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Peace Symposium : Speech addressed to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association
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Ahmadiyya Muslim Association Peace Symposium
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Financial instability and the impact on the real economy - September 5th 2007
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The Single Market Review 4th September 2007
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| SPEECHES IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT |
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Ahmadiyya Muslim Association Peace Symposium
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Ahmadiyya Muslim Association Peace Symposium
Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen, a great pleasure to be here again this year.
How to achieve world peace in 5 minutes. What a wonderful discipline for the rambling speaker such as myself. The President has asked me to give a view on what the European Parliament could do by way of legislation to help.
There are a number of things that could be done with the political will. Literally tomorrow.
We could scrap the Common Agricultural Policy so hostile to emerging countries’ agricultural production. We institute a Free Trade policy to enable countries to emerge naturally. We could allow EU members with historic ties to negotiate with other groups. For Britain a Commonwealth Free Trade Zone would be an obvious step. I am going to India in April to try and promote such a scheme.
We could scrap the Common Fisheries Policy which is so detrimental to fish stocks in European and North African waters. We could step back from the lunatic EU inspired policy of ethanol for cars. Burning food for fuel is the policy of maniacs. It has doubled the price of grain in less than a year.
This is not a disaster for Western Europe or North America but in China, India and Africa where food accounts for 40% of the family income it is devastating. We must scrap indiscriminate aid. Poor people from rich countries giving money to rich people in poor countries. Corrupt countries with no fiscal or legal infrastructures are harmed by aid which perpetrates the system. The world needs Trade not Aid, work not welfare.
Let the EU half its environmental policy based on spurious science and adopt realistic policies that acknowledge the emerging world is entitled to the same quality of life as the industrialized democracies. They are as entitled to a fridge or a car in India or China as they are in France and Germany. Fewer platitudes and more action from European politicians would be a start.
Let me finish on appositive note.
40 years ago when I was a young recruit to the British Army I saw, at Catterick, a splendid soldier with a magnificent beard and turban. His regimental insignia (The Royal Signals) was proudly worn on the front. He was clearly proud to be a Sikh, proud to be in the Army and proud to be British. They were not, nor are they now, as Major McGann will confirm, mutually exclusive.
The British Army has embraced soldiers of many faiths over hundreds of years. Hindu, Muslim, Catholic, Church of England and Scotland, Methodists the list is endless. The British Empire, much maligned by the ignorant liberal English middle classes was broadly a force for good, which proved people from different faiths and backgrounds can work together for a common cause.
I meet only good will when I go to the Indian sub continent and Africa.
You cannot regulate for peace and goodwill because it is only to be found in men’s hearts. But you can set the scene. You can sow the seeds. We are doing it here, this afternoon, like last year and I hope in years to come.
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