A Guest Post

I have asked Ian Parker-Joseph to 'Guest-Post' on my blog as his views are thought-provoking, to say the least.

What is interesting is that, whilst he and I belong to different political parties, our views on 'democracy', the European Union and the need of Britain to regain its own governance, coincide.

Anyway, over to Ian Parker-Joseph.......

The Euro FederalistsAre In A Hurry

The Euro Federalists are in a hurry. They are seeing the disquiet and anger building in the UK at the lack of democracy, with leader after leader denying them a say on our future with the EU. As the anger mounts amongst the public, the Euro Federalists are moving ever quicker to ensure that the Britain we know and love can never escape the clutches of the new empire.

From those big names in Brussels, Barroso, Van Rompuy and the like you would expect this, but let us look at someone you would not expect this from: Dan Hannan.

Dan has promoted himself, along with Douglas Carswell, as Libertarians inside the Conservative Party. They put out a book, 'The Plan'. They appear to be at loggerheads with the party leadership, a thorn in Cameron's side, but are they? Or are they working to the same plan as Cameron.

In a series of articles in the Telegraph this week, Hannan's true colours are coming through, and the truth is that Hannan is as much a 'progressive' communitarian as Cameron.

Let me try and put this into perspective. Last month I wrote about the legal base that Cameron will inherit, once Lisbon comes into force on 1st Dec 2009. In the comments of that article, I also wrote about the Committee of the Regions.

The Committee of the Regions is made up of appointees, not necessarily anyone who holds an elected position. It is this EU Committee that will ultimately hold regional power, not National governments.

When John Prescott first mooted the idea in the UK of Regional Assemblies, the public rejected it. That was the last time the public was asked to participate.

His then department, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) went into overdrive, and diverted billions of taxpayers money into setting up regional government by stealth, recruiting and training personnel to run it all in the background using the subversive and secretive training company Common Purpose, which operates on a Europe wide scale invoking the Chatham House rules to ensure secrecy. Offering Common Purpose graduates the biggest networking opportunity of their lifetime, many have gotten very rich on the back of setting up this secret second government structure.

The end result is 12 Regional Development Agencies, 9 Regional Assemblies in England, The Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and the NI Assembly, reorganisation of Regional TV & Radio, 12 Regional Emergency Services, 12 Regional NHS organisations, reorganisation of the Army with 12 primary Regiments, reorganisation of local government to fit into the EU 2 tier model, all of this coordinated by The Committee of the Regions in Brussels.

The Committee of the Regions was initially set up as a consultation body, but it has with each Treaty gained more influence and more power, taken control of more of the shared competencies. In place since 1994, this EU organisation has been making UK policy, not British politicians (that is why they look so dumb sitting on the front bench, nothing original)

Set up by the Maastricht Treaty, its first meeting was in March 1994. Initially five areas of obligatory consultation (economic and social cohesion; trans-European networks in the field of transport, energy and telecommunications; public health; education and youth; culture).

Amsterdam Treaty (1999) added a further five (employment, social policy, environment, vocational training, transport).

The latest treaty Lisbon, gives it total control over all shared competencies. It consists of 344 members and 344 alternate members appointed for 4 years by the Council, having been nominated by member states.

Put bluntly the EU now mirrors the old Soviet Union almost completely.

The Office of the President of the Council of Europe and the Council itself mirrors the USSR president and the Soviet Praesidium. (unelected)

The European Commission mirrors the Politburo. (unelected)

The European Parliament mirrors the Soviet Duma or the Hall of the Peoples Representatives. (elected, although in USSR choice of 1 candidate, a rubber stamp parliament in both cases)

The Committee of the Regions mirrors the Great Hall of the Peoples, the Regional Heads. (in EU unelected, in USSR elected, although only choice of 1 candidate)

Laws in the UK are implemented on the basis of directives from the European Commission, which are then presented as Bills/Acts of Parliament/Statutory Instruments for those areas of exclusive EU competence.

Policy on shared competency is created by the Committee of the Regions and implemented by Political parties in National Governments and Local Authorities, and by Regional Development Agencies, Regional Assemblies and Regional Grand Committees (The regional alternative to Westminster).

And has been since 1994. That is why I consider Westminster a theatre, PR men like Cameron and Clegg pretending that power still lies in Westminster. That is why I want it all back until the people decide whether this is what they want and wish to continue this unaccountable relationship with Brussels. The primary aim of the Albion Alliance by making MP's personally responsible to their electorate.

The Committee of the Regions has a subgroup called the Lisbon Monitoring Platform (LMP). It is comprised entirely of members from the Committee, and some of its goals are as follows:

- Involve local and regional authorities in the Lisbon governance process for a better implementation of policies linked to Lisbon goals.
-Examine the evolving relationship between the Lisbon Strategy and the Cohesion Policy (e.g. earmarking)
- Monitor the involvement of the local and regional level in the governance process
- Identify the obstacles encountered by local and regional authorities in implementing the Lisbon Strategy.

Lisbon Monitoring Platform (LMP) annual Report (oh, they've moved it) on the implementation of the strategy reads as follows:

In 2008, every LMP member is running policy programmes in one or several Lisbon-related policy fields, as was the case in the previous years. In particular:

− more than 90% of them have programmes ongoing in the fields of innovation, the environment, the business environment;
− 85% are active in the field of human capital policy;
− around 75% of them are running programmes for industrial promotion and employment;
− the sole exception is the internal market field, in which the number of active LMP members in 2008 fell to around 25%, less then half than in 2007.

(Seems that they have moved this LMP report document so you cannot see it any longer, the usual practice when exposure of their documents come to light). No matter, I have attached it at the bottom of this post

Ok, So what has all this to do with Dan Hannan?

As I read and re-read Hannan & Carswell’s The Plan I can now see that it is a ‘democratic’ plan not for the UK, but for an EU consisting only of Regions, post National parliaments. A plan for a deeply entrenched Communitarian empire offering a faux democracy only at the local level is something reminiscent of the Soviet form of ‘democracy’.

As it is a plan to reform localism within regions of the EU, (but as Hannan himself has now admitted it cannot happen as the EU is not open to reform from within), what purpose is being served by these ‘progressives’ such as Hannan and Carswell other than to distract and to keep dissenting views within the Tory camp.

Whilst The Plan has many good elements they are only valid if they are introduced for the right reasons, unless it is unequivocally aimed at a UK outside of the EU, Dan’s motives will always remain suspect. So I think Dan must climb down off the fence and declare himself.

In my original article I said:

Remember that the objective overall is the elimination of Nation States. The European Commission has long stated that given the opportunity they will push for QMV on all matters. Barosso is on record as saying that they will work swiftly to remove all legal barriers.

Therefore is is most likely that in that 5 month period The Passerelle clause will be invoked to allow QMV on ALL areas of competency whilst there are still National leaders who are able to be pushed around.

The flexibility clause will also be used to acquire powers to ensure that if national leaders do not play ball, under the framework to attain its objectives, it will simply take them. If they have no intention of using these powers, why put them in the treaty.

Originally I though it would happen over a number of years, as the Council of the Regions gains influence and power transfers in Brussels over the Council of Ministers.

It will be the Council of the Regions who will call for the closing of National Parliaments, citing interference in regional affairs. In our case, that call would probably come from either the Scottish Parliament or Welsh Assembly.

As if to reinforce my view, Dan Hannan put out another article today, calling for the vote on Scottish and Welsh independence.

It has become clear for me that Dan Hannan is not the saviour and spokesman of Liberty that many assume him to be. His writing tells me that he is working for ever closer integration of the EU, not for the best interests of those he represents in Britain, and whilst I admit he is trying to put a nicer face on it, his Federalist credential are becoming clearer by the day.

And before campaigns such as Albion Alliance really take hold and start having an impact, the Federalists are in a hurry to complete the split, the breakup of the UK into 'self governing' regions so that there will no longer be a UK to effect a withdrawal.

Attachments:

• EN-1.pdf  (345KB)