Dinner celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Maastricht Rebellion
Commemorating the Maastricht Rebellion
Click here
to read the full speech by Barry Legg
     Notable
attendees included Rt Hon. Sir Peter Tapsell MP, Father of
the House of Commons, and the Cabinet Ministers Rt Hon. Owen Paterson
MP, Secretary of State for the Environment, and Rt Hon.
Theresa Villiers MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Rt Hon. John Redwood MP was also there.
In November 1992 26 Conservative Members of Parliament defied the
government
on the Paving Vote for the Maastricht Treaty. Maastricht provided the
framework for
European government and the establishment of the eurozone. Those who defied
their
own government set-out the dangers that Maastricht posed for this country and
the
rest of Europe; the full implications of which are being played out today.
Tragically the
division was lost by only three votes. This was one of the most important
votes in the
House of Commons in the twentieth century.
THE 20th ANNIVERSARY DINNER
We believe that celebrating the original fight to save the democratic
nation-state will
encourage politicians and opinion formers to demand an end to the damage done
by the
EU to our economy and our democracy. The 20th Anniversary celebrations will
send a powerful message that there
is another way, to be ignored by a government at its peril.
The speakers
 Bill Cash, MP
Bill Cash is the Member for Stone. He is the Chairman of the House of Commons
European Scrutiny Committee.
He was also Chairman of the Conservative Backbench Committee of European
Affairs 1988-91. In advance
of what became the Maastricht Intergovernmental Conference Bill declined a
Government position in 1991,
choosing instead to orchestrate opposition to the Maastricht Treaty and
founding the Maastricht Referendum
Campaign. Bill was voted Parliamentary Campaigner of the Year 1991 by an
independent panel of journalists.
Bill Cash is the Chairman of the European Foundation and was also Chairman of
the Parliamentary Friends of the Bruges
Group in the House of Commons. His publications include; Associated, Not
Absorbed – The Associated European Area, Are we
really Winning on Europe?, Against a Federal Europe: The Battle for
Britain and British and German National Interests.
 Barry Charles Legg
Barry Legg, representing the seat of Milton Keynes South West, was a key
organiser in Parliament against the
Maastricht Treaty and subsequently became Chairman of the Treasury Select
Committee. Prior to entering
the House of Commons Barry was an Executive Director at Hilsdown Holdings plc,
one of Britain’s top 100
companies.
Barry is the Chairman of the Bruges Group and was the Chief Executive of the
Conservative Party.
 Vote of Thanks to the Maastricht Rebels from
Mark Pritchard MP
Mark is the Conservative Member of Parliament for The Wrekin in Shropshire
which he has represented
since 2005. In March 2012 he resigned from a party position due to concerns
over an increasing number of
government policies, including those on immigration and Europe. He also argued
that the government needs
a more robust policy on immigration and that it is timid over Europe, and that
the EU is holding back growth
and costing jobs.
His political interests include; defence, foreign affairs, counter-terrorism,
cyber-security and animal welfare. He is a member
of the Joint National Security Strategy Committee and a member of the
UK’s
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