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European Union (Amendment) Bill

We also heard from the right hon. Member for Wells (Mr. Heathcoat-Amory), who made a passionate speech and has paid great attention to our proceedings throughout. He spoke about the fact that he has only an occasional affection for referendums, which is obviously the case on examination of his record as Deputy Chief Whip during the Maastricht process—but I do not want to dwell on that this evening. Following the Maastricht treaty process, and unbeknown to me until this afternoon, someone with a delicious sense of political irony gave the right hon. Gentleman his next Government job: Europe Minister. The ghost of his Euro-enthusiasm and Euro-optimism still haunts the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. We also heard from the right hon. Member for Hitchin and Harpenden (Mr. Lilley). Again, the trend of remarkable ingenuity in our debates was followed. As I said some days ago during our proceedings, the hon. Member for Stone quoted an historic parliamentary debate and a speech—by himself—as a source of reference. My hon. Friend the Member for Linlithgow and East Falkirk did the same thing by proxy, quoting the right hon. Member for Wells quoting him. This evening we had another passionate speech by the right hon. Member for Hitchin and Harpenden, who went one step further in our proceedings. Not only did he quote himself, which has become the new fashion—a fashion that I have not yet bought into—but, in a remarkable innovation, to make his specific point he did not quote himself from an earlier speech, saying,"““I can demonstrate that by referring to a speech that I did not give””—[Official Report, 6 February 2008; Vol. 471, c. 1074.]" when he was Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. A remarkable constitutional innovation! It is a first, and perhaps many right hon. and hon. Members on both sides of the House will take their lead from it in future debates. On the specifics in the treaty and therefore the Bill—[Hon. Members: ““No!””] I know. The treaty and the Bill increase the UK's share of the vote in the European Union; reduce the size of the European Commission; give greater say for national Parliaments; end the utterly ludicrous rotating presidency; improve decision making; end the external duplication; and enshrine for the first time children's rights in a European treaty. In a topsy-turvy sense of priorities, previous treaties, for whatever reason, enshrined animal rights, but not children's rights. This treaty puts that anomaly right. It also marks significant improvements in climate change and international development. As the hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr. Davey) said—it was foul-mannered of me to ignore not just his walk-out but his wider contribution—