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Budget Resolutions and Economic Situation

Indeed. The first moment I saw what was happening on the Greek front—it must be two months ago—I said in this Chamber that the Germans would not be able to meet the challenge that that presented, because the German people do not want to. We are talking about human nature and people, not just technical bits of accounting rules; one cannot fiddle with people. The Germans will not pay up, and if they do, there will be big trouble in Europe, because the problem will go from Greece to Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland and so on. The problem is inherent in the failure of the economic system of the European Union—a failure that those of us who fought the Maastricht treaty in the 1990s predicted. We were right then, and we are right now. The proof is before us. The proof of the pudding is in the eating and, my goodness, it is bitter eating. There are serious problems, including immigration and the costs of the welfare system that arise from excessive immigration. The right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) and I, and many others, have got together to explain that over the years. The fact is that there are problems that can be solved only by cutting immigration. I shall not go into that in depth, but the matter is so important that it ought to be mentioned in this debate. I mentioned the question of what the European Union is achieving, or failing to achieve, and the disaster that it is causing to the people of this country. I want to quote from a European Commission document, "Europe 2020 Strategy":""our GDP"—" that is, the European gross domestic product—""fell by 4 per cent. in 2009, our industrial production dropped back to the levels of the 1990s and 23 million people—or 10 per cent. of our active population—are now unemployed. The crisis has been a huge shock for millions of citizens and it has exposed some fundamental weaknesses of our economy."" It goes on:""Even before the crisis, there were many areas where Europe was not progressing fast enough relative to the rest of the world: Europe's average growth rate has been structurally lower than that of our main economic partners"." It continues:""Europe's employment rates—at 69 per cent. on average for those aged 20-64—are still significantly lower than in other parts of the world. Only 63 per cent. of women are in work compared to 76 per cent. of men. Only 46 per cent. of older workers (55-64) are employed compared to over 62 per cent. in the US and Japan. Moreover, on average Europeans work 10 per cent. fewer hours than their US or Japanese counterparts…Demographic ageing is accelerating."" It says:""The combination of a smaller working population and a higher share of retired people will place additional strains on our welfare systems."" That does not include immigration. The European Union is taking over common immigration policy, so we will be bound into the legal framework even more than we are already. According to the European Commission, there are already 7 million illegal immigrants in Europe alone, and they are coming over here as well. Then there is the question of over-regulation. Even the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills said, when he was a Commissioner, that 4 per cent. of GDP was taken up by over-regulation in Europe. I have not heard him say that with regard to what has been going on in this country since then. Over-regulation is a massive burden on small businesses, and the pathetic way in which small businesses are being treated was illustrated by the comments made by the Federation of Small Businesses yesterday or today. There is a need for truth, and we are not being told the truth. The truth is emerging in the bursting of the dam. We see it in the case of Greece, in the high unemployment figures in this country, and even in the rise of the British National party. We see it in the fact that the people of this country are deeply disturbed by the way in which they have been governed over the past 13 years. The answer lies in good government, but it has to be government based on the truth. The truth that I have described, regarding levels of debt, and the fundamental weakness in our integration in the European Union when we could instead be an association of member states working effectively, cannot be denied. Britain needs to wake up, and it will wake up during the election. When we get past that election and, I hope, have a Conservative Government with sound principles, including dealing effectively with the European Union in line with my United Kingdom Parliamentary Sovereignty Bill, which I hope will one day be enacted, it is essential that we restore to this House the power to decide what is necessary in the interests of our electors, and do not have it dictated to us by misleading statistics from the Government and misleading policies that have failed in the European Union.