mr president i am resolutely opposed to the removal of the right of the united kingdom to exercise an opt-out on the working time directive
indeed i would refute the right of this european parliament to attempt to rob my country of that entitlement
in my book control of working hours is a matter exclusively for national control not for brussels diktat
if british workers are permitted by their own elected government to work more than forty-eight hours per week then why should it matter to those from countries whose governments are more proscriptive
frankly it should be none of your business
but it is a vital matter for british business especially at a time of immense pressure arising from the economic downturn when maximum flexibility and less regulation not more is key to economic recovery
maximising european production getting our goods sold at home and abroad and making it easier for business to grow should be the concern of us all
yet here we have ideologues intent on foisting their precious social agenda on everyone even where it is unwanted
it really is time that this house got its priorities right
rejecting this attempt to quash the british opt-out would be a good place to start
