Walter Sweeney (politician)

Walter Sweeney
Member of Parliament for the Vale of Glamorgan
In office 1992-04-09 – 1997-05-01
Preceded by	John Smith
Succeeded by	John Smith
Personal details
Born	(1949-04-23) 23 April 1949 Ireland
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Nuala Kennan, Consultant Radiologist
Relations	Warwick Sweeney (London based photographer)
Children	3 daughters, Siobhan, Lucy and Hannah
Residence	Beverley, East Yorkshire
Profession	Solicitor

Walter Edward Sweeney (born 23 April, 1949) is a British Conservative politician.

A Member of Parliament

In 1992, Sweeney was elected MP for the Vale of Glamorgan by 19 votes, defeating Labour's John Smith who had gained the seat in a 1989 by-election. In the 1997 Labour landslide, however, Sweeney lost the seat back to Smith.

Haltemprice and Howden Election

In 2008, Walter Sweeney made a surprise re-appearance, standing as an Independent against the Conservative candidate in the Haltemprice and Howden by-election. Sweeney is also a member of the executive committee of The Freedom Association.

WALTER SWEENEY PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATE FOR HALTEMPRICE & HOWDEN

30th. June 2008 Dear Constituent,

I am writing to explain my decision to stand as an Independent candidate in the Haltemprice & Howden by-election on 10th. July 2008 and to ask for your support.

As a former Conservative M.P. who rebelled against the Maastricht Treaty under John Major’s government, I am appalled by the failure of all the major political parties, despite low election turnouts, to heed the growing cynicism and strong Euroscepticism of large parts of the electorate.

I am particularly incensed by the Government’s decision to ignore the veto exercised by the Irish people and press ahead with the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, even though under E.U. rules, the process is supposed to fail if any one country rejects the Treaty. The arrogance of the French, German and British Governments in expecting the Irish Government to sort the problem out, rather than accepting the verdict of the only nation to have consulted its own people, is appalling. Which part of the word “NO” do the Prime Minister and his colleagues fail to understand?

I believe that the Rt. Hon. David Davis is right to be concerned about the erosion of civil liberties, but has chosen entirely the wrong target. Although as a lawyer and a Council member of the Freedom Association, I am naturally concerned about the length of time which suspects can spend in custody without being charged, I am much more worried about protecting the public from terrorist outrages. I am perfectly happy to see CCTV in our city centres, and successfully campaigned for their introduction in

Printed and promoted by Mrs. Nuala Maire Sweeney on behalf of Walter Edward Sweeney both of 21 Westgate, North Cave, East Yorkshire HU15 2NG

Barry when I represented the Vale of Glamorgan. People who do not commit crimes have little to fear from cameras, and it is up to central and local government to ensure that the images collected are used to help catch criminals and not for any other purpose.

Mr. Davis seems to have missed the real culprits in removing our liberties; the politically unaccountable European Commission, the Council of Ministers and the European Court of Justice are eroding our rights every day. Over seventy percent of our new legislation is coming from Brussels. Our Parliament is powerless to control or repeal European legislation. After nearly a thousand years during which English common law held sway, our Courts have to recognise that in the event of any conflict, European law prevails. We now have the freedom to do what Brussels allows, instead of having the freedom to do anything not specifically banned by our own Parliament. Mr. Davis and others need to wake up, and stand up for the freedoms of law abiding people who want to restore our national sovereignty before it is too late.

If I am elected, I promise to campaign at every opportunity for a referendum on whether we should continue as an increasingly subservient and servile part of the European Union, or cast off our shackles and become a free and independent nation state. I would call for the referendum campaign to be fairly funded, with no tax payers’ money to be spent on distorting the outcome.

Yours faithfully,

Walter Sweeney

Now

Walter is now living in Beverley, with his wife and his three young daughters, Siobhan, Lucy and Hannah. His wife, Nuala, is a consultant radiologist at Castle Hill and Hull Royal Infirmery. His three daughters are privately educated at Hymers College.

References

• Times Guide to the House of Commons, Times Newspapers Limited, 1997

Other Websites

http://by-elections.co.uk/haltemprice/Sweeney.html

http://kirkflyingvet.com/blogs/news/archive/2008/06/26/walter-sweeney-recent-mp-for-vale-of-glamorgan-to-stand-against-david-davies.aspx

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/opinion/Walter-Sweeney-Unpalatable-home-truths.4091246.jp