Democracy Movement
Encyclopedia
The Democracy Movement (DM) is a crossparty Eurosceptic
pressure group in the UK with around 150 local branches.
in January 1999. She became its President and her son, businessman Robin Birley
, served as the organisation's chairman until 2004. Democracy Movement originated from the ideas and campaign of the late James Goldsmith
's Referendum Party
in 1998. At its launch, describing the campaign as an effort "in memory of Jimmy", Lady Annabel said:
the Eurozone
and has also campaigned against the EU Constitution.
Its opposition to the euro is on the grounds that the British government would lose control over interest rates, exchange rates and spending on public services. On the EU Constitution the Democracy Movement claims that far from being a 'tidying up exercise' of existing treaties and powers as the government claims, the Constitution represents a fundamental change in the nature of the EU and a significant increase in the centralisation of decision-making power in Brussels.
The Democracy Movement calls for the dismantling of the EU and its replacement with a new flexible and voluntary form of co-operation between European governments, called the 'Europe of Democracies'. Powers will be decentralised from Brussels back to elected national parliaments whose laws will resume legal precedence. Trade will be facilitated between countries within Europe and across the World, and an internationalist outlook will be developed. Billions of pounds from the Brussels budget will be re-distributed to the peoples of Europe.
candidates before the May general elections. The organisation released two million pamphlets that carried provocative headlines about the horrors of a European state and published full page local newspaper advertisements in the constituencies of politicians in 120 "target" seats. These included 70 Labour
MPs, 35 Liberal Democrats
, six Conservatives
and three Scottish National Party
candidates.
EuroSceptic
EuroSceptic is the second album of British singer Jack Lucien. It was released in October 2009.Due to being an album influenced by Europop, it features songs with parts in different languages...
pressure group in the UK with around 150 local branches.
History
The Democracy Movement was founded by Lady Annabel GoldsmithLady Annabel Goldsmith
Lady Annabel Goldsmith is a British socialite and the eponym for a celebrated London nightclub of the late 20th century, Annabel's. She was first married for two decades to entrepreneur Mark Birley, the creator of Annabel's, which she helped make a glamorous success as her husband's inaugural...
in January 1999. She became its President and her son, businessman Robin Birley
Robin Birley (businessman)
Robin Birley is an English businessman and political activist. He is the son of Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart and nightclub owner Mark Birley...
, served as the organisation's chairman until 2004. Democracy Movement originated from the ideas and campaign of the late James Goldsmith
James Goldsmith
Sir James Michael "Jimmy" Goldsmith was an Anglo-French billionaire financier and tycoon. Towards the end of his life, he became a magazine publisher and a politician. In 1994, he was elected to represent France as a Member of the European Parliament and he subsequently founded the short-lived...
's Referendum Party
Referendum Party
The Referendum Party was a Euro-sceptic, single issue party in the United Kingdom formed by Sir James Goldsmith to fight the 1997 General Election. The party called for a referendum on aspects of the UK's relationship with the European Union.-Policy:...
in 1998. At its launch, describing the campaign as an effort "in memory of Jimmy", Lady Annabel said:
The DM is funded by donations from grassroots supporters although the Goldsmith family and the Eurosceptic businessman Paul Sykes have made large campaign donations in the past.
I'm not anti-European - my husband was half European and my children are a quarter French. I just don't want to be governed by Brussels, and I don't think people want to give up their sovereignty. Jimmy used to describe it as sitting at the top of the mountain watching a train crash - that was like us heading for the European superstate.
Policy positions
It campaigns on a number of eurosceptic issues such as opposing Britain entering Economic and Monetary UnionEconomic and Monetary Union of the European Union
The Economic and Monetary Union is an umbrella term for the group of policies aimed at converging the economies of members of the European Union in three stages so as to allow them to adopt a single currency, the euro. As such, it is largely synonymous with the eurozone.All member states of the...
the Eurozone
Eurozone
The eurozone , officially called the euro area, is an economic and monetary union of seventeen European Union member states that have adopted the euro as their common currency and sole legal tender...
and has also campaigned against the EU Constitution.
Its opposition to the euro is on the grounds that the British government would lose control over interest rates, exchange rates and spending on public services. On the EU Constitution the Democracy Movement claims that far from being a 'tidying up exercise' of existing treaties and powers as the government claims, the Constitution represents a fundamental change in the nature of the EU and a significant increase in the centralisation of decision-making power in Brussels.
The Democracy Movement calls for the dismantling of the EU and its replacement with a new flexible and voluntary form of co-operation between European governments, called the 'Europe of Democracies'. Powers will be decentralised from Brussels back to elected national parliaments whose laws will resume legal precedence. Trade will be facilitated between countries within Europe and across the World, and an internationalist outlook will be developed. Billions of pounds from the Brussels budget will be re-distributed to the peoples of Europe.
Activism
On 12 January 2001, the DM launched an advertising and leafleting campaign, worth around £500,000, to expose the parliamentary votes of pro-BrusselsBrussels and the European Union
Brussels is considered to be the de facto capital of the European Union, having a long history of hosting the institutions of the European Union within its European Quarter...
candidates before the May general elections. The organisation released two million pamphlets that carried provocative headlines about the horrors of a European state and published full page local newspaper advertisements in the constituencies of politicians in 120 "target" seats. These included 70 Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MPs, 35 Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
, six Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and three Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
candidates.