Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2016-02-24-Speech-1-041-000"
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"en.20160224.13.1-041-000"1
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"Mr President, further to the question by Mr Corbett and Ms Goulard, I am simply wondering, Mr Fox, why you are now speaking and not Mr Kamall. I think he is still in doubt and he does not know at the moment what he is going to do, and I think that is a better answer to Mr Corbett’s question than saying that they should ask the Members themselves.
But I have another issue, involved in the negotiations from the beginning, Mr Fox. I have always asked myself why this British deal was so necessary and so vital? I can tell you there is one thing I am sure of: that this deal is not about Europe; it is in fact a deal to reunite the Tory Party. Let us be honest about this. I may not know the result of the referendum – whether Britain will remain in the Union – but I am sure of one result: it will not reunite the Tory party. That is clear, because what I am seeing is a glorified cockfight since Mr Tusk reached this deal, with Boris Johnson challenging David Cameron. I can tell you, I have seen ambitious politicians – I myself am an ambitious politician – but Boris Johnson takes it to a whole other level. Because it is the Mayor of London acting against the interests of the citizens of London, and all for personal ambition and certainly not for a better Europe or for a better Britain. It is totally bonkers, dear colleagues, and I would say it is pathetic that this is happening.
It is even dramatic for Britain, especially, Mr Fox. We see that the pound sterling is falling rapidly, the unity of the United Kingdom is under threat and their American cousins are saying: ‘Please stop it, we will not make a trade deal with you outside the Union’. Apparently the special relationship between the US and the UK is not so special any more.
So let me give some advice to those who are now carrying out this debate in Britain. Do not think that after a ‘no’ you can come back to the negotiating table. I know that some people are thinking that, saying: ‘Ha! It’s Europe. Once you have said ‘no’ in a referendum you are invited back to the negotiation table as with Ireland, as with Denmark, like after the Constitution with France and the Netherlands’. But this is not about the same thing. That was about the Constitution – a Treaty. Here it is about in or out. It is one or the other. And if I see how the currency of Britain is endangered, how now Britain is alienated from the US and how Britain is step by step being transformed into a little England, I think they would be wise to stay in the European Union.
But, dear colleagues, pathetic as this debate is for the UK, it is also a dramatic debate and an important debate for Europe because, let us be honest, what we are discussing now is crazy. We have to unite; we should not be divided. The only ones who will gain from a divided Europe are – who? People like Vladimir Putin, people like Bashar al-Assad, like IS. And instead of discussing how to stand up to them and develop a strategy, what we are showing at the moment is division: we are weak. And yesterday this again became very clear when the Russian-American plan for a ceasefire in Syria happened and we were again not around the table for such a crucial decision.
We can continue now – and some are doing so – to complain about the deal and point out the downsides of the deal. My appeal, Mr President, President Tusk, and to everybody in this House is to do the opposite. Let us use the deal to put Europe back on track and to make Europe work again. Let us finally stop Europe
and stop the standstill because of the British issue. Mr Fox, I have nothing against giving special status to Britain if next time you agree also that in the next Treaty revision we can also go ahead with our integration. In all these reforms we need to establish a more united Europe, because we need it to tackle the multiple crises we are facing today and certainly the refugee crisis.
And that is my last point: that we should also do more on the refugee crisis. Make as much effort, President Tusk, to solve the refugee crisis as we have made to find a solution for Brexit."@fr2
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