East Yorkshire Conservatives, National News and Comment Page

It's back to 'OLD' Labour......

Rural Areas suffer under Labour

The UK is becoming a nation of 'ghost towns' as rural collapse spreads to urban areas, a group has warned. 'One fifth of corner shops, grocers, public houses, banks and post offices have shut in just 5 years, the New Economics Foundation has said. And if current trends continue, 'a third of the fabric of local economies will be lost in 10 years,' it claims. Domination by the big supermarkets, allowed by Labour, is undoubtedly an important factor. Further bad news for country-dwellers is the news that the new Labour Party Manifesto has dropped a committment not to place 'restrictions on the sports of angling and shooting' made in 2001. In addition the new manifesto goes on to say that Labour pledge to 'tighten the law on air guns' and to 'regulate the rearing of game birds.'

Cameron calls on Brown to stage EU treaty referendum

David Cameron has called on incoming Prime Minister Gordon Brown to stage a referendum on the new EU Treaty, after accusing Tony Blair of handing over power to Brussels "without the permission of the British people".

As the outgoing Premier reported back to MPs on the recent European summit, and claimed he had signed up to a deal "quintessentially" in the UK's interests, the Conservative Leader charged Mr Blair with breaking his promises to the nation. Cheered on by MPs, Mr Cameron accused Mr Blair of "one of the most flagrant breeches of promise he has ever made". And recalling Tony Blair's past election pledge to stage a referendum if new powers were to be transferred from the UK to the EU, Mr Cameron protested: "Promises were clearly made and those promises have been clearly broken."

In a Commons showdown, Mr Cameron pointed out that 90 per cent of the former EU constitution - agreed by European leaders three years ago but thwarted when the French and Dutch people rejected it in referenda - were resurrected in the weekend's new amending treaty, under which UK powers of veto in 60 key areas including energy, transport, employment law, the diplomatic service, and aspects of criminal justice, were signed away.

And under the new treaty, not only specific powers were being transferred from Westminster to Brussels, but for the first time a new ratchet clause would allow many of the vetoes that survive to be abolished in future without another treaty deal, without an inter-governmental conference, and without the British people being allowed a say. Mr Cameron said: "In his final days in office, Tony Blair has concluded negotiations for which he can now never be held accountable. He's agreed to a transfer of power from Britain to Brussels without the permission of the British people. This will be remembered as one of the most flagrant breaches of any of the promises he's made."

The Conservative Leader said the summit could have been about free trade or a trade deal to help Africa - issues not requiring a single extra central power in Brussels, but just political will and a sense of purpose. Instead, Labour had signed away more UK powers to the EU in Brussels. Piling the pressure on Mr Brown, Mr Cameron declared: "All three main parties in this House signed up to a referendum at the last election.

In June 2007 Tony Blair broke that promise. But he has now he's gone. We have a new Prime Minister who's promised, unlike his predecessor, to be humble, to be a servant of the people, and to listen. "If that new Prime Minister, like us, really believes in power to the people, then he must hold a referendum and let the people decide."

East Yorkshire Conservatives