Friday 9 December 2011

Words, once written, cannot be erased

"The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit,
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.
"

Omar Khayyám
Someone of my acquaintance produced a cd entitled "Shore-horned into the EU....swallow it whole, swallow it now". This cd documented events leading up to Britain's entry into the Common Market in the early 1970s. He sent a copy of this cd to every Member of Parliament, some of whom are now no longer in office, however, and needless to say, the majority of MPs refused to take any further action, citing 'Parliamentary Protocol', due to the fact that as he did not live in their constituency they were unable to progress his letter further.

Bearing in mind events since May 2010 and more recently the last two days, two of the replies are most illuminating:

William Hague - 23rd September 2007:
"It has been David Cameron's view for a long time that elected representatives should not give up the powers they were elected to wield without asking the people who elected them first. In the modern world, where people want power and control over their lives, to deny them a referendum is a denial of democracy. In our Parliamentary democracy, it is the right that Parliament decides how we are governed on issues such as healthcare, education and policing. But Parliament should not be able to give up the powers it has been granted by the British people without their consent."
David Cameron - 13th December 2007:
"I agree that the EEC people voted for in 1975 was different from the EU we have today. We believe political integration has gone too far and people do feel that Brussels' power has grown without their consent. It is a pretty good principle that elected representatives should not give up the powers they were elected to wield without asking the people who elected them."
Let me say at the outset that much as I would like a referendum, I don't want one as I believe an 'In/Out' Referendum would be lost to the 'In' vote for the same reasons as was the referendum in1975, namely the power, money and 'brain-washing' that was used by those supporting the 'In' decision. 

However, when discussing the principles of democracy, if one believes that to deny a referendum is a denial of democracy the question has to be asked of William Hague: why has no referendum been granted the people, especially when, as David Cameron states, the EEC that the people voted for bears no relation to the EU of 2011;  that Brussels' power has grown without the people's consent? William Hague should remember that it is only those who practise the art of dictatorship that deny democracy to their people - and Cameron's denial of that referendum is just that: dictatorship.

If Cameron truly does believe that it is a pretty good principle that elected representatives should not give up the powers they were elected to wield without asking the people who elected them, then the question arises why he does not take action to rectify the grievous wrong that has been done? More recently what, exactly, was he doing in Brussels if he was prepared to barter changes within the eurozone in return for concessions that would benefit a small section of our nation?

The Conservative Party manifesto for the 2010 general election spoke about protecting our national sovereignty, yet when a nation is unable, as is the case for this nation at present, to act in the best interests of its people; to decide its own future; to decide the laws by which its people live; it can no longer be regarded as sovereign. Only today Cameron is quoted by Bloomberg stating that Britain refused to sacrifice sovereignty to save the euro - err, what sovereignty is that, Mr. Cameron? The minute the Lisbon Treaty was ratified the last vestiges of sovereignty this nation possessed, disappeared.

I am firmly of the opinion that the next politician who utters the words 'sovereignty', in respect of this nation, or 'sovereignty' in respect of parliament, deserves a smack in the mouth!

4 comments:

IanPJ said...

And by their actions shall they be judged.

It WILL be the people who eventually decide the fate of this nation, in spite of the Cameron's of this world, not because of them.

WitteringsfromWitney said...

IPJ: Agreed!

Sue said...

I have some of that, I'll email what I have. It may be of some use or it may just interest you to read some of the stuff which is "confidential, secret, blah, blah...."

WitteringsfromWitney said...

Sue: Sitting with baited breath.....