open up the prospect of new
opportunities for Britain including a new arrangement of free trade and
friendship, replacing burdensome regulation and the constant antagonism caused
by Britain’s reluctance to submit itself fully to the federalist project.
These opportunities were acknowledged by the very drafters of the EU
Constitution itself. Article 7a, the Good Neighbour clause,
of the draft Reform Treaty would allow Britain, if it were to leave the EU's
political control, to enjoy a special relationship with the EU, where the UK
can remain outside of the political structures, but still enjoy good working
relations. This will give Britain free trade with the European Union. There is
no reason why we cannot aim for such a relationship once the Treaty is
rejected.
This ‘good neighbour’ arrangement is clearly therefore an achievable
objective, replacing our existing terms of membership.
EU expert Dr Lee Rotherham says,
 “You don’t have to be Mystic Meg to predict a stormy
6 months for Gordon Brown. The question really is whether the Captain will
follow his policy to the bottom of Davy Jones’ Locker, and whether David
Cameron seizes the opportunity to steer a bold new course in Britain’s
dealings with Europe.”
Robert Oulds, Director of the Bruges Group, says,
 “Blair will be remembered as the man that failed to
make the British public love the EU as he did and, above all, he ran from the
challenge of the Eurosceptics and failed to even hold a referendum on the
euro.
“Unless Brown holds a referendum his legacy will also be one of cowardice, not
courage, on the question of Europe.
“If Brown fails to let the British public have their say he will also go down
as the man that sunk Britain’s membership by pushing the people too far
without their consent.”
Powers that Britain must
reclaim
Once there
has been reform at home by affirming the Primacy of Parliament over EU law,
striking out the parts of the acquis communautaire that do not suit
Britain. And after an official inquiry into the costs of EU membership has
reported on the price we are paying; Britain can replace our current
membership with the ‘good neighbour’ status.
Below is a list of minimum demands that would be needed to make the 'good
neighbour’ relationship work.
- Repatriate CAP to national control. Reforms to be undertaken at national
level
- Repatriate CFP. Local community management
- Restore Social Chapter opt-out
- Remove Employment and Social Affairs from the arrangement
- Repatriate all of International Development, and link with good
governance
- Remove Defence and intergovernmental affairs from the agreement; cut
Commission representation; cut UK funding for Galileo; remove WEU from any EU
agreement
- End regional aid: budget saved to be restored to exchequers
- Cut R&D funding or withdraw from UK participation and funding
- UK to represent itself internationally unless we request otherwise. Option
to join NAFTA subject only to anti-dumping talks with EU
- Tax harmonisation to end. Britain allowed to set own tax rates, including
ending VAT
- Education and Culture to go to Council of Europe (a non-EU institution)
with budget line
- Health and Consumer Protection to be scaled back vastly
- Stop the ability of the ECJ and the Commission to govern Britain
- Justice and Home Affairs to be taken away from the EU and discussed at a
broader level of intergovernmentalism
- All remaining competences to see the restoration of the veto
Click
here to read the original Bruges Group paper from early 2005 on where Britain
should go next and the mechanics for changing the UK’s relationship with the
EU
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For
further information contact:
Robert Oulds
Director
The Bruges Group
227 Linen Hall, 162-168 Regent Street, London W1B 5TB
UK
Tel: +44(0) 20 7287 4414
Mobile: 07740 029787
E-mail: info@brugesgroup.com
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