Did the Tories Really Vote to Abolish EU Primacy?
Have the Tories voted for UK independence? What exactly is Bill Cash on about? In the FT he had a letter claiming:-
"The Conservative party as a whole last week voted to support my backbench amendment to the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill, expressly to override the European Communities Act 1972 by providing the legislative means to deregulate European burdens on British business and make this binding on the British judiciary. The bill has now gone to the House of Lords."Did Guido miss something?
UPDATE : It appears that 128 Tories did indeed vote to abolish the primacy of the EU over British parliamentary sovereignty. Did they all understand that they were so voting is debatable. Bill Cash is to be congratulated for his ingenuity.
Hat-tip : The Purple Scorpion
16 comments:
It would be very strange that nobody noticed that.
interesting point....but we all know that Bill, while entertaining and very good company, on this matter is raving mad....
This one was posted, unposted and then eventually posted again -- the silence money didn't arrive before midnight?
Bill Cash is a total nutjob. I don't think I've ever watched a speech by him in Parliament that didn't refer to either the European Communities Act or the Human Rights Act, and his quest to repeal both. The man is obsessed.
Vote taken on the 16th May. According to my MP the Abolition of Parliament (Legislative and Regulatory reform)Bill has been (Allegedly) amended to allow fast track deregulation only.
Unfortunately, according to the Parliament Publications site, no such amendments have been tabled. Is this just a case of poor web site management, or as they say in the USA, a 'snow job'?
Regards
Bill
With so much sex and corruption in Westminster at the moment, maybe the Tories thought it was a good opportunity to leak some policies, while no-one was watching.
By the time the competition notice, it will be too late.
Does he mean the "doctrine of implied repeal"?
I certainly didn't notice anything and I hang out in dark blogospheric smoke filled rooms full of people that should have noticed.
The PublicWhip website confirms Bill Cash's letter:
Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill — New Clause "17" — Disapplication of European Communities Act 1972 — 16 May 2006 at 20:45 — Commons Division No. 239
128 Conservatives voted for the amendment, with 68 absent.
Whether most of the herds of lobby fodder who voted, actually understood exactly what they were voting for or against, seems unlikely.
The actual debates on this wretched "Abolition of Parliament" Bill
were shockingly poorly attended.
See the "live blogging" of the "debate":
2nd day of the HoC Report Stage of the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill
Bill Cash is not a nutjob. He is highly intelligent and very keen not to let the EU take over the UK governance by stealth.
Bill Cash, what a fool. The guy actually wants the UK parliament to make our laws. How outdated can you get.
I can only presume that the tory leadership either didn't read or didn't understand his ammendment.
Forgot to mention.
Even had this vote had been carried it would not have abolished the primacy of EU law altogether because it only related to deregulatory orders under the bill in question. EU law would have retained primacy in all other areas.
Also, given that the primacy of European Law has been established by the Court of Justice in Luxemburg, the purpose of the amendement would not have been achieved if all MP's had voted for it.
The only way to end the primacy of European law over British law would be for Britain to leave the Union.
Confusing...
but, as ever on matters EU-related, no-one has a clue what's going on.
"on matters EU-related, no-one has a clue what's going on"
You think that's by chance?
Perhaps Mr Cash was simply stirring the poo to see what sort of reaction he would get. He strikes me as the kind of chap who enjoys causing a bit of mischief, even if he is a bit obssessed sometimes.
Methinks, in his own way, he was trying to demonstrate to the inmates of the Westminster Home for the Mentally Challenged some of the implications of yet another ill-concieved, poorly drafted and under-scrutinised piece of legislation.
I know taunting the intellectually challenged is considered cruel nowadays, but perhaps we should give Mr Cash a little leeway; if only because his antics provide the rest of us with such amusement.
RM
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