THE EU TREATY LIEAre we just going to lie down and take it?
Very few things get me really, really riled but the current farce that is the Labour Government position on a referendum over the EU treaty is one.
Make no mistake the treaty is EXACTLY the same for every EU nation and is (depending on who you believe) anywhere between 95% or 100% identical to the EU Constitution rejected by the French and Dutch in 2005. As predicted then, the EU have simply put the same bad wine we rejected in a new bottle and represented it to our table.
The supposed 'red lines' are temporary opt-outs for Britain which many commentators doubt will be able to last.
Imagine joining a golf club where the rules state that every member must wear a tie. You negotiate special terms that you are the only member who doesn't need to wear one. Everybody else is happy to wear theirs and the rule continues to apply for everyone else, including new members. How long would it be before either a) you felt so awkward you ended up wearing one anyway or B) the other members get fed up with your casual appearance and eventually one of them challenges the committee as to why you get special treatment, fed up with complaints the committee rule in the members favour and your opt out is removed.
This is what happened the last time we had serious opt-outs, the social chapter and European human rights legislation opted out of by John Major was British law within five years.
But the thing that makes me angry is not th treaty it's the cynical deception that has come from Labour - Whatever the ins and outs of the treaty itself the position we are in is totally and unequivocally clear; we are being shafted by the Government over their own promise to offer the public a direct say on this binding and everlasting contract.
How can it be that a Government can go to the country and win power on the solemn and binding promise to do something and then coolly dismiss it as 'unnecessary'?
How can we call ourselves a democracy when we are just treated with such distain by our own Government? Whatever your politics, whether you are a pro or anti-European Union believer can we really accept such a deceit, such a cold and calculated lie from our sovereign Government?
Very few things get me really, really riled but the current farce that is the Labour Government position on a referendum over the EU treaty is one.
Make no mistake the treaty is EXACTLY the same for every EU nation and is (depending on who you believe) anywhere between 95% or 100% identical to the EU Constitution rejected by the French and Dutch in 2005. As predicted then, the EU have simply put the same bad wine we rejected in a new bottle and represented it to our table.
The supposed 'red lines' are temporary opt-outs for Britain which many commentators doubt will be able to last.
Imagine joining a golf club where the rules state that every member must wear a tie. You negotiate special terms that you are the only member who doesn't need to wear one. Everybody else is happy to wear theirs and the rule continues to apply for everyone else, including new members. How long would it be before either a) you felt so awkward you ended up wearing one anyway or B) the other members get fed up with your casual appearance and eventually one of them challenges the committee as to why you get special treatment, fed up with complaints the committee rule in the members favour and your opt out is removed.
This is what happened the last time we had serious opt-outs, the social chapter and European human rights legislation opted out of by John Major was British law within five years.
But the thing that makes me angry is not th treaty it's the cynical deception that has come from Labour - Whatever the ins and outs of the treaty itself the position we are in is totally and unequivocally clear; we are being shafted by the Government over their own promise to offer the public a direct say on this binding and everlasting contract.
How can it be that a Government can go to the country and win power on the solemn and binding promise to do something and then coolly dismiss it as 'unnecessary'?
How can we call ourselves a democracy when we are just treated with such distain by our own Government? Whatever your politics, whether you are a pro or anti-European Union believer can we really accept such a deceit, such a cold and calculated lie from our sovereign Government?
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4 comments:
So wheather you are pro-PR or anti-PR can we take it you will be campaigning for Labour to keep ‘the solemn and binding promise’ to have a referendum on the electoral system to the House of Commons?
This is a dull old blog. You need to go for something a little more 'off-the- wall', like www.westphalia-on-sea.blogspot.com
I'm a busy man, but I always find time to keep up-to-date with what's going on at www.westphalia-on-sea.blogspot.com!
Marcus
I'm really excited about your EU treaty poll - can't wait for you count the votes and use the figures to show that ... well, I'm not sure what they'll show with just the one vote, but I'm sure you'll be able to extrapolate something meaningful from it all.
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