European Communities (Finance) Bill

I certainly do not want to stray into carbon footprints either. The hon. Gentleman is entirely correct, but we will move on from there. We have to see the budget in the context of where the European Union is going. It will be the financial package for the implementation of the rebadged EU constitution, providing ever more centralisation, with money again being unnecessarily sucked into the centre to be spent from the centre. There is absolutely no evidence in the budget of any enthusiasm for subsidiarity, either. We have heard from the Foreign Secretary that he envisages the European Union expanding into the middle east and north Africa. Presumably with the next set of proposals we will be told that unless we give huge amounts of money to Brussels, we will be against north Africa and the middle east. I have some sympathy for the view that we should expand the common market to those countries in trading terms, in order to help them develop. However, I hope that the Economic Secretary will make it absolutely clear at an early stage that we do not endorse any proposal for the free movement of peoples from north Africa and the middle east, because that is—[Interruption.] The Economic Secretary looks sceptical at that, but I hope that she will make it absolutely clear that there is nothing in the agreement to take us towards the free movement of peoples from the middle east and north Africa en masse into the European Union in general, and into the United Kingdom in particular. It is with some regret that I find myself having to oppose my Government. However, there comes a point when we have to say, ““This is an appalling agreement and we should never have signed it.”” Those involved in the negotiations were sucked into accepting the assumption that those who do not accept everything that comes from Brussels are in favour of withdrawal. I do not accept that those are our only two choices and I never have; nor do I accept the suggestion that those who do not accept the budget are against eastern Europe, and I hope that the House will not accept it, either.