Written by John Redwood.
This article first appeared in John Redwood’s Diary, and we republish with kind permission.
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I was proud to learn when young that I had been born into a freedom loving country. Our nation’s story was told as a long progress to one person, one vote. We had pioneered the Mother of Parliaments and had established equal freedoms under the law from Magna Carta onwards. Our country held a distinguished record of defending the rights of smaller nations in Europe to self determination. England had become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, after seeing off the aggressive tyranny of imperial Spain. Together we had turned the tide of the Napoleonic conquests and military rule of much of Europe. In the twentieth century in coalition with allies we defeated German belligerence twice.
As a teenager I found the defeatism of a new establishment generation surprising. I was advised as a student to emigrate, as people were so gloomy about the prospects of Labour’s Britain in the run up to their forced visit to the IMF for bail out. I watched in sadness as a City analyst as our first decade in the European Common market produced the widespread destruction of industry, with closure after closure of mines, steel works, foundries, textile mills and car plants. Many senior managers had lost the will or ability to manage, and many Union leaders were willing to press companies toward bankruptcy by their strike ridden actions. Tariff free product from Germany, France and Italy displaced home production.
In the 1980s I advised Margaret Thatcher on how she could implement a vision of a dynamic enterprising UK, with wider ownership for the many, more small businesses and self employment, higher standards of education and training and better management and Unions working more often for a common good. Towards the end of her time in office I became a Minister in the DTI or Business Department. As Single Market Minister given the task of helping the EU “complete” the single market by 1992 I grew to understand just how damaging the EU project was for UK enterprise and small business. Far from being a liberating wealth and income generating project, it was a massive legislative programme to put so many aspects of commercial and personal life under EU control. It was a one way ratchet to more laws we could not hope to repeal or even at times to improve against the wishes of the Commission. So often the laws set out a blueprint for how you had to make or do things based on continental multinational company procedures.
EU power advanced under successive Treaties agreed by the Conservatives at Maastricht and then far faster and deeper through Nice, Amsterdam and Lisbon under Labour to the full Treaty of European Union. I resigned from the Cabinet under John Major when he refused to rule out abolishing the pound at Maastricht and took the case to the country.
I worked with my party in Opposition to vote against and to highlight the damage the successive integration Treaties Labour signed us up to did to UK Parliamentary democracy. I worked with a few colleagues to make a referendum Conservative policy, finally persuading David Cameron when we approached a majority of Conservative MPs demanding one. When we finally got a referendum in 2016 the majority agreed that continued membership of the EU was incompatible with a flourishing UK democracy based on Parliament and the ability of people to sack incompetent or unpopular governments in regular General elections.
Today it is most important that we make a decisive move to accountable democracy by the way we handle our exit from the EU. Leave voters did not vote to have an Agreement with the EU that recreates the legal ties and obligations of membership. You do not have to accept EU laws to trade with them, as the USA, many smaller independent countries and China can affirm.
This week’s news with France closing her borders against a fellow member of the single market reminds us of various past occasions when strike action closed the French Channel ports disrupting U.K. supply chains. Taking back control must herald a drive for more U.K. self reliance as we had before our membership of the EEC/EU.
Don’t ask ME how it could be done, just as you don’t expect a GP to carry out a triple by-pass,
But it must surely be as clear as day that we MUST have a Coalition of the Right in order to bring reality into our so, so corrupt politics.
The three main Parties are corrupted by their inviolability – they have NOTHING to fear because we are hamstrung by history…….
No Party has a God-given right to rule………WE chose the right in 2016 to demand that we leave the EU. No provisos.
Parliament has insisted on corrupting our vote, time and time and time again.
They have left us on the brink.
I wish to God that I had youth on my side, and the dedication which Farage showed twenty-five years ago……
I would move heaven and earth to bring ‘The Right’ of this country together, under ONE Right Wing (deplorable!) banner and oust the useless mobs who control Westminster.
Where has this pompous, spoilt-brat of a man led us to?
Bloody disaster , so far…….and he hasn’t finished yet…….what, pray, comes after disaster? Ruin?
The tide is WITH Farage but many are losing faith in his assumed honesty now……..
The mess we are in will NOT be solved by Johnson………..he really is a nobody, no moral fibre, no true commitment (as in his pathetic private life) and his bumbling, staccato verbal garbage has left us rudderless and neutered.
The Conservatives, aided and abetted by ALL MPs have brought us into total disrepute in the eyes of the world …….and the cowardice of our collective politicians has been well and truly proven
Will we EVER see another Redwood? A Batten? A Thatcher? Duncan-Smith?……..not unless we get that coalition of The Right to,perform….
If we rely on both Mad – Houses in Westminster to lead this country, prepare for a tragedy from which we will never recover.
I agree wholeheartedly Mr. Paul. The problem with the John Redwood’s of this world, they have no authority to put into practice what has to be done. They will always be sidelined because it is not in “the global plan” to do anything but what the globalists want. Hopefully the bubble will burst sooner rather than later. Time is running out.
Very well said misterpaul5a. I concur that some form of coalition of the right is necessary and we must find a way of forming this. The usual objection that egos do not allow it means to me that those with the egos need to be bypassed by others who put the country first. It may be that we may need to undergo a period of real pain before such people emerge, the hero generation.
For all Redwoods fine words he and a few others, will never achieve any of it in practice whilst shackled to the Tory party unless there is a strong electoral challenge, they are incapable of change. I personally wish to see the Tory party totally destroyed and if the likes of Redwood perish in the process so be it they have the choice to swim or sink. Change will come from below not above, there is no will there.
Freedom?. Redwood does not mention the many attacks on freedom WITHIN this country due to PC, and attacks on freedom of speech which his stinking party not only have had the power to combat, but rather have seemed to promote.
First they came for Tommy……
misterpaul5a…..all very true. Farage has had his chance, and been sitting around too long and has now blown it. The Brexit Party is a waste of time now. No policies apart from Brexit and supposedly Lockdown. You cannot base the future of a political party and its ability to fight an election on those alone. Always asking for money, and asking for candidates to stump up money in advance, but nobody answers emails. I fell for all this and am not impressed at all. I am afraid all very amateurish, and now cannot be bothered with them. Look instead at the Heritage Party, a proper political party with members and local branches with a whole raft of policies and now putting the infrastructure into place to fight elections. That is now our future for this side of the argument. Onwards and upwards.
Colin, where is the evidence that Heritage is a membership based party? I emailed them as s oon as they announced they were open for business and didn’t get a proper answer. As far as I can see, there is no constitution, rules, mention of any office bearers other than David Kurten, so at the moment it looks like another Farage style outfit.
(Whispering) does it have an NEC?
Jim R. The Heritage Party has about 500 members nationwide (no registered supporters), a website, a Facebook site, a constitution, a party rule book, and there is a party board made up three persons at present, namely the leader, Party Treasurer, and National Nominating Officer. Eventually it will also include Party Chairman, General Secretary and Legal Secretary when those positions are filled. The party has been registered with the Electoral Commission. In addition to this there are in excess of 40 County Organisers, of which I am one and also Regional Organisers. Insofar as I am concerned in Kent, I have appointed two constituency organisers and two to be filled imminently and we have a number of election candidates appointed. The objective when we have sufficient members within individual parliamentary constituencies is to set up local branches. All members will have voting rights to elect the party leader, develop policies, and elect local officers in branches Setting up and establishing a political party takes time, and cannot be done overnight.
mrpaul5a. Agreed.
Just which day can we expect that either Neville Johnson or Boris Chamberlain to appear with a bit of paper and read out the following.
” I have just come off the phone after a very frank and productive conversation with the putative EU Chancellor herr Ursula von der Leyen, where a capitulation deal has been agreed.
I can confirm that there was not the basis for a deal and therefore Great Britain will now proceed with enthusiasm to the completion of its full exit from the EU and will in the future trade with it, the Commonwealth and other friendly nations under WTO terms”
” Both parties have realised this outcome was the only realistic opportunity to complete these negotiations and for future relations between the parties remain on a continuing friendly basis, albeit the British love all Europeans , but not so the EU which will still continue to be the evil totalitarian Empire it aspires to be)
Speech accompanied by the sound of a flight of pink porcines overhead
Roger Turner…’herr’ Ursula von de Leyen, did you write. She is a Frau as far as I know……
You are quite correct Colin, I wrote it deliberately (even though projective text had 3/4 goes at correcting me)
I thought you might have noticed the whole thing was meant as an ironic skit.
I was referring to the herr in the message that Chamberlain brought back from her Hitler
Sometimes I’m afraid I’m the only one laughing at what passes as my own wit.
But perhaps others don’t see life as “the game” that I was brought up to enjoy./endure
Nigel often says “you couldn’t make it up” perhaps my motto is “if you didn’t laugh you’d cry”
But perhaps I’m a one off, I have no faith ( I have a religion – I was born a Christian) and in fact I don’t believe in spirits or even ghosties so I accept life is just chaos with no particular meaning (except procreation)
First it was Northern Ireland, now Bozo and co have now sold out Gibraltar.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/12/22/deal-nearly-done-gibraltar-join-schengen-area-leaving-closer/
I like the politics of John Redwood but there are too few MPs of his kind in the Tory party to deliver conservatism. The sheer weight and influence of big city party donors/ financiers holds sway over the direction of the Party and thus the globalist, liberal, green agenda of the Party prevails.
MPs of the illk of Mr Redwood are tolerated and indeed necessary for the party managers to keep the credulous, centre right Tory party members and voters onside whilst quietly delivering the real Tory agenda.
The Tory party may find itself representing conservatism once more if they are thoroughly trounced at a GE with a tally of MPs of less than 80 or, through Tory constituency member activism to deselect errant Tory MPs. Unfortunately, there is no sign of the latter happening. Even before the 2019 GE there was no real nationwide Tory member activism to deselect dyed in the wool Europhiles. Possibly, the former action will take place starting with the local elections next year if Johnson fudges Brexit and of course if he does not cancel them.
If you are a member of an uncontrolled committee that runs a political party. Then you have power.
If you are a Mandarin and can dispose the actions of tens or hundreds of thousands of subservient underlings. You have power.
This has come about by the effect of many tiny corruptions, The use of committees which as the ignorant believe, are always right.
But look at your nearest committee. Is the jury always correct. The purpose of a jury is a cop out for the judge. So he doesn’t have to make the wrong decision because we all know a jury ( committee) cannot be wrong. He’s isually a bit of a twit, who is supported by the lawyers in the court, and vastly relieved he doesn’t have to make the decision. So he doesn’t have to be conscience ridden about the severity. Lucky man
The Army is not fond of committees. I do not blame them.
So here we have it. You cannot have perfection. Only its appearance. Our silly young MP Lawmakers need to understand this. Thing immediately become easier. So, our traditional fudges can be wonderful.
TG Spokes Committees, committees, committees. I knew it wouldn’t be long before you got back to your pet subject. The only consolation no mention of UKIP and the NEC. I suppose it comes with waking up every morning half way up a mountain in the company of your personal piper and some sheep, with just oatcakes and whiskey for breakfast.
I got bored one retirement and opened an oatcake/sandwich bar/cafe Half the local kids came in with 25 p from their mum for their breakfast oatcake- cheesy and bacon, to wait in the warm for the bus. They laughed with the lorry drivers and maintained armed neutrality with the schoolgirls who rarely ate anything but spent hours looking at a stand of birthday cards. Occasionally daringly nicking one Which were almost valueless anyway..A pleasant couple of years. of hard graft and just about a living. Before demand for my services again. Banks did not like me ’cause they make a nice little risk free earner. Failed management ditto. Shown up. But there was work. And that’s oatcake experience.
TG Spokes, and I was only joking as well, and now it seems I was right. Well I never, many a word spoken in jest is true, as in this case. It must be the Christmas Twilight Zone……..
TG Spokes……..or as I should have said ‘many a true word spoken in jest. The above mixup was in fact down to a tumbler of whiskey, so its obviously catching….
Keep battling on Colin. When you’re pushing boundaries one always stubs the toe sooner or later. Anyway, its about what one can do, not what one has done. Although that is evidence of possibility. And believe me, it’s possible, if done right. But not on the front pages of the Guardianistas.
“Leave voters did not vote to have an agreement with the EU that recreates the legal ties and obligations of membership”
The latest “buzz” seems to indicate that is exactly what BJ/VdL are negotiating BINO
Will the last chance to ensure there is an Australian deal be when the UK parliament refuses to ratify such a deal?
Roger Turner. Something like that crossed my mind. What about loads of amendments? Could it be talked out?
I don’t know about details of how many amendments can be allowed in our Commons.
Surely though Speaker and JRM might be able to save us.
Also, of course how quickly can Parliament be recalled?
With ALL it’s faults, I did think our Parliament was not as bad as E.U. parliament. We all know that just rubber stamps their diktats.