EU Referendum Rules Debate

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Department: Department for Exiting the European Union

Eilidh Whiteford

Main Page: Eilidh Whiteford (Scottish National Party - Banff and Buchan)

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Westminster Hall

EU Referendum Rules

Eilidh Whiteford Excerpts

Future Day:
Tue 6th Sep 2016
Westminster Hall
Monday 5th September 2016

(8 years, 2 months ago)

Westminster Hall
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Westminster Hall is an alternative Chamber for MPs to hold debates, named after the adjoining Westminster Hall.

Each debate is chaired by an MP from the Panel of Chairs, rather than the Speaker or Deputy Speaker. A Government Minister will give the final speech, and no votes may be called on the debate topic.

This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record

Eilidh Whiteford Portrait Dr Eilidh Whiteford (Banff and Buchan) (SNP)
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Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Ian Paisley Portrait Ian Paisley
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I will, briefly. I am only going to give way this once and the hon. Lady is the lucky contender.

Eilidh Whiteford Portrait Dr Whiteford
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To continue the hon. Gentleman’s analogy, does he share my fear that we might be walking around in the wilderness for 40 years?

Ian Paisley Portrait Ian Paisley
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I love it. The analogy is brilliant because for the past 40 years we have been walking in the wilderness of the EU and at last we see the promised land. We are getting there. We are not even four months in and I think that the promised land—the horizon—is more than there.

I agree with something that was said by an earlier contributor [Interruption.] No, I will not give way again because it is unfair on the remaining five speakers. It would be a real slap in the face if we did what some people want us to do—have the vote again. That would say to the people, “You voted, but damn you. We’re going to make you vote again until we get the right result.” People have mentioned urban elites, metropolitan elites and all the rest of it, and that approach would just be arrogant. We are here as servants of the people and, as servants, we must do what the people have asked us to do. We seldom trouble the people with referendums.

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