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Proceeding contribution from Lord Pearson of Rannoch (UK Independence Party) in the House of Lords on Monday, 9 May 2011. It occurred during Committee of the Whole House (HL) and Debate on bill on European Union Bill.


European Union Bill

Including myself? That is very generous. The mistake is in taking the line, ““Really, the people won’t be interested in this. They shouldn’t be troubled with this as they won’t understand it””. Yet if you take almost any referendum on anything to do with the European public prosecutor's office, that will be of considerable interest to the British people. They do not like it and do not want it in any form whatever. The turnout on the most supremely boring of any imaginable subject— the recent AV referendum—was 43 per cent, which really surprised people. I have to put it to the noble Lord that the British people may not only be fed up with their political class but be beginning to have doubt in our system of representative parliamentary democracy. They may want a much greater say on matters in future, like the Swiss have, for example. What is wrong with that system to reconnect the people? That is the system to reconnect them and not, I am afraid, the approach of the noble Lord.


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
727 c754 
Session
2010-12
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
Subjects
Crime Defence Fraud European Convention on Human Rights EU law European communities EU budget Prosecutions Referendums Parliamentary scrutiny Treaties Security Reform Treaty on European Union UK membership of EU Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union Treaty of Lisbon
Legislation
European Union Bill 2010-12
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk