The Seventh Congress for Democracy

was held on Friday 1 March 2002

at Church House, Dean's Yard, Westminster

(Full report here)

Speakers were:

Marie Lou Guerrero  
Chairman, Gibraltar Federation of Small Businesses 
- speaking on Gibraltar and the EU. (Full text here)

Sir Michael Spicer MP
Co-Chairman, Congress for Democracy, reported on the outcome of discussions on the referendum umbrella group.  He then invited representatives of some of the main campaigning organisations to comment:

• Austin Mitchell MP, Congress Co-Chairman, who is also Chair of the Labour Euro Safeguards Campaign
• Russell Walters, Director of the Democracy Movement
• Christopher Gill, Chairman of the Freedom Association
• Lord Stoddart, Chairman of the Campaign for an Independent Britain

• Lord Pearson, Co-Founder of Global Britain

(Full text here)

The Rt Hon David Heathcoat-Amory MP
Chairman, European Research Group and one of two UK representatives on the Convention on the Future of Europe - speaking following the opening session of the Convention.  (Full text here)

 

The Seventh Congress for Democracy passed the following resolutions:

Gibraltar
The Seventh Congress for Democracy resolves that Gibraltar should remain British and the decisions of its people should be binding.

The Euro Referendum
The Seventh Congress for Democracy notes that the Congress has sought the views of the organisations campaigning against British entry to the single currency and that a clear majority of respondents expressed the view that the main campaigning organisations should work together in the referendum campaign.

The Seventh Congress for Democracy therefore resolves:

• that the official referendum campaign for the No side should be as inclusive as possible of the groups campaigning for an independent pound;

• that the referendum campaign should focus on the constitutional as well as the economic objections to the abolition of the pound.

The Future Role of the Congress for Democracy
The Seventh Congress for Democracy confirms the motion* passed at its Fifth Congress and further resolves:

• that, as well as continuing to oppose the abolition of the pound, the Congress for Democracy will in future also consider and, where appropriate, take a view on other EU developments, particularly as they affect Britain’s constitutional and legal system;

• that the Congress will, in particular, consider matters arising from the Inter-Governmental Conferences and the Convention on the Future of Europe.

____________________________________

*Congress therefore declares that:

1. The electorate must agree by referendum any further transfer of power to the EU.
2. The Common Law of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the ancient legal system of Scotland, trial by jury and habeas corpus are inviolate, and must not be weakened by alien European law and any attempt to do so must be resisted.
3. The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, or any "European Constitution", will transfer too much power from national parliaments to unaccountable European judges. A European Constitution is unthinkable and the Charter of Fundamental Rights is unacceptable, even in declaratory form.
4. National parliaments must be the custodians of their peoples' constitutions, taxation, defence, foreign affairs, jurisprudence, police and electoral policy.
5. This will involve the retrieval of powers already granted to the European Union and the rejection of the legal process by which powers are expanded by the European federal institutions and then retained forever.