mr president see how the thicket of eu regulation grows
see how brussels shoots its tendrils into every crevasse every nook of national life
issues like this the protection of minors are for many of our constituents sensitive and ethical issues
if we in this parliament presume to legislate for the nation states what is the point of them
is there no limit to our presumption
let me make my position absolutely clear on this
when the united kingdom had the closest equivalent to this legislation which was called section twenty-eight i was virtually the only conservative to oppose it
i was years before the rest of my party in pushing for full equality for gay people including on the equalisation of the age of consent and on civil partnerships
i am delighted that the rest of my party has now reached that point of view
but i am not a lithuanian legislator the people who should determine this issue in lithuania are those who are answerable through the democratic mechanisms and procedures of that country
if we are not prepared to allow them to do that we might as well mothball our national parliaments turn them into museums and lock the door
