European Union (Amendment) Bill

The closing remarks of the right hon. Member for Hitchin and Harpenden (Mr. Lilley) illustrate the approach of many Conservatives. They suggest that the EU and its institutions are some sort of behemoth or monster over which we, as a member state, a Parliament and a country have no influence. The extreme example of that position is the right hon. Member for Wells (Mr. Heathcoat-Amory), who, in one of his speeches, described our relationship with the EU as colonial. The EU and its institutions do not impose things on us about which we have no say. We play an active role in the organisation. We send Ministers to European institutions and the European Council. We nominate members of the European Commission and our citizens can vote for Members of the European Parliament. Member states nominate judges of the European Court by common accord. It is not a foreign organisation but one in which we have the right to play an active part and over which we jointly have control as a member state. The treaty tries to strengthen the ability of the organisation and the institutions that we have jointly established to pursue more effectively the policies about which we can agree with our partners in Europe. It is in the national interest of all the nations and regions in the UK to make Europe work as effectively as possible. Although I do not have much faith that is what will happen after our discussions and after the House of Lords—hopefully—agrees to ratification, we should do our best to make the most of our EU membership and reject the semi-detached relationship with the EU that Tory Front Benchers appear to support when they do not go as far as succouring their hard-liners, who want to find some way in which to create a confrontation that takes us out of the European Union. Playing an active part in Europe does not mean that we should not stand up for our national interests. It does not mean that we should not challenge failings in the European Union or challenge it about revelations regarding the operation of the European Parliament and the expenses of Members of the European Parliament. It certainly does not mean that we should establish a European superstate—I do not support that and, to put it bluntly, it could never happen, given the 27 member states and many nations and cultures that make up the European Union. However, playing an active part means that our approach to our European partners and to discussing European issues should not always be couched in terms of confrontations with Europe, whereby success is measured by how much we have managed to extract from those cunning people across the channel. I hope that, when we have gone through the reform treaty process here and in the House of Lords, we will concentrate our efforts on making friends and building alliances in Europe. That is the way forward for promoting our national interests and guaranteeing the jobs and prosperity that depend on our links with Europe. The European Union is a success story. The fact that 27 members states, representing so many nations, cultures and languages, have built up the institution; that regional blocs across the world talk about emulating the European Union; that countries are clamouring to get into the European Union; and that, with one tiny exception, no country wants to leave—all that reflects the success of the European Union. I support the ratification of the treaty. From now on, I hope that we can concentrate more on promoting not only the success of Europe, but an active dialogue with our European partners and the building of alliances within Europe to promote the interests of the nations and regions of our country.