EU Referendum Bill

Fresh from their victory over the Lisbon Treaty EU Constitution, I see that the Brussels elites now push for an EU public prosecutor and for a new EU tax. 

So much for the idea that the EU is somehow "moving our way".   

It doesn't have to be this way. 

My Private Members Bill - read it here - puts on the Parliamentary agenda the possibility of an in / out referendum for the first time.  

The Euro elite want you to think that there is no alternative to our current relations with Brussels.  They want you to believe it is both desirable and inevitable that we surrender our democracy to supranational technocrats; that our EU entanglements are irreversible.

But change is possible.

Help me use the wisdom of the crowd to review this Bill.  Let me know if you approve of it.  Please pass on the link to it, debate it and make suggested amendments ....   

Posted on 6 March 2010 by Douglas Carswell

Comments

Well done Douglas. Keep it a up the pressure.

Posted on 6 March 2010 16:24 by Andrea

EU prosecutor and new EU TAX. But David Milliband told me it was only an amending treaty. Was that a big lie?

Posted on 6 March 2010 17:44 by Peter Whale

Keep plugging on, Douglas. Don't let the b*****ds grind you down.

Posted on 6 March 2010 17:53 by Mark Demmen

As far as it goes, fine, but an act of Parliament should have an action at the end. This bill, if enacted, has a referendum as it's end result. There are no consequences of a yes or no vote. These may be implied, but the bill needs an action other than a pointless waste of money on a referendum.

Posted on 6 March 2010 18:36 by Ben Redsell

An excellent bill! I'll be passing it on - I hope it is adopted!

Posted on 6 March 2010 18:58 by Frugal Dougal

Good man.
I have sent the link to my MP ( Ed Vaizey ) asking if he would support this Bill.
I have already told him that he`s lost my vote over Cameron`s u-turn on a referendum.
Good luck.

Posted on 6 March 2010 19:07 by Roger Ledger

Brilliant Douglas. Keep fighting for democracy. We need more like you.

Posted on 6 March 2010 19:29 by John Strafford

No referendum...No vote

Simples

Posted on 6 March 2010 20:06 by Anoneumouse

I am in support of your PMB. I am not much of a politician so I will not make suggestions to amend it, it sounds good to me as it is.

Posted on 6 March 2010 20:07 by Jared Gaites

it sounds good to me as is.

Posted on 6 March 2010 20:15 by Dreaming

This is excellent, and it deserves much greater publicity.

With your permission, I shall put the link to this post into any British blog
I comment on.

Posted on 6 March 2010 20:42 by Viv Evans

Sir

You mention the United Kingdom and Gibraltar.

Am I to take it that that is the limit of the Bill's territorial reach?

What about Northern Ireland?

Posted on 6 March 2010 20:55 by D. Singh

I see one error in it:

"(1) A referendum shall be held throughout the United Kingdom and Gibraltar on the day specified by an order made by a Minister of the Crown."

is followed by:

"(2) This Act extends to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland."

So is Gibraltar included or not?

I'm not sure there's much point including the Welsh language provision, either, as it would appear to add nothing but additional costs and the possibility of confusion to the bill. No offence at all to the Welsh, but is there a single one of them whose grasp of English is not at least as good as most English people?

Beyond that - looking good :)

Posted on 6 March 2010 20:56 by Elliot Kane

I support what you are doing, but I really hope you are sure of the numbers in the country, because if you do this and we lose, we will be in the mire up to our necks.

Posted on 6 March 2010 23:17 by Elaine Turner

A great move but there are too many vichy MP's sitting in parliament to allow this to happen.
not until the mob descends on parliament will they even consider it

Posted on 7 March 2010 00:38 by tally

See also www.FreeEurope.info...

Posted on 7 March 2010 09:21 by Willy Humbold

Excellent Douglas, I've linked to it on my blog.

@Peter Whale, Technically
Lisbon is amending, so David Milliband wasn't lying no.

The original Constitution established an EU constitution by 'abolishing' previous EU treaties whilst Lisbon is slightly different because establishes a Constitution by 'amending' previous EU treaties, rather than abolishing them.

Basically the method is different but the outcome is the same.

Posted on 7 March 2010 11:03 by TheBoilingFrog

Elaine Turner - that's the point though. This isn't to get us out of the EU - it is to give us a choice.

If the people of Britain vote to remain in the EU then so be it. The main Eurosceptic argument is that the people haven't been asked. If we ask the people and then say "yes, we want the EU" then we need to accept we're in the minority and move on.

If we are scared of the result of a referendum then we are no better than those in Brussels, who made the Irish vote until they got the 'right answer'.

Posted on 7 March 2010 11:31 by Mark M

Good bill, good idea, good luck.

Posted on 7 March 2010 11:50 by Richard Clemerson

How much would a referendum cost and what would be the benefit of such a referendum.

Far better to have an act that enshrines the requirement to have a referendum before any change in the EU constitution can be passed.

Whether we are in or out of the EU is broadly irrelevant - we will still be subject to its rules and regulations as it is our biggest trading partner.

It is our complete failure to engage with the EU that has resulted in the mess it is in

Posted on 7 March 2010 11:58 by john

It's probably a bit late now, but whilst I strongly support your Bill, if Cameron were to apologise to us all for lying about a referendum on Lisbon he just might, become prime minister. We have all been lied to by Blair and and the rebarbative Brown for too long. We now must have total honesty and control our destiny as a free and democratic state again. If not we may as well resign ourselves to be a wholly owned vassal of the wretched European Union.

Posted on 7 March 2010 14:02 by Ged McManus

Do you have an objection to people posting links in comments, Douglas?

I just wondered why mine wasn't approved.

Anyway, I'm still 100% behind you on this and will try again....

http://hesspartacus.wordpress.com/2010/03/06/they-think-its-all-over/

Posted on 7 March 2010 14:14 by He's Spartacus

I would say on sect 1. 1 after day specified by miniter "and not more than 6 months after this Act becomes law".

Posted on 7 March 2010 14:26 by Neil Craig

And I do declare that no foreign prince, person, prelate, state or potentate hath or ought to have any jurisdiction, power, superiority, pre-eminence or authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual, within this realm. So help me God.

http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/england.asp

No if's- No Buts!!

The EU is Not LEGAL!!

1689 English Bill Of Rights.

Posted on 7 March 2010 14:29 by Sally

The bill needs to set out how extraction of the UK will take place if the answer is 'out' and what apparatus and bureaucracies will be dismantled and when, and which will remain (trade agreements, etc.) It should also set out the intended path of Lisbon if the answer is 'in'.

Posted on 7 March 2010 19:00 by John Cooper

<b>Elliot Kane, March 6th @ 20.56</b>: Wales is an officially bi-lingual country. That all official government communications be writtten in both English and Welsh is a legal requirement.

While you are correct that most (not all) Welsh speakers also speak English entirely fluently, the Welsh language is a sensitive issue of cultural identity and patriotism, and it enjoys widespread support even among those who don't speak it.

If you were to visit the school at which I teach -- an English-language school in a solidly English-speaking area, you might be surprised at the quantity of Welsh that is spoken by the teachers and pupils. It varies between classes, but I would estimate around 30 to 50 percent of normal daily communication is in Welsh.

Posted on 7 March 2010 20:19 by Y Rhyfelwr Dewr

Mr Carswell, given that our Gord and saviour can hardly be expected to permit a referendum after his conspiracy to deprive us of it, the Lib Dems unquestioning and automatic support for all things Euro, and David Cameron's statement that "We don't want a bust-up with Europe" coupled with his quiet downgrading of his pledge to negotiating a repatriation of powers, how would you rate your PMB's chances of success?

That much said, you surprised me with your last one, so I'll cross my fingers for you. Well done for trying.

Posted on 7 March 2010 20:24 by Y Rhyfelwr Dewr

Are you working closely with Nigel Dodds MP on this one?
I noted you were one of the few in the Commons the other day when Mr Dodds was presenting his PMB on a Lisbon referendum

Posted on 7 March 2010 23:20 by iain

Good stuff, Douglas. When will we see this pass through, do you think?

Posted on 8 March 2010 01:00 by H

After the lies we were fed by labour about a referendum on the treaty that did not take place. I fully support your action, and look forward to the opportunity to vote to get us out of Europe. We have been shafted.

Posted on 8 March 2010 17:08 by Allen Cowles

Why can we not be more like the French and tell Brussels to stuff what we don't like and riot and blockade the ports when the government impliments something nonsensical?Mind you, with this shower of spivs in Westminster we'd have to riot and cut off the ports just about every day!

Posted on 9 March 2010 08:37 by clive phillips

I congratulate you Douglas, for once again putting your head above the parapet.

However, I think the confirmed EU'ers will ensure it is not passed.

That said - I hope in the future, we will at least be given the opportunity to vote on any further integration, be it financial, defence, or any other matter.

The UK voted to join Europe as a trading Partner.

Since then, our Politicians,( who did not ask what we think) have dragged us into being ruled by the EU.

UK citizens, did not vote for a United States of Europe.

Enough is Enough - we have a right to referendum, on anything that affects our lives here in the UK.

It is time to demand our rights and Refuse to go quietly into the EU's long goodnight

Posted on 21 April 2010 01:38 by Lynda (Clacton)

Good luck Douglas Carswell,you would have an out vote from me.Our country can run itself,dont need all the unelected running it for us.Why not have an on line poll for in or out.

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