Permit me, through your columns, to respond to those who accuse me and others of voting to leave the European Union out of ignorance.
I voted ‘leave’ because, way back in 1992, I read the full text of the Treaty on European Union (the Maastricht Treaty) and I suggest that before continuing to express their ill-founded prejudices ‘remainers’ should do the same.
At that time I was the Member of Parliament for the Ludlow constituency and one of the very, very few MPs who actually read the treaty, in spite of my writing personally to each and every one of my Conservative colleagues urging them to do so.
Incredibly, the then Foreign Secretary, having signed the treaty on behalf of Her Majesty’s Government, is reputed to have said ‘now we must go home and read what we’ve signed ourselves up to’ or words to that effect!
In the 1990s the Conservative Parliamentary Party was just as split on the question of European Union as it is today and Prime Minister John Major only succeeded in getting the ill-fated Maastricht Treaty on to the statute book by dint of making it a ‘vote of confidence’ in his administration – a somewhat pyrrhic victory given that the consequence was a crushing defeat at the ensuing 1997 General Election!
In 2001, whilst still an MP, I left the Conservative Party – or rather, it left me – because, in spite of all its protestations to the contrary, particularly at election times, it remained committed to British membership of the EU and the ‘ever closer union’ spelt out in the treaties.
So where are we today?
Sadly we appear to be right back to where we were in 1992, but with one significant difference.
On 23rd June 2016 the British people told their elected representatives, in no uncertain terms, that they wanted out of the European Union.
There was no ambiguity about it – given the choice of Leaving or Remaining the electorate voted Leave by a majority of well over 1 million votes, but what of the poor old Conservative Party?
The immediate reaction was that the Tory Prime Minister, who had pledged himself unequivocally to deliver whatever outcome the voters chose, quit!
They then elected in David Cameron’s place a ‘Remainer’ whose ‘Chequers agreement’ now looks destined to lead at the next General Election, which might not be long delayed, to yet another Tory annihilation.
Will they never learn?
In the wake of Theresa May’s abandonment of her oft-stated so-called ‘red lines’ in the EU negotiations, her deaf ear towards the concerns of her Party activists and not least her alienation of up to 17,410,741 ‘Leavers’, we see a resurgent UK Independence Party.
In opinion polls, UKIP support has increased in recent weeks from 3% to 8%. Under their new leader, Gerard Batten MEP, the party is well on the way to regaining the sway it held at the time that the level of its popular support so threatened Tory electoral prospects that David Cameron was forced to concede the EU Referendum, just to get them off his back.
The result of that referendum dealt the Tories a potential winning hand, but the way they have played their cards and continue to do so is beyond belief!
The UK held all the aces but Mrs May’s government have allowed each and every one of them to be trumped, to the extent that those who thought UKIP’s job was done are now coming round to the realisation that it is, after all, the only show in town!
Hi Mick McGough. I think the MP you refer to is Tristam Garrel Jones, the MP for Madrid Central. He was reported to have said about one Maastricht rebel ” I want to see his dead body floating down the Thames”. Oh, nice! I got a samizdat copy of the Maastricht treaty published by the June Press, some two/three months before John Major allowed HMSO to distribute it to MPs. That was so no one could read it before the 1992 GE was out of the way and it could not be an election issue.. Maybot’s treachery and deception has… Read more »
if the Tories had any brains they would ditch May and especially Remoaner Hammond
The hydra has many heads. Tories with brains should rather ditch the whole party and join UKIP!
This “Deadly Duo” was installed by unseen hands to replace Cameron & Osborne to continue their work of EU Federalism. The Tory party is fatally split between Nationalist & Federalists and have been since before Margaret Thatcher was “assassinated”. And lets not forget, it was John Major who created UKIP by not offering a referendum on Maastricht in the first place, the likelihood was that he would have won it. All those people that support Brexit, (there are no degrees of Brexit), whether they voted for it or were intimidated into not voting for it. must now act to secure… Read more »
In the early 1990s, with the generous help of a benefactor, I bought a bulk supply of copies of the official Maasstricht Treaty direct from HMSO and was happily selling them at £! per copy to Conservative Party members inside their Annual Conference venue until banned from doing so by Party officials. A clear case of ‘my mind is made up, please don’t confuse me with the facts’ !
Here is a new youtube video I came across yesterday, which might help with recruitment amd/or votes, which I am sending as it is not on your website yet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCPudNJWOgw
eutruth.info
Dear Jane,
Thanks for the YouTube link.
We are very aware that the new members (Paul Joseph Watson, Sargon, Dankula) have something to offer us.
Interesting that they feel that UKIP has something to offer them …. respectability, a platform and a chance to measure their success in votes.
I am sorry that I shall miss the Birmingham conference (because of another engagement).
Regards, Toby, 01932-873557
I too read the Maastricht Treaty which I found gave the EU the right to do whatever it wished whenever it wanted by any means, a carte blanche and have opposed the EU ever since. I acquired my copy from a lawyer friend in Stoke who had downloaded it from the internet after the relevant minister (Tristam ??? I think) told me to buy one from HMSO. Visiting Ireland at the time one could buy the treaty, a summary and many books on it freely whilst we were denied. I eventually sent it to my MP at the time Steven… Read more »
Hear, hear.
I too couldn’t believe it when I reviewed the Maastricht Treaty. That was the beginning of a long journey for me. The hardest thing to accept that the treason predated Major, and that Heath damned well knew from the get-go.
“Hanging’s too good for them,” as the saying goes.
-“They then elected in David Cameron’s place a ‘Remainer’ …”
Technically not true, although there was a leadership election, Theresa May only won by default, as all the other contenders either bottled it or mysteriously dropped out.
I very good point. It may provide a clue as to where lies the real power in the Conservative Party. It also brings to mind William Hague, who young, enthusiastic and a memorable speech as a teenager at Party Conference behind him, avowed to shake up the Party upon becoming leader. Even endorsed by Margaret Thatcher. But as it turned out the highlight of Hague’s political career was as a teenager. I have an image in my mind of him being taken into a room as the new leader to meet the real people who matter and have it explained… Read more »
The irony now is that we can look back at Thatcher, as reviled as she often was, and we can see a woman who knew what was going on, and didn’t like it. Hence we had her ‘downfall’, and the emergence of John Major, who really was a boring non-entity (and pretty much still is), as her replacement. But we know now what a EU place-man and globalist puppet he is. Always be wary of those in politics who arrive “out of nowhere” and suddenly find themselves in positions of great power. The most recent example is obviously Macron in… Read more »
“Major a complete non-entity”
But vicious.
I am proud to class myself as one of his b*stards.
Margaret Thatcher, my wife cried the day she signed the Single European Act. – knew where she was going? I always thought she had her arm twisted up her back, but it turns out she was an EU enthusiast an d signed up willingly. I did hear she recanted later but the damage was done and we have had to live with it ever since
Terrifyingly, of the post-Maggie PMs, John Major is “least worst” (sic).
Alan The influencers of the direction of travel of the Conservative Party are not the Party executive alone. The direction of travel is dictated by its faceless, unelected and mostly corporate sponsors. These people will sponsor anyone who can deliver their agenda. They engage powerful networkers working with NGOs and foundations to influence the political partie’s executive.
Peter Sutherland (recently deceased) was an extraordinarily powerful networker shaping national politics and to my knowledge not a member of any political party.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Sutherland
Dear Christopher (Gill),
Thanks for a good article.
My mother read a 2000 word summary of the Maastricht treaty at the time. She said “this will not do”.
As a direct result I jointed the Referendum Party around 1997 and UKIP in 2000 ….. when these parties came to my attention via leaflets etc.
A point about your article.
You say “Under their new leader, Gerard Batten MEP”.
By using the word “their” you seem to imply that you are NOT a member of UKIP.
Are you?
Regards
Toby
He served on the NEC for years, so I hope he still is…
Your former colleague Mick McGough attended Conservative Party conferences for many years as an accredited journalist…
… this, while not only being a member of UKIP, but also serving on its NEC! ?
Until the Tories twigged it was the same Mick McGough and ejected him.
Ah! the Referendum Party, Such high hopes as the electorate remained asleep, and then the party was hi-jacked by all the ‘bright young things’ , and that was that.
I’m very much a UKIP member – Hon. President of the Ludlow branch; long-standing Patron and benefactor and paid-up Party member until 2021.
… and a modest man, in a day when modesty is an undervalued asset.
Christopher is President of the Freedom Association.
Perhaps Christopher will share with us whether, in the style of Sheffield’s colourful new mayor who had the cheek to “ban” Donald Trump from Sheffield, in his view UKIP London should “ban” Olly Robbins from London.
Alas, London no longer offers its traditional hospitality in accommodating the heads of traitors. So a ban seems more humane.
“Robbins” is, fittingly enough, an anagram of “BRINO BS”.
> By using the word “their” you seem to imply that you are NOT a member of UKIP.
Toby, deployment of the possessive determiner “their” implies no such thing!
Its use is also sensible if Christopher was writing for an audience beyond a local one; the readership in UKIPDaily is very mixed.
That way, in order to correctly interpret the information, the reader would not need to know whether or not the author belonged to UKIP.
Also, it adds a degree of impartiality and detachedness.
I’m still waiting for the answer to the little puzzle, by the way. ?
Freddy, thanks for the compliment but, in the immortal words of Winston Churchill I ‘have much to be modest about’ !
You guessed correctly – my piece was written for and published by my local newspaper.
For the record, I am the ‘immediate past’ or ‘former’ Hon. President of The Freedom Association, having served in that capacity from 2007 to 2017.