David
Sumberg MEP
Date: 07/07/2007
FIRSTLY THE GOOD NEWS…
There has been one item of good news in recent weeks. At the plenary session of the European Parliament in May, MEPs voted to cap ‘roaming charges’ for making and receiving mobile calls across the EU.
As readers who travel to Europe on holiday or business discover to their surprise on their return home, mobile phone calls made and received whilst abroad are subject to a massive surcharge. It’s bad enough to pay extra when making a call from France or Belgium but it is really galling to receive a call from someone in the UK – who hasn’t a clue where you are – and then be landed with a bill simply for talking to them. It affects everybody but we MEPs are more than aware of the problem with journalists ringing up for comments and views all the time.
So at long last, the European Commission and the European Parliament have decided to take on the mobile phone companies and although I am a convinced eurosceptic, even I can see that the problem can only be solved on a Europe-wide basis; the power of national governments to do anything about it is obviously limited.
I am delighted about this move. It means that innocent customers going on holiday to Europe will no longer receive a nasty surprise in their mobile phone bills on their return. Another welcome change is the requirement for mobile phone operators to send customers a text message warning them of the additional, albeit reduced, charges when using their mobiles abroad. So at least you will be warned.
The only snag with the news is that the changes won’t be in force for this year’s summer holidays – but at least they are on their way.
AND NOW THE BAD …
Put a note in your diaries for June 22nd. That’s the date Prime Minister Tony Blair goes to his last European summit and if the rumours prove true, will sign up to a new European Constitution. Of course, he and the other European leaders won’t call it a constitution. Perish the thought. It will be described as a sensible and minor tidying up exercise – simply making the European Union work more efficiently.
But of course, this will be very far from the truth. Since the peoples of France and Holland wisely rejected the proposed constitution last year, thus killing plans to increase the powers of Brussels stone dead, European leaders have been wracking their brains to find ways to get round the problem without bothering the voters in further referendums. The wheeze promoted by Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, is to cherry pick parts of the original constitution proposals and argue that these can be implemented without asking the people of Europe to approve them. This is particularly relevant to us in Britain because Tony Blair promised the British people a referendum if the constitution ever went ahead.
Readers should be aware that the warning bells have begun to ring. A fresh onslaught on British sovereignty is underway and Tony Blair’s final act as Prime Minister could be to approve measures which will weaken our country’s ability both to say no to further European legislation and also for the appointment of a European foreign minister to speak for us in the international arena. And all without our having the right, as we were promised, to say no.
Years ago when Margaret Thatcher rightly abolished the Greater London Council without a vote from those affected by the abolition, Ken Livingstone campaigned for a referendum on the issue with the slogan ‘Say no to no say’. Even though I am not a fan of Red Ken, I cannot think of a better line with which to campaign against Tony Blair’s last broken promise.