--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the 1990s, while the Maastricht debate…" description: "\"In the 1990s, while the Maastricht debate was raging, I was a minister in the Major government. Every single piece of legislation we proposed had to be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5c/ann-widdecombe-4586_1990s_in-the-1990s-while-the-maastricht-debate_42931.png" --- # In the 1990s, while the Maastricht debate was raging, I… ![“In the 1990s, while the Maastricht debate was raging, I was a minister in the Major government. Every single piece of legislation we proposed had to be scrutinised for compatibility with E.U. law.” quote by Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5c/ann-widdecombe-4586_1990s_in-the-1990s-while-the-maastricht-debate_42931.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5c/ann-widdecombe-4586_1990s_in-the-1990s-while-the-maastricht-debate_42931.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5c/ann-widdecombe-4586_1990s_in-the-1990s-while-the-maastricht-debate_42931.png) > “In the 1990s, while the Maastricht debate was raging, I was a minister in the Major government. Every single piece of legislation we proposed had to be scrutinised for compatibility with E.U. law.” [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes the intense legal vetting of legislation in the 1990s to ensure alignment with EU regulations during the Maastricht Treaty debates. **In simple terms:** Legislation must align with EU law. Key Takeaway EU compatibility shaped policy decisions. Themes European integration Legal scrutiny Policy making Sovereignty Maastricht Treaty Mood Reflective Analytical Type Political Historical When to use this quote - Parliamentary debates - Drafting bills - International negotiations Key Concepts EU law Legislative process National sovereignty Practical Applications - Policy compliance checks - Legal advisory services Questions to Reflect On - How does EU law influence national policy? - What are the trade‑offs of strict legal compatibility? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Debate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debate/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Minister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minister/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [It is a rare piece of legislation indeed where there is so much agreement about the goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/it-is-a-rare-piece-of-legislation-indeed-where-there-is-so-much/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [I see this piece of legislation as essentially being a declaration of virtual war. It is giving the President tremendous powers to pursue war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/i-see-this-piece-of-legislation-as-essentially-being-a-declaration-of/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [We all understand that the Affordable Care Act is not working perfectly. In fact, any major piece of legislation like this has to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-schatz/we-all-understand-that-the-affordable-care-act-is-not-working/) [Brian Schatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-schatz/) > [I didn't know how to pass a major piece of legislation; I didn't know how to get colleagues to support my views. It took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gillibrand/i-didn-t-know-how-to-pass-a-major-piece-of-legislation-i-didn-t-know/) [Kirsten Gillibrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gillibrand/) > [Every piece of legislation which came to my desk in the coming years as the governor, I came down on the side of preserving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/every-piece-of-legislation-which-came-to-my-desk-in-the-coming-years/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [We know the legislation that passed the House. It was the worst piece of legislation frankly against working class people that I can remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/we-know-the-legislation-that-passed-the-house-it-was-the-worst-piece/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [I don't think that the problems or the issues relate to any single piece of legislation. I think that they really do relate to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-gup/i-don-t-think-that-the-problems-or-the-issues-relate-to-any-single/) [Ted Gup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-gup/) > [79 senators, including that great conservative Elizabeth Warren, said they didn't like the medical device tax, so we will go at that law -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/79-senators-including-that-great-conservative-elizabeth-warren-said/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) > [“Bill C-9 was supposed to be a budget bill, but it came with innumerable measures that had little or nothing to do with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-martin/bill-c-9-was-supposed-to-be-a-budget-bill-but-it-came-with/) [Lawrence Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-martin/) > [“The naively cynical measure a piece of legislation, a victory, a milestone not against the past or the limits of the possible, but against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/the-naively-cynical-measure-a-piece-of-legislation-a-victory-a/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [The House of Representatives was not designed to sit idly by and rubberstamp every piece of legislation sent their way by the Senate, especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-boortz/the-house-of-representatives-was-not-designed-to-sit-idly-by-and/) [Neal Boortz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-boortz/) > [Carolyn Maloney knows how to get something done, and as I said, it doesn't matter if she's in the majority or the minority. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-smeal/carolyn-maloney-knows-how-to-get-something-done-and-as-i-said-it/) [Eleanor Smeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-smeal/) > [A good compromise, a good piece of legislation, is like a good sentence; or a good piece of music. Everybody can recognize it. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/a-good-compromise-a-good-piece-of-legislation-is-like-a-good-sentence/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Obamacare wouldn't exist - it's saved millions of lives - without Pelosi getting it through the House. Not a perfect piece of legislation, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-moulton/obamacare-wouldn-t-exist-it-s-saved-millions-of-lives-without-pelosi/) [Seth Moulton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-moulton/) > [Slapping a catchy acronym like the JOBS Act on a piece of legislation makes it more difficult for politicians to oppose it - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rattner/slapping-a-catchy-acronym-like-the-jobs-act-on-a-piece-of-legislation/) [Steven Rattner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rattner/) ## More by Ann Widdecombe > [It is quite wrong that one group of people should regularly and deliberately flout the law, boast about it and get away with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/it-is-quite-wrong-that-one-group-of-people-should-regularly-and/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) > [I cannot bear the language TV chefs use - they don't seem able to look at a plate of vegetables without accusing it of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/i-cannot-bear-the-language-tv-chefs-use-they-don-t-seem-able-to-look/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) > [I am not an enthusiast when it comes to cities, preferring rolling scenery, wildlife and stars to museums, monuments, architecture and traffic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/i-am-not-an-enthusiast-when-it-comes-to-cities-preferring-rolling/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) > [Believing in God was something I took as much for granted as the air I breathed. Religion wasn't something that came out of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/believing-in-god-was-something-i-took-as-much-for-granted-as-the-air/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) > [I think the rest of the world will think we're made, and indeed we are. We've turned out the greatest Prime Minister in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/i-think-the-rest-of-the-world-will-think-we-re-made-and-indeed-we-are/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) > [In 1999 my father died and my mother was coming to live with me. So I left my Kennington flat and bought a house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/in-1999-my-father-died-and-my-mother-was-coming-to-live-with-me-so-i/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) > [Cats are ideal for politicians. I had two when I arrived at Westminster, Sooty and Sweep, who had come with a flat I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/cats-are-ideal-for-politicians-i-had-two-when-i-arrived-at/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) > [If I were queen for a day, every city would have to spend one hour in utter silence: no music in shops and restaurants,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/if-i-were-queen-for-a-day-every-city-would-have-to-spend-one-hour-in/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) > [The postcode lottery means that the level of care you get differs hugely around the country, and the health service simply cannot meet every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/the-postcode-lottery-means-that-the-level-of-care-you-get-differs/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) > [Almost anybody from the past will hold views discordant with the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/almost-anybody-from-the-past-will-hold-views-discordant-with-the/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) > [The Arctic has huge glaciers, frozen waterfalls and floating ice. This is scenery on which man has left no mark, which has stayed unchanged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/the-arctic-has-huge-glaciers-frozen-waterfalls-and-floating-ice-this/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) > [Always carry a handkerchief. Especially in television studios.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/always-carry-a-handkerchief-especially-in-television-studios/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) > [I suspect my own journey to Brexit has closely followed that of Britain's. I had doubts, then I decided we should stay in, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/i-suspect-my-own-journey-to-brexit-has-closely-followed-that-of/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) > [I am a Conservative: I'm never going to be anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/i-am-a-conservative-i-m-never-going-to-be-anything-else/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) > [In politics there is no right answer - and no final answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/in-politics-there-is-no-right-answer-and-no-final-answer/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) [Explore all 109 Ann Widdecombe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) ## More 1990s quotes > [Look at what happened in the 1990s: when they balanced the federal budget, it was through growth in the economy and controlling spending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-scalise/look-at-what-happened-in-the-1990s-when-they-balanced-the-federal/) [Steve Scalise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-scalise/) > [In the 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century, regionalism was seen as a building block of globalisation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjaya-baru/in-the-1990s-and-the-first-decade-of-the-21st-century-regionalism-was/) [Sanjaya Baru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjaya-baru/) > [The 1990s was not just Japan's 'wasted decade,' it was also a wasted decade for the India-Japan relationship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjaya-baru/the-1990s-was-not-just-japan-s-wasted-decade-it-was-also-a-wasted/) [Sanjaya Baru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjaya-baru/) > [If you are not around when Africa truly gets going, it would be much like the sceptics who stood on the sidelines in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yemi-osinbajo/if-you-are-not-around-when-africa-truly-gets-going-it-would-be-much/) [Yemi Osinbajo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yemi-osinbajo/) > [When it comes to producing breakthroughs, both technological and artistic, Pixar's track record is unique. In the early 1990s, we were known as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/when-it-comes-to-producing-breakthroughs-both-technological-and/) [Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/) > [I think my husband did a pretty good job in the 1990s. I think a lot about what worked and how we can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-think-my-husband-did-a-pretty-good-job-in-the-1990s-i-think-a-lot/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Norman Lear was talking about everything in the '70s... race, sexism, all of it. The network comedy really stayed away from that in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nahnatchka-khan/norman-lear-was-talking-about-everything-in-the-70s-race-sexism-all/) [Nahnatchka Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nahnatchka-khan/) > [I don't think people were that interested in what I was doing for the most of the 1990s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexei-sayle/i-don-t-think-people-were-that-interested-in-what-i-was-doing-for-the/) [Alexei Sayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexei-sayle/) > [I loved 1990s television: 'The Fast Show,' 'Father Ted,' 'Harry Enfield.' 'Clive Anderson Talks Back.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-widdicombe/i-loved-1990s-television-the-fast-show-father-ted-harry-enfield-clive/) [Josh Widdicombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-widdicombe/) > [“Bulgaria, I reflected as I walked back to the hotel, isn’t a country; it’s a near-death experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/bulgaria-i-reflected-as-i-walked-back-to-the-hotel-isn-t-a-country-it/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [As music became more profitable in the 1990s, it seemed like it attracted a lot of people who were just interested in the financial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/as-music-became-more-profitable-in-the-1990s-it-seemed-like-it/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [During the 1990s I was dominating everything. People were saying they were beaten before we got on to the stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-taylor/during-the-1990s-i-was-dominating-everything-people-were-saying-they/) [Phil Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-taylor/) > [Since the early 1990s, I had been very worried about the state of the environment, and by the end of that decade, I realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryuichi-sakamoto/since-the-early-1990s-i-had-been-very-worried-about-the-state-of-the/) [Ryuichi Sakamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryuichi-sakamoto/) > [I worked in Ann Arbor for two years, covering Michigan football and basketball in the early 1990s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/i-worked-in-ann-arbor-for-two-years-covering-michigan-football-and/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [I think up to the 1990s, there were a lot of political commentaries in our films... on oppression and women empowerment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-agnihotri/i-think-up-to-the-1990s-there-were-a-lot-of-political-commentaries-in/) [Vivek Agnihotri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-agnihotri/) Browse all 59 1990s quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In the 1990s, while the Maastricht debate was raging, I was a minister in the Major government. 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