In My View
Posted by Robert Walter, MP for North Dorset, at 09:50, Thu 13 December 2007:
IN MY VIEW
Last week the government yet again stuck Dorset at the bottom of the pile when it comes to our share of general taxation to fund local services. The county has yet again been given the lowest cash grant per head of any English county. This not only affects how we deliver schools and social services in the county, but also dramatically limits the ability of Dorset Police and Fire services to deliver the service we all expect.
In recent weeks I have met with the Chief Constable, the Chief Fire Officer and the leaders at county hall to discuss their plight. This week I am taking a delegation from North Dorset District Council to see the Minister for Local Government. This will be a cross-party meeting because there is real consensus that they cannot in current financial arrangements deliver the level of service they want to, or that we as council tax payers expect. I will let you know how we get on.
This week the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will be signing the new European treaty, now known as the Lisbon Treaty. It has of course yet to be debated Parliament or ratified by any of the 27 EU member states. Part of the Parliamentary debate will involve a renewed call for a referendum, which the Government had promised on the former European Constitution, which was then rejected by the people of France and Holland.
My own view is that Europe has developed without any real debate on its evolution into something much more than the original Common Market that we joined back in 1973. Politicians do owe it to those who elected them to explain what they do in the people’s name. With four subsequent treaties signed by governments of both colours I thought that the Constitution was a good opportunity for those who believed in the European project to put their case to the people and legitimise what they had done over the last 35 years. Those who feel we should change our relationship would have their chance to put the alternative case.
The debate will continue, but the present government’s determination not to hold a referendum and their parliamentary majority means that their can only be slim chance of Parliament voting for a referendum to be held.
That debate will continue into next year, but if we are to survive and prosper, Europe needs now to face up to the challenges of globalisation, and we must rise to these challenges and see the opportunities and not just the threats. Fulfilling the challenge of the 21st century is central to our future prosperity. We need to make sure that we finally secure a deal in the World Trade talks. We need to reform the common agricultural policy and we must give a fair deal not only to our own farmers but to those in the developing world. We must push further and faster on the deregulation agenda, freeing business and industry to compete on competitive terms with China and India, and we must make real progress supporting efforts to create a transatlantic common market.
We must invest in people, in growth, in jobs, in energy security, in fighting climate change and in giving consumers a fairer deal. Protectionism cannot make Europe wealthier; protectionism would impoverish, not protect, our citizens.
We must also lead the way in tackling climate change. In the fight against poverty, we must ensure that the programmes of the EU are credible, cost-effective and targeted. We need to enhance the trading opportunities for the developing world and make a real difference in Africa.
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