United Kingdom Membership (Anniversary) (Hansard, 3 February 1982)

§ 43. Mr. Marlow
asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he intends to take any steps to celebrate 10 years of United Kingdom membership of the European Economic Community on 1 January 1983.

§ Mr. Humphrey Atkins
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for drawing the attention of the House to the fact that the United Kingdom will complete its first 10 years of membership of the European Community on 1 January 1983. No specific steps are envisaged by the Government for celebrating the event.

§ Mr. Marlow
May I make a suggestion to my right hon. Friend? During the referendum campaign, the "Minister of Propaganda" sent round an unsolicited document to every household in the Land setting out the purported benefits of Community membership. To celebrate the tenth anniversary on 1 January 1983, will my right hon. Friend send out the facts to everyone, stating particularly that it has cost £1 million a day since we have been members of the Community, that we have had a £2 billion deficit in manufactures during the past four years, that it has cost us £500 million net on the balance of payments in cash terms and that we have been force-fed French food at over twice world market prices—or will we have more propaganda?

§ Mr. Atkins
I cannot answer for the activities of the so-called "Minister of Propaganda" at the time of the referendum campaign. That was nothing to do with our party. I agree with my hon. Friend that it is important that people should understand properly, and he is among those who ought to do so. He ought to know, because he asked me a question about it in the House only a few days ago, that our membership of the European Community last year did not cost £1 million a day. Our adjusted contribution, following the arrangements made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister with the Community in 1980, came to £1 million a week.

§ Mr. Marlow
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. Before I take the point of order, I remind the hon. Member for Northampton, North (Mr. Marlow) that if he is about to tell me that he wishes to raise the matter on the Adjournment he will stop any further supplementary questions from being called.

§ Mr. Marlow
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. My right hon. Friend should know that a Treasury answer said that membership cost £500 million last year.

§ Mr. Leighton
rose—

§ Mr. Speaker
There cannot be a point of order about the passing of information. I call Mr. Reg Race.

§ Mr. Leighton
I am Ron Leighton.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I apologise to both hon. Members, but they are from the same stable. Mr. Ron Leighton.

§ Mr. Leighton
I recognise that you have had difficulties today Mr. Speaker. Will the Lord Privy Seal accept that we are "celebrating" the tenth anniversary by having the worst ever relations with our European partners? Did he notice the report in The Times on Saturday by its Brussels correspondent, who said that after what he called the total collapse of the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, the two peacemakers, Leo Tindemans and Gaston Thorn, who were asked to tour the capitals of the Common Market to seek an amicable agreement on reforms, agreed that there was no point in doing so, because the talks were doomed to failure?

§ Mr. Atkins
I refute both points that the hon. Gentleman made. Relations between ourselves and our Community partners are good, even though we have our differences. We are all still seeking to achieve what the Heads of Government agreed we should seek to achieve. Secondly, the Presidents of the Council and the Commission are not doing as the hon. Gentleman 302 suggested. They are embarking on precisely the sort of discussions that they and we believe may lead to a solution.

§ Mr. Eldon Griffiths
Will my right hon. Friend think again about the suggestion of my hon. Friend the Member for Northampton, North (Mr. Marlow)? Would it not be a good idea on the tenth anniversary of our membership to set out to the British public the immense benefits that our country has enjoyed from membership and to show how, provided we put our own house in order, there are great treasures still to be won?

§ Mr. Atkins
I entirely agree with my hon. Friend. We do not need to wait until 1 January 1983 to do as he suggests. Ministers seek to do that all the time and we shall continue to do so. I was asked whether there should be a celebration on 1 January. I had to say, and I believe that I was right to do so, that we have no plans for that. We believe that it is more important to persuade the people of this country that the benefits are as my hon. Friend describes and to seek to persuade them that the right thing to do is to take advantage of the opportunities offered, rather than have a party.

§ Mr. Guy Barnett
If, as the right hon. Gentleman suggests, all is sweetness and light in the relationships between the Government and the other nine members of the Community, why was the mission of Leo Tindemans and Gaston Thorn set up? Did it not follow the total collapse of negotiations over the budget and the agriculture policy?

§ Mr. Atkins
I was asked about relations between ourselves and our Community partners. I answered, correctly, that relations are good and I went on to say that there are differences of view about how the problems identified by the Heads of Government should be solved. We are seeking to solve them.