The following reflects a series of e-mail correspondences between Roger Helmer, UK Member of the European Parliament and ITSSD CEO/President Lawrence Kogan during November 6, 2007:
The Context:
The correspondences arose as the result of a recent UK Telegraph article entitled "Giscard: EU Treaty is the Constitution Rewritten". See: http://itssdeconomicfreedom.blogspot.com/2008/01/destaing-french-father-of-europe-admits.html .
The ITSSD believes it is critical to emphasize to the American people how the EU Brussels institutions and leadership tried to get the renegotiated EU treaty past the electorate without a referendum.
According to ITSSD CEO Lawrence Kogan,
"If, as is apparent, the EU governmental apparatus in Brussels, which includes representatives of the EU member states, would endeavor to deceive its own citizens in this fashion, what do you think it would endeavor to do to the United States as the result of entering into the Faustian bargain it appears to have concluded with the White House concerning the trade-off of EU support for PSI in exchange for US support of UNCLOS [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea - See: "UNCLOS Alchemy" at: http://itssd.blogspot.com/2007/11/unclos-alchemy.html ] and other environmental treaties?"
In response to the UK Telegraph article and to this point delivered by an intermediary, Roger Helmer made the following Nov. 6 comment:
"...[A]ny number of EU leaders have been falling over themselves to say that the Treaty is 90%, or 95%, or 98% of the Constitution. It is quite extraordinary that Gordon Brown and his ministers can go round insisting that the Treaty is "a totally different document" in the face of all this publicity. You may like to know that the London think-tank Open Europe has done an excellent line-by-line comparison of the two documents, which makes the case beyond denial.
E-Mail Correspondences:
From: lkogan [mailto:lkoganlaw@msn.com]
Sent: 06 November 2007 15:10
To: HELMER Roger
Subject: FW: the Giscard D'Estaing's comment on EU treaty
Importance: High
Dear Mr. Helmer:
I was recently forwarded your note in response to our concern about the D'Estaing article appearing in a recent issue of the Telegraph. It is fascinating how, in this day and age of interconnectedness and immediate information that politicians would try to 'pull a fast one' over on the electorate as they seemingly have tried to do on both sides of the pond - the EU as concerns the Lisbon Treaty/Constitution; the White House as concerns the UNCLOS.
We have been tracking the EU constitutional debate most recently since at least June and have concluded that the failure to resolve the constitutional conundrum in the manner desired by the 'fathers of Europe' would deal a death-knell blow to the federalism concept and preserve England's national sovereignty.
We also found that the UN climate change debate which now focuses on preserving the marine environment with the US ratification of UNCLOS serves as another diversion from this constitutional dilemma. It seems that the Brussels' institutions need to 'project outward' their environmental concerns and proposed solutions in order to cure the failings within the union, even if it means infringing on fundamental human/constitutional rights, 'negative' exclusive private property rights chief among them. Please see:
http://www.itssd.org/White%20Papers/Europe_sWarningsonClimateChangeBelieMoreNuancedConcerns.pdf
Lastly, we are curious to know why D'Estaing 'outed' Brussels on the Treaty/Constitution. Was it merely an exercise of 'damage control' given that the information had been publicly 'leaked', or is there more to his confession???
We will soon highlight the parallel of these two situations to the American public.
Thank you for your consideration and interest.
Sincerely,
Lawrence A. Kogan, Esq.
President/CEO
Institute for Trade, Standards and Sustainable Development (ITSSD)
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From: HELMER Roger [mailto:roger.helmer@europarl.europa.eu]
Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 10:13 AM
To: lkogan
Subject: RE: the Giscard D'Estaing's comment on EU treaty
Dear Lawrence,
Thanks for this: good to hear from you. Thanks also for your interesting comments, and for the link.
On your question about Giscard: we have a bizarre situation where European politicians not under pressure to hold referenda are actually proud of their achievement in retaining most of the failed Constitution. They feel they have solved a problem. On the Open Europe web-site you will find a whole series of comments from them, many containing numerical estimates. They seek to outbid each other, claiming 90%, 95%, 98% of the Constitution "saved". You will also find a point-by-point comparison of the clauses in the Constitution and in the "Treaty".
Giscard himself has a lot of personal capital invested in the Constitution, and its rejection was a huge set-back for him personally. So he is intensely proud that virtually every line has been saved.
But at the same time politicians facing pressure for referenda, like our own Gordon Brown, have no option but to insist that it's a quite different document. Indeed in terms of technical structure they have a point. It is an amending treaty, in kind like earlier treaties. It is not a Constitution, which would have swept away the confused dog's breakfast of the early sequence of treaties, while codifying all their substance into a single text.
But this is a minor technical point. In terms of practical effect, the governance of the EU and the independence of member states, it is identical.
Best regards.
ROGER HELMER
www.rogerhelmer.com
************************************************************************************
From: lkogan [mailto:lkoganlaw@msn.com]
Sent: 06 November 2007 16:24
To: HELMER Roger
Subject: RE: the Giscard D'Estaing's comment on EU treaty
Dear Roger,
Thank you for your most thorough reply.
Is there a way to create public demand in Europe for more referenda considering that the 'fundamental' right of Europeans 'to be heard' is being trampled on?
Perhaps we could coordinate some type of campaign on this bringing in an assortment of organizations to expose the old 'form over substance' shenanigan being employed at the expense of individual rights??? Will this be their future under a Brussels-driven technocracy of philosopher kings??
Would this hold any sway with the electorate at this point in history?
Best Regards,
Lawrence
************************************************************************************
From: HELMER Roger [mailto:roger.helmer@europarl.europa.eu]
Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 10:33 AM
To: lkogan
Subject: RE: the Giscard D'Estaing's comment on EU treaty
Dear Lawrence,
I really appreciate your offer of help, but we already have a series of campaigns focussed on demanding referenda both in individual countries and more widely. Anything you can do to raise awareness of the cynical and deceitful disregard of the European élites for public opinion and democratic values would be much appreciated.
Meantime you are right to point out to an America audience how quickly democracy can tip over into authoritarianism.
I never thought I would say this, but there is a fundamental flaw in our democratic process. Because the EU is a cross-cutting issue for our major political parties, it can leave the voter with no clear way of expressing dissent (except in euro-elections, where the share of vote for rejectionist fringe parties goes shooting up).
That is why various non-party organisations and movements are involved in the campaign. See www.tfa.net; www.betteroffout.co.uk .
Best regards. R.
************************************************************************************
From: lkogan [mailto:lkoganlaw@msn.com]
Sent: 06 November 2007 18:23
To: HELMER Roger
Subject: RE: the Giscard D'Estaing's comment on EU treaty
Dear Roger,
Would you be willing to permit me to quote any passage within your correspondence to me to show the authenticity of the democratic deficit in the EU and Britain?? If not, I understand and will respect your wishes to keep my comments general as to the issue without reference to you by name or position.
This may help to drive home the seriousness of what is occurring on both sides of the pond.
Best Regards,
Lawrence
************************************************************************************
From: HELMER Roger
Sent: Tuesday, 06 November 2007 12:47 PM
To: lkogan
Subject: RE: the Giscard D'Estaing's comment on EU treaty
Dear Lawrence,
Absolutely. Go for it. And also feel free to quote from my blog, which covers these matters in more detail, or to offer a link to the blog.
Best regards. Roger.
http://rogerhelmermep.wordpress.com/
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