European Communities (Finance) Bill

I take the hon. Gentleman's point. If anything, the EU is too much about agriculture. The EU is obsessed with agriculture and with agricultural subsidies. For the EU to gain the support of the European population, it has to be seen to be working for everyone, but all too often, as he points out, it seems to be working for very few people. Conversely, for far too many people, it amounts to a nice dollop of extra cash on top of what they are already getting. I have said before that I love the French rural way of life. I imagine it is rather like the way of life in this country 60 or 70 years ago, but the reason why the French can have farms of 50 and 60 acres, which are economically unviable, is that we in the EU—us and others—are subsidising that lifestyle. If France wants to continue with its agricultural marketplace in its current form, that is a matter for France, but it should not be incumbent on us to fund it on its behalf.