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Mr. John Hayes (South Holland and The Deepings): In developing this argument about democratic legitimacy, which I believe that he does appropriately, will my hon. Friend agree that the effect is multiplied by the increasing remoteness of the exercise of power and incomprehension on the part of the electorate? The point about the exercise that we are going through, which the treaty exacerbates, is that the vast majority of the electorate throughout Europe do not understand how those processes work because the thing is so deliberately esoteric, so that democratic legitimacy is not delivered on that basis as well as on the basis that my hon. Friend is explaining to the House.
Mr. Collins: I agree with my hon. Friend and I am grateful for the points that he makes.
The greatest achievement and the greatest purpose of the European Union may be to entrench democracy and to spread an area of peace across Europe. For that reason, the top priority for those negotiating on behalf of our country at Amsterdam should have been to make the Union flexible enough for rapid expansion. The argument that is usually advanced by the Labour party and other advocates of qualified majority voting is that more
QMV makes it easier to expand the European Union. I want to argue that in many respects that is contrary to the truth.
Most of the aspirant nations of central and eastern Europe which wish to join the European Union are members of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, all of whose decisions are taken on a unanimity basis. Most of them are likely to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation at the same time as, if not before, they join the European Union, although NATO's decisions are taken on a unanimity basis. Most of those nations are most likely to be able to play a full and active part in the future destiny of the European Union if the European Union is not so inflexible and entrenched in its decision-making processes that it believes that every measure of legislation or directive or Community action must be imposed on every member in the same way at the same time.
The risk of expanding qualified majority voting in the way that is set out in the treaty and the Bill is that we entrench a model of the European Union that is centralised, uniform and inflexible. It will say to the countries of eastern Europe, "We are delighted that you pulled down the Berlin wall and expelled your communist dictatorships, but now we in western Europe will erect a new iron curtain to keep you out from your European home"--
It being Ten o'clock, The Chairman left the Chair to report progress and ask leave to sit again.
To report progress and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.--(Ms Bridget Prentice.)
Committee report progress; to sit again tomorrow.
Motion made, and Question put forthwith, pursuant to Standing Order No. 119(9) (European Standing Committees),
Ordered,
Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.--[Ms Bridget Prentice.]
Mr. Anthony D. Wright (Great Yarmouth):
I am pleased to have secured a debate on a memorial for the far east prisoners of war. I am pleased also that my hon. Friend the Minister is here to respond to the debate.
The debate will serve as my maiden speech and it enables me to say that it is my great honour to represent and serve the people of my home borough of Great Yarmouth. I was born in Great Yarmouth and I went to school there. Before coming to this place, I spent all my working life there. I feel extremely privileged to have been elected its Member of Parliament.
It may seem strange to some that I have chosen the subject of a memorial to the far east prisoners of war for my maiden speech. I could, of course, have addressed many issues relating to my constituency; that being so, I shall briefly explain my choice. The subject was raised with me by one of my constituents whose father was a far east prisoner of war. I am sure that the issue is one which concerns other hon. Members and their constituents.
Since the war, we have seen a new relationship develop between Britain and Japan, but, while we look to the future, we must remember the past and all those who suffered on our behalf. The father of the constituent to whom I have referred was one of the many thousands of allied prisoners of war who were forced to construct the Thai-Burma railway line. She told me of the sadness that she felt over the lack of a fitting memorial to him and to other brave soldiers and civilians who died after being captured.
The most infamous section of the railway was that which was cut through a mountain at Konyu-Hintok, which became known as Hellfire pass. It is there that many veterans and relatives of the dead wish to see a memorial built.
Before I expand on the subject, I am sure that it will be understood that I wish to observe the convention of the House and introduce my constituency to right hon. and hon. Members and to pay tribute to my predecessor, and the former I can do ably. As I have said, Great Yarmouth is my home borough. I am sure that it is well known to other hon. Members as one of Britain's holiday resorts. What may be less well known is that it is also a centre for gas exploration, and second only to Aberdeen for activities within the oil industry.
There is also the port of Great Yarmouth, which we see as a gateway to northern Europe. This is a vision which is shared by the European Union, which sees the significance of the link between Ijmuiden in Holland and Great Yarmouth as an integral part of a trans-European route along the A47 from the midlands.
The port has always been integral to the town's success over its history. At the battle of Sluys in 1340, Yarmouth provided more ships than all the cinque ports put together, which ensured victory for Edward III. The king was so grateful that he halved his coat of arms of three lions and added their heads to the tails of Yarmouth's coat of three herrings.
The abundance of the herring was the source of our once vibrant fishing industry and has long been the symbol of the town. Unfortunately, the fishing industry
in the town has all but vanished, along with the herring. However, since 1966 we have been a strategic port for the North sea oil and gas industries, with their support industries providing employment for many people in the town. We also have thriving businesses in a wide range of sectors, from electronics to food production.
Despite these successes, unemployment in my constituency has remained at a higher than average level over the past 18 years. We welcome the Labour Government's commitment to improve our standard of living through better health care, greater investment in education and providing real opportunities in work and training for the long-term and young unemployed.
As a tourist destination, the borough of Great Yarmouth can offer something for everyone. We have the beauty of the Norfolk Broads in the north-west of the constituency, the secluded beaches of California and Scratby, and the family resorts of Great Yarmouth and Gorleston. This year, Great Yarmouth was named in the top five holiday resorts in the country, with 7 million bed-nights. Half the tourist expenditure in Norfolk is in Great Yarmouth.
I remember that when I was a youngster, holidaymakers would knock on our doors asking for a room for the night, because the hotels and boarding houses were all full up. Now, most of the thousands of visitors who come annually to the borough will stay in one of the many holiday centres that are located in the parishes of Caister and Hemsby to the north and Hopton to the south, where they will find all the facilities that one would expect in a modern tourist resort.
One of the centres in Hopton has recently won some prestigious awards. I was pleased to visit it a few weeks ago for the launch of a local Partners against Crime initiative. While I was making my speech to the audience of about 300 people, the modernisation of the holiday industry became obvious to me when I was heckled for the first time in my political career for referring to the centre as a holiday camp. However, I can assure hon. Members that we can offer a very good holiday, wherever they stay in my constituency.
The fact that the borough of Great Yarmouth is steeped in heritage is often overlooked. Yarmouth's unique system of town planning created the famous narrow rows, a few of which are still in existence. We can boast the second longest surviving stretch of mediaeval town wall, after York; the largest parish church in England; the remains of a Roman settlement at Burgh castle and Caister; and many other significant historic features.
Great Yarmouth has a rich and chequered history. Miles Corbet, a former Member of the House and resident of the town, was a personal friend and lawyer to Oliver Cromwell. He was the last signatory to the death warrant of Charles I. After the restoration, royal vengeance was demanded of Yarmouth for its republican stance, and all its charters and privileges were revoked. Later, in 1867, when political sleaze was rampant--unlike now--the constituency of Great Yarmouth was disfranchised after extensive bribery of the electorate was uncovered. It has not been recorded whether the money was paid in brown envelopes.
I assure hon. Members that no such persuasion was necessary for the people of Great Yarmouth to elect me. Great Yarmouth is a constituency of great diversity, with much in its tradition and past to be proud of, and much, I am sure, to look forward to in its future.
I turn now to my predecessor. Mr. Michael Carttiss was probably more of a thorn in the side of his own party than of the Labour party in the 13 years that he represented Great Yarmouth. On at least one occasion, he was suspended from the parliamentary Conservative group for voting against his own Government, most often on the subject of Europe, and he was a member of the gang of nine who were suspended for rebelling against Maastricht. I found that a bizarre stance by a Member whose constituency at that time was fighting--as it is now--to become a gateway to Europe. Nevertheless, Michael Carttiss is a man of great independence, outspoken honesty and strong character, factors which contributed in no small part to my election as his successor.
An advantage of making my maiden speech six months into this Parliament is that I can already see the benefits for my constituents that the Labour Government have brought. We have already had an extra £119,000 for breast cancer treatment for our local health authority; Norfolk education authority has been awarded £1.5 million towards the backlog of building and improvement work needed for the county's schools; and permission has been given for the building of a new power station in my constituency, which will bring £170 million of inward investment and create 300 construction jobs in an area which suffers from one of the highest unemployment rates in the eastern region.
The Government have given their blessing to a project to build a new outer harbour in the town, and I hope that the roads review will bring back the scheme to dual our stretch of the A47, known as the Acle Straight. That was accepted as a necessity by no fewer than 24 Conservative Ministers who held the roads portfolio during the 18 years of the previous Government, yet it was taken out of the programme last year in a cost-cutting exercise in order to fuel pre-election tax cuts. I am glad that this Government's roads policy will be based on sound economics, strategic planning and safety, and not sacrificed for such short-term political gains.
Although my focus while a Member of Parliament will be on fighting for my constituents, I have been fortunate to represent Parliament on a visit to Albania to oversee the recent elections there, and to New York, where a delegation from the House was introduced to the workings of the United Nations. I have also developed a sudden interest in finance as a result of being selected to serve on the Standing Committee on the Bank of England Bill. I am sure that my interests will continue to widen as my time here progresses.
I return to the subject of the debate. As I explained in my preamble, the matter of a memorial for the far east prisoners of war was brought to my attention by a constituent, Mrs. Carol Cooper, whose father, Lance Corporal William Smith--known as "Bill"--died while in captivity in Burma in 1943 when she was just four years old. During the two years he was imprisoned, he wrote an extensive diary in a book that he made himself, covered in fabric from his kit bag. In the diary, he not only recorded the daily events of his imprisonment but wrote many poems about his family and his experiences, recipes that he wished to cook when he returned home and the
home addresses of his fellow soldiers. Some of the names are marked with a cross. That was to signify which of his comrades had fallen on the journey from their original base at Changi in Singapore as they marched towards Burma.
Lance Corporal Smith's family remained unaware of the existence of this remarkable document until Mrs. Cooper read about the auction of a diary written by a soldier of the Royal Norfolk Regiment in a Japanese camp. When she realised that it was her father's diary, she tried in vain to buy it back from the person who had purchased it. It was only after the BBC became involved and made a documentary about the diary that Mrs. Cooper was able to acquire the diary for herself.
Subsequently, the BBC took Mrs. Cooper to Thailand to retrace her father's steps as recounted in his diary, taking the route of the Burma-Thai railway. The Imperial Japanese army built the railway from 1942 to 1943 from Ban Pong in Thailand to Thanbyuzayat in Burma, with the intention of supplying the large Japanese army that was stationed in Burma. The railway was 250 miles long and was built through some of the most inhospitable and disease-ridden terrain in the world. There was little mechanical construction and its completion was achieved mostly through human effort. The project resulted in a huge loss of life for both prisoners of war and the Asian forced labour used to construct it.
About 13,000 POWs and 80,000 Asian labourers died from disease, sickness, starvation and brutality. One commentator has written that the
I should like to read an extract from the diary of Lance Corporal William Smith so that hon. Members can begin to understand the conditions in which these men tried to survive. The entry is dated Sunday, 22 August 1943. It reads:
Although we must not forget the allied troops and civilians who were imprisoned all over the area in Java, Sumatra, Singapore and Taiwan, Hellfire pass is favoured by many of the veterans and relatives of those imprisoned as a memorial site due to the particular hardship suffered by those who worked there.
The Australian and Thai Governments have co-operated on building a memorial complex at Hellfire pass, but there has been, as yet, no contribution from any British Government. That is despite the fact that more than double the number of British soldiers died there compared with our allies. Although the Government fund the upkeep of the cemeteries, and they are beautifully kept, there is no memorial to honour the sacrifice that those soldiers made for their country.
After the war, the British Government sold the railway to Thailand for £1.5 million. A memorial to the men who lost their lives building it would cost merely a fraction of that amount. Currently, visitors to the site are faced with a plaque that commemorates a great "feat of Japanese engineering", but does not mention the human cost of the project. The Royal British Legion is working to raise funds for a museum that will tell the true story of the far east prisoners of war from all over the area, and which will serve as a tribute to lost comrades and loved ones. It should be a place of meditation and reflection. It would also stand as a reminder of the terrible inhumanity inflicted on those prisoners of war, and ensure, by remembering their sacrifice, that such atrocities are never allowed to happen again.
The memory of these events will not disappear with the last of the veterans. The sons and daughters of the soldiers lost in the far east, like my constituent Mrs. Cooper, have begun their own organisation to ensure that the sacrifice of those men is never forgotten.
On Wednesday 27 October 1943, the day before his and his wife's birthday, Bill Smith wrote:
That this House takes note of European Community Document No. 6294/92 and the unnumbered Explanatory Memorandum submitted by the Department of Health on 17th November 1997, on tobacco advertising; and supports the Government's efforts to bring into effect a ban on tobacco advertising.--[Ms Bridget Prentice.]
Question agreed to.
That Miss Ann Widdecombe be discharged from the Committee on Standards and Privileges and Mr. Martin Bell be added to the Committee.--[Ms Bridget Prentice.]
3 Dec 1997 : Column 460
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"railway was built at the cost of a life for every sleeper."
That could certainly be true of the section of the railway that was hacked out of the jungle-covered mountain area at Konyu-Hintok where it is known that 700 prisoners of war died building just three miles of railway. A huge cutting was gouged through the mountainside in just 12 weeks. This is the infamous Hellfire pass, which got its name after someone looking down at the skeletal figures slaving at night by the light of bamboo fires remarked that it must be like working in the jaws of hell.
"What a night and what a result. I hardly know how to write. It started last night actually. Reg, poor old chap complained of feeling cold and everything he had was more or less messed and wet because he couldn't control himself. He went into a coma and rambled about eleven. We covered him and made him as comfortable as it was possible. I kept up and kept the fire at the end of the tent going to help warm us and keep the mosquitos etc away. I didn't like the look of him when I went and looked at him about 2.30 so I called the orderlies. We done our very best all night for Reg but I'm sorry to say he passed away about ten past eight this morning. It was approx. ten minutes after the check so he had to lay all day in the tent with us until after the 4 o'clock check. Just a Jap method. I'm just back from carrying him to the cemetery and it's a sort of coincidence but when passing the isolation hospital there was a service on and the hymn 'Abide with me' was just being sung.
3 Dec 1997 : Column 464
Reg had a very few personal things having sold his ring, pen, watch etc but I have his photos and a few letters which I asked permission to be allowed to keep so I may return them to his wife personally.
Another man also passed away out of our party after I got back about ten minutes ago so that makes eight in all we have lost in a fortnight and now it leaves 46."
What struck me when reading Bill Smith's diary was the incredible bravery shown by the prisoners of war. After one year and one month as a prisoner, Bill wrote:
"What a life this is but one mustn't grumble I suppose."
I cannot even begin to imagine the conditions those men lived in or the pain that they suffered. Although he begins the diary by counting the weeks and days he has been imprisoned, by the end Lance Corporal Smith is counting the number of his fellow soldiers and friends who had fallen.
"Up to today there have been 573 deaths in this hospital camp. Well Ida dearest tomorrow is the one day of our lives and I only wish I could send you a little something but I'll make up for it later. It won't be long now."
Just over a month later, Lance Corporal Smith died. He was never able to make up for missing his wife's birthday, but we have a chance to make up to the relatives of men such as Bill Smith for the loss of their loved ones.
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