John Redwood

Democracy is fundamental to this House. The Mother of Parliaments, an example to the world. Which has been through a bad time. It has been humbled by failing to listen carefully enough to the people and it has been humbled because all too many powers of self-government have been needlessly given away to Brussels. The people not only want us to listen, they not only want us to have this great debate tonight, they not only wish us to have a free vote to express their opinions and their views, but they would also like to feel that the people in this House charged with the duty of governing have the power to govern. They believe that the government should come here and answer to us, we should hold them to account from all sides of the House of Commons, if they do a good job, the public reward them in the general election, and if they do a bad job, they sack them. But what we now see happening -- because there is too much unaccountable European power -- is the break-down of that fabric of consent which is fundamental to a democracy, Go to Greece today and just see what happens when that consent starts to break down. Rich Greeks now think their government has no right tax them, because they believe it's on autopilot from Europe and they don't like what it's doing, and poor Greeks think the government has no right to remove some of their benefits because they think again it's on autopilot from Brussels. Go to Portugal or go to Ireland or go to Slovakia we see that the European mess can change Governments — regardless of what the people think almost — and when the people put in a new Government, it makes absolutely no difference to the policy that the country is following, because it is all on autopilot... We no longer have the authority or the opportunity to govern. We have to say already on too many occasion to our constituents, “I cannot help you with that because it is a European directive. "I cannot assist you with this because it is an unaccountable European programme.” We can no longer change the law in the way that we wish because it is already preordained by some Brussels decision. This House was great when every law that applied to the British people was fought over in this Chamber and in Committee and satisfied the needs of the majority. This House was great when the public knew that when they had had enough of rotten Government, they could change not just the people, but also the policies they were following. This House was great when it had full control of all our money and did not have to give tariffs and taxes away to foreign powers to spend in ways of which we do not approve. Mr Deputy Speaker, we need to wake up. We need to do what the British people want us to do. We need to take the responsibility for governing this country. We need to enact the laws. We need to debate and argue about it in here. Brussels has too much power. The British people need a say. Let us have a vote. That is not our view that there should be a In/Out Referendum. I don't want Britain to leave the European Union. - Why not give people a choice? I think it's the wrong answer for Britain. The rebels tried but they failed because the political elite, the three party leaders got together to make sure that you could not have a referendum. They shouldn't be forgiven for behaving like this. And my message to you today is if you are voting LibDem, Labour or Conservative but you believe that Britain should be a free, self-governing country, give'em up, come and support us, come and join UKIP, we are your last chance.