Results 1-20 of 6,644 for in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates' speaker:William Cash

Economic Growth (15 May 2013)

William Cash: Basically, I regard the whole question of having a referendum as fundamental. I led the Maastricht referendum campaign, and the question now is about the same fundamental questions we were addressing then. This is the problem: nothing has changed, but much has got worse. The real problem is one of urgency. This is not just about an abstract theory of sovereignty; it is about the economy, who...

Economic Growth (15 May 2013)

William Cash: It is my opinion, based on extensive discussions yesterday and over several months, that there is absolutely no prospect of any changes that would even begin to alter the circumstances we are now in and which are pivoted on the existing treaties. The problem is one of debt and deficit. We cannot pay for the public services needed in the country, whether health, education or whatever. I hear...

Economic Growth (15 May 2013)

William Cash: My hon. Friend is completely right. Labour caused the debt and the deficit; now Labour Members want to engage in more borrowing without the growth that would come from expanding our trade with the rest of the world.

Economic Growth (15 May 2013)

William Cash: I will give way to the former Chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee.

Economic Growth (15 May 2013)

William Cash: I have come to the conclusion that we have to leave the existing treaties, but I will say one last thing. The UK Independence party argument is self-defeating, for a simple reason. If UKIP were to take a number of marginal seats on the scale that seems likely and we were to lose the next general election, UKIP will not get the referendum or make the changes it wants, because we would be faced...

Economic Growth (15 May 2013)

William Cash: As one who led the Maastricht rebellion, I should say that, at the time, we made predictions. Exactly what we said would happen has happened—that is the difference.

Growth and Infrastructure Bill: Railways (25 April 2013)

William Cash: First, I am glad that the Minister ruled out the connection between HS2 and this Europeanisation of the railway packages. The European Scrutiny Committee asked for a three-hour debate on this matter. The Minister and the Opposition spokesman took up the best part of an hour, so we are down to five-minute speeches, but I will do my best. What we need in our railway system is interaction, not...

Growth and Infrastructure Bill: Railways (25 April 2013)

William Cash: With regard to the interesting dialogue between the question of Europeanisation, nationalisation and privatisation, does the hon. Lady agree that the consequences of adopting a positive policy towards the underlying desire to Europeanise the system of railways are alien to what I assume to be the interests of the trade unions, whether in this country or elsewhere, because Europeanisation and...

Growth and Infrastructure Bill: Railways (25 April 2013)

William Cash: I endorse the views expressed by my hon. Friend the Member for North East Somerset (Jacob Rees-Mogg). When my right hon. Friend reaches that narrower issue, will he make clear whether High Speed 2 is directly connected? It is being put around by the UK Independence party, and others in the county council elections, that HS2 is directly related to the issue.

Business of the House (25 April 2013)

William Cash: I shall certainly try, Mr Speaker. Last Saturday, 30,000 people gathered in Stafford regarding the outcome of the Francis report on the whole Stafford hospital saga; my right hon. Friend is well aware of the tragedy. The Prime Minister has given his personal assurance that there will be a debate in due course. Is my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House prepared to make sure that it...

Public Service Pensions Bill: Section 5 of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993 (22 April 2013)

William Cash: The hon. Gentleman may find it interesting to read the book by the Institute of Economic Affairs on that very subject.

Public Service Pensions Bill: Section 5 of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993 (22 April 2013)

William Cash: This is an extremely important debate, but I am sorry to have to say that the Government did their best to prevent it from being held on the Floor of the House. Speaking as the Chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee, I feel that that must be put on the record. It was very unfortunate, to say the least, and no doubt the Committee will consider it when we meet next Wednesday. Having said...

Public Service Pensions Bill: Section 5 of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993 (22 April 2013)

William Cash: The hon. Member for Stone—who is also Chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee—will of course do just that. I am grateful to you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for drawing my attention to these interesting documents. Among the interesting statements in the documents is this in paragraph 2.17: “The euro area is the key market for UK exporters, accounting for 42 per cent of UK...

Public Service Pensions Bill: Section 5 of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993 (22 April 2013)

William Cash: Absolutely, and one of the greatest pleasures I have had in the past couple of years has been to have my hon. Friend serving on the European Scrutiny Committee, with the diligence, knowledge and judgment he brings to all these matters. It is also stated, at paragraph 2.19, that “Brazil, Russia, India and China taken together were the destination for 6.5 per cent of UK exports in...

Public Service Pensions Bill: Section 5 of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993 (22 April 2013)

William Cash: I agree with my hon. Friend. We must be realists. T. S. Eliot once said, “human kind Cannot bear very much reality”, but Britain has got to wake up. It is crucial at this stage that we understand—in a constructive, not a negative, sense—that we have both a problem and an opportunity, but that opportunity will not last much longer, and we must not simply repeat the...

Public Service Pensions Bill: Section 5 of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993 (22 April 2013)

William Cash: Not only am I appalled by that, but I also recognise that the genesis of much of this can be traced back to the time of the previous Government. Furthermore, we now understand from the official figures published by the UK Statistics Authority that the level of debt—which at one time was, astonishingly, described as being “merely” £1 trillion—will go up to...

Public Service Pensions Bill: Section 5 of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993 (22 April 2013)

William Cash: Twenty times.

Public Service Pensions Bill: Section 5 of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993 (22 April 2013)

William Cash: I would no doubt have a lot in common with some of the remarks made by those who were critical of the Maastricht treaty. Will the hon. Gentleman be good enough to tell me whether he would like to leave the existing treaties, and to describe the basis on which this nonsense, this farrago, is now being conducted?

Public Service Pensions Bill: Section 5 of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993 (22 April 2013)

William Cash: Is my right hon. Friend aware that the very document to which he refers states: “The IMF forecasts UK GDP per person to grow faster than the rest of the G7 between 2012 and 2017, with the exception of the US”? Of course, he will have read the comments made by Madame Lagarde only yesterday. Does he not find them a little incongruous, given that the IMF is now taking rather a...

Public Service Pensions Bill: Section 5 of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993 (22 April 2013)

William Cash: The OBR’s executive summary states: “Public sector net debt…is forecast to peak at 85.6 per cent of GDP in 2016-17, rather than 79.9 per cent a year earlier as in our December forecast.” In reality, debt is simply out of control, although much of it is the responsibility of the previous Government.