EU Disintegration

Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty’s Government whether they have contingency plans for the disintegration of the European Union.

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Lord Howell of Guildford replied that the Government do not envisage the disintegration of the European Union, followed by Lord Pearson saying that both Chancellor Merkel and President Van Rompuy have said that if the euro breaks up, the EU itself will follow suit. In case they are right, he asked, should we not plan to develop our trade and ties with the countries of the future, most particularly and obviously with the Commonwealth? Secondly, should we not be encouraged in this initiative by the knowledge that the EU was supposed to bring peace and prosperity to Europe whereas in fact it has brought……….

A shout went up “Peace” but Lord Pearson continued that is now wishful thinking. The EU has brought austerity, slump and civil unrest. What is the EU for? Why do we need it at all now”?

Lord Howell replied that in one respect Lord Pearson was right: all the great growth in new consumer markets and the areas where we must succeed as a nation if we are to maintain, let alone increase, our living standards, tend to be in the emerging powers of Africa, Asia and Latin America. That is where, he said, that the Forign Secretary has emphasised all along that we must develop our commercial, economic and political clout in order to survive. In that sense Lord Pearson was said to be right. However, Lord Howell stated thatat the same time Europe is our neighbourhood and our biggest market. There are eurozone difficulties at the moment, although with the European Central Bank now issuing unlimited three-year loans to all banks in trouble, there is at least a breathing space ahead on the question of the Eurozone itself .

Lord Howell went on to say that the Commonwealth is one of the great networks of the future and we are proud to be members of that network. Indeed it provides a gateway to many of the great new markets that he had been talking about during the debate

An extract from the House of Lords debate 26th January 2012.

Footnote from George West, President, Campaign for an Independent Britain.
The above debate underlines the need to concentrate UK efforts on economic growth outside the failing, disintegrating, European Union. Lord Pearson and other Lords have been persistent in calling for a cost benefit analysis of UK membership of the EU and successive UK governments are persistent in refusing to have one conducted