| William Hague heralds 'hardheaded' Eurosceptic policies Tory conference welcomes moves by foreign secretary to reaffirm UK sovereignty and curb EU powersWilliam Hague won a standing ovation from the Conservative conference today when he announced a series of Eurosceptic measures designed to curb the powers of the EU.Activists, who fear the Liberal Democrats have toned down Tory Euroscepticism, warmly welcomed a declaration by Hague that the government would adopt a hardheaded approach.The foreign secretary, who famously fought the 2001 election on a pledge to keep the pound, said: "We will support effective co-operation not navel-gazing, determined action not institutional empire-building – that is the hardheaded approach others can expect from us in Europe."The EU has many faults: it interferes too much, and the Lisbon treaty has left it beset by rivalries in Brussels, as indeed we warned. And we cannot forget that its democratic legitimacy was undermined by Labour's disgraceful failure to hold a referendum."Hague announced two measures to shore up British sovereignty:• Legislation will be introduced in the next few months to reaffirm the sovereignty of the Westminster parliament. A sovereignty clause on EU law will be placed on the statute book to confirm that EU law only has primacy in Britain because parliament passed the 1972 European communities act. To cheers from the audience, Hague said: "A sovereignty clause on EU law will place on the statute book this eternal truth: what a sovereign parliament can do, a sovereign parliament can also undo. It will not alter the existing order in relation to EU law. But it will put the matter beyond speculation. And it will be in line with other EU states, like Germany who in a different constitutional framework give effect to EU law through their own sovereign act."• Any "ratchet clauses" in the Lisbon treaty, which would involve a big transfer of powers to Brussels, will have to be approved by a referendum. Ratchet clauses allow for EU treaties to be modified without a full inter-governmental conference of the heads of government of all 27 EU heads of government. The most striking example highlighted by the government is the possibility of ending the national veto over foreign policy.Hague said: "Because the Lisbon Treaty was, in part, a self-amending treaty, where its ratchet clauses amount to the transfer of an area of power, there too, any government that proposes to agree to such a change will require permission in a referendum."The announcements by Hague developed the thinking in the coalition agreement. This said a referendum would have to be held on any new EU treaty that transferred powers to Brussels.The coalition agreement said nothing about "ratchet clauses". On British sovereignty, it said the government would "examine the case" for a UK sovereignty bill to make clear that "ultimate authority" rests with parliament.The foreign secretary balanced his remarks by paying tribute to Nick Clegg for his help in forging "firm friendships around the capitals of Europe". The deputy prime minister was instrumental in persuading the Tories to drop their most Eurosceptic policy – the repatriation of social and employment laws which would have required agreement among all 27 EU member states.Hague also used his speech to make clear that British troops would cease combat operations in Afghanistan by 2015. "We have made clear, given the plans for Afghan forces to lead their own operations by 2014, that British involvement in combat in Afghanistan will come to an end by the year after that."Liam Fox, the defence secretary, who has been wary of withdrawing from Afghanistan too quickly, endorsed the 2015 timetable. But he issued a note of caution when he said: "We will soon agree a plan for transition to the Afghan government. We now have to be patient and let the strategy run its course."The defence secretary said he had a clear answer for people who wanted an immediate withdrawal. "To leave before we have completed our task would be a shot in the arm to violent jihadists everywhere."William HagueEuropean UnionConservative conferenceConservativesNicholas Wattguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Baroness Thatcher celebrates 85th birthday Former Prime Minister Lady Thatcher is celebrating her 85th birthday. bbc.co.uk |
Profile: Nigel 'Sharkey' Ward - 'Mister Sea Harrier' Cdr Nigel 'Sharkey' Ward is one of the most renowned Harrier pilots in the aircraft's history. His son, Lt Cdr Kris Ward, has now hit the headlines after criticising David Cameron, the Prime Minister, over the cuts to the Royal Navy. telegraph.co.uk |
Industrial farming puts ecosystems at risk of collapse, warns Prince Charles Farming methods must be low-impact, organic and low-carbon to protect natural resources for the long termPrince Charles has warned that the world's ecosystems face collapse because of a dangerous over-reliance on industrial farming systems that work against nature rather than with it.In a speech to launch a new sustainable farming project with the supermarket chain Morrisons, the Prince of Wales said farming needed to shift quickly to low-impact, organic and low-carbon methods to survive into the long term. The prince directly attacked farms that "treat animals like machines by using industrial rearing systems". Although he did not mention it directly, his criticisms echo fears about the UK's first diary "super farm" planned for Lincolnshire, where 8,000 cows will produce milk 24 hours a day and will be housed in four open-sided barns. He also criticised the increasing use of "green" labelling and award schemes which failed to protect natural resources in the long term and which "contributes to the failure of the entire system upon which it depends."He said experts predicted that demand for food will rise by 50% by 2030, while humanity will also need 30% more water and 45% more energy. Fresh water supplies were finite and oil close to its peak. For every nine barrels of oil used today, only one barrel of readily exploitable oil was being found. "The mathematics do not exactly add up," he said. "We have to come up with a better way of producing our food that maintains the health of the earth's natural systems so that we work much more closely with them rather than so carelessly to spite them. And because we will have to do so in a commercial environment hounded by the spiralling cost of the diminishing oil supply it would pay us perhaps to do so quickly, now rather than later when it may be too late." He added: "So far we have enjoyed the considerable luxury of ignoring these things. We've tended to believe many of nature's services are free."Morrisons, which says it is the UK's second largest producer of fresh food and has about 12 million customers, is investing £2m on a new model farm at Dumfries House, the Palladian country house near Kilmarnock rescued for the nation when Prince Charles took out a £20m personal loan in 2007 to prevent its sale and its unique collection of furniture broken up. The farm will attempt to find new ways of being commercially viable and competitive as well as simultaneously sustainable, testing new low-energy farming techniques with minimal use of chemicals and improved, welfare-friendly breeding methods. It is expected to make a profit by 2014.Dalton Philips, the chief executive of Morrisons, said before the prince spoke that solely organic farming was not realistic, as it cost up to 40% more and was largely unaffordable for most consumers. Tax rises would increase the pressure on consumers, Philips said, yet he agreed with the Prince of Wales, that keeping food prices down was no longer realistic. "The long decline in food prices is at an end and we're already beginning to see it," he said. It was therefore essential that British agriculture became more sustainable and resilient.Prince Charles cited a "remarkable" report published by the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations in 2008 called The international assessment of agricultural knowledge, science and technology for development. Its conclusions, accepted by the UK government and 57 other countries, said the world had to change its farming techniques or face "social and economic collapse", he said. It encouraged low-impact and organic farming, and farms which were much less reliant on fossil fuels. It stated: "Business as usual is no longer an option."The prince added: "Let me just point out what sustainable farming is not. It is not dependent upon the use of chemical pesticides, fungicides and insectides. Sustainable farming does not rely upon artificial fertilisers and growth promoters, nor the prophilactic use of antibiotics. It does not create vast monocultures and treat animals like machines by using industrial rearing systems. It does not drink the earth dry, deplete the soil or drown streams in oxygen-sucking run-off. "On the contrary, sustainable farming maintains the resilience of the entire ecosystem by encouraging a rich level of biodiversity in the soil, in its water supply and in the wildlife: the birds, insects and bees that maintain the health of the whole system."FarmingFoodCarbon emissionsClimate changePesticidesOrganicsEthical and green livingConservationPrince CharlesSeverin Carrellguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Airport security change signalled Transport Secretary Philip Hammond signals his willingness to change the regulations on security checks at UK airports. bbc.co.uk |