The Telegraph, March 29, Sammy Wilson MP
When it comes to pure unabashed brazenness, the shameless leaders of the EU have no equal. In a debate about the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) in the European Parliament today, they not only spoke of the agreement as if they played a part in bringing it about, but have now taken on the role of being its guardian. What nonsense! This is simply being used to justify the unwanted and unwarranted intrusion of the EU into the affairs of Northern Ireland, one of the component countries of the UK.
First of all, the EU played no part in the negotiations or the finalisation of the Belfast/GFA 25 years ago. Those who claim otherwise are either politically deluded or suffering from political amnesia driven by the belief that nothing of significance can happen without the EU playing an important role. The problem for those who make these claims is that even a cursory examination of the events and the documentation from 25 years ago show that the EU didn’t even have the role of a bit player.
The only parties mentioned in the final paper were the UK government and the government of the Republic of Ireland. Finally, the only signatures on the final agreement were those of the British prime minister and the Irish taoiseach. The only reference to the EU was two short paragraphs indicating the role of Assembly and UK ministers in discussing policy issues relating to our EU membership and the role of one of the cross-border bodies in dealing with EU aid programmes.
Click here to read the piece in full.