Parliament, the EU and National Sovereignty
Thursday, 24th March 2011
Bill Cash MP
Peter Oborne
Britain’s democracy and sovereign independence, as well as our economic wellbeing, have been grievously wounded by the UK’s membership of the European Union. And according to many experts the Government’s EU Bill, contrary to what has been claimed for it, at best does little to address this and may actually weaken Parliamentary Sovereignty. To explore this the Bruges Group instituted this meeting to discuss the important issues of Parliament, the EU and National Sovereignty. The speakers were Bill Cash MP, Chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee, and Peter Oborne, columnist for The Daily Telegraph and author of The Rise of Political Lying and The Triumph of the Political Class.
THE SPEAKERS
PETER OBORNE
Peter Oborne is a British journalist and political commentator. He is the author of The Rise of Political Lying and The Triumph of the Political Class. He is particularly known for acerbic commentary on the hypocrisy and apparent mendacity of contemporary politicians; especially the misuse of MPs allowances.
Peter regularly appears in the media and presented a Channel 4 programme called Why Politicians Can’t Tell The Truth, examining how the major political parties in the UK allegedly pursue an agenda designed to appeal only to a narrow band of floating voters.
He is also a Daily Telegraph columnist. Peter Oborne, a long standing Eurosceptic, wrote the foreword to the Bruges Group publication; Professor A.J.P. Taylor on Europe.
Click here to read the full speech by Peter Oborne
BILL CASH MP
Bill Cash is the Member for Stone and was Shadow Attorney General from 2001 to 2003. 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.