David
Sumberg MEP
Date: 07/11/2007
Give us a Vote
We need a vote before giving EU new powers , David Sumberg, North West Conservative MEP and former Bury South MP
Most voters already feel that the EU has a powerful and almost uncontrollable influence on our everyday lives. It is estimated that four out of every five national laws now originate in Brussels.
In 2005, the Government promised a referendum on the EU Constitution, deciding to let UK voters have the final say on whether they wanted even more decisions to be taken by the EU. Despite this, Gordon Brown is now trying to go back on his word. Britain never got the chance to vote: the Constitution was rejected by French and Dutch voters before our turn came around. But EU leaders refused to listen.
They are now trying to reintroduce the rejected Constitution in the form of a new treaty. This is a deeply dishonest process, as is made clear by the author of the original Constitution, former French President Valery Giscard d' Estaing: "All the earlier proposals will be in the new text, but will be hidden and disguised in some way."
British voters surely deserve better than this, and the revised constitution deserves a vote because it would grant the EU even more control over our daily lives, giving unelected foreign officials unprecedented new powers to make decisions on issues as fundamental as crime and immigration .
EU judges would become the highest avenue of appeal, which could lead to them making decisions on important issues such as how long we should lock up our most dangerous criminals for. The EU would gain far more control over our immigration policy.
The Constitution gives remote EU bodies more scope to meddle in decisions which most people think should be made close to the people they affect. This is why voters must have a say before giving any more power to Brussels.
Gordon Brown has already made important U-turns on issues such as super-casinos and cannabis. If we are going to persuade him that he needs to do the same on the EU Constitution, then we need to gather as much support as possible. If you want your voice to be heard, please sign up to support the campaign for a referendum on the European Constitution at www.iwantareferendum.com