9. United Kingdom Independence Party Debate: The European Union

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:19 pm on 27 March 2019.

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Photo of David Rowlands David Rowlands UKIP 5:19, 27 March 2019

The great difference with that, of course, is that under NATO we still have control of our own forces. Under this proposed European army, we will not have control of our own forces—[Interruption.] No, I've listened to you. Thank you, very much.

The Franco-German grand reform is a plan to put in place a joint budget, Parliament and finance Minister for the eurozone. Should we remain in the EU, we will almost certainly be forced to join the eurozone at some point in the near future. Our economy will then be effectively run by the German Bundesbank. Our contributions to the EU are set to rise by at least £1 billion year on year, with the added prospect of us paying even more if our economy prospers, as was the case when Cameron was forced to pay over an extra £1.7 billion in 2014, of which France received £0.7 billion and which it is said they used to keep their public sector employees in jobs. This whilst we are forced to cut our front-line public employees to the bone.

Plaid Cymru, and Labour, if 'no deal' is taken off the table, clamour for a second referendum. Well, perhaps we ought to point out that there were 84,000 more Brexiteers in Wales than there were remainers; a stark contrast to the 6,700 majority that secured the establishment of this Assembly, yet both parties are content to accept the legitimacy of the Assembly referendum, whilst denying the European one. Again, it should be noted that 16 out of the 22 local authorities in Wales voted to leave. Anything other than leaving the European institutions in their entirety will be a direct denial of what the people of Wales voted for. Again, Labour and Plaid Cymru clamour for what they call 'a people's vote'. Who do they think voted the last time? Some clandestine subspecies? I firmly believe that however you seek to clothe it, however you seek to disguise it, your efforts to deny the people of Wales their democratic vote to leave the EU will ultimately cost you at the ballot box.