I never wanted a referendum anyway. but at least now its over. The Government defeated a Tory amendment to put the EU Bill to referendum with a comfortable margin.
Interesting that both Gisela Stuart (whips love her, Birmingham Edgbaston) and Lynne Jones (whips hate her, Birmingham Selly Oak) both joined up on this one. Roger Godsiff in Birmingham Sparkbrook also voted for a referendum. Divisions run very deep, it seems.
It will come back to haunt me, I am sure, but I bet that the local elections in May will revolve heavily around a national vote on a European Treaty. Nothing like opportunistic opposition parties to make one simple vote about something completely unrelated. See above for details.
And in a final point, it looks like the Lib Dems have imploded/exploded. William Hague made an amazing point, captured by Simon Hoggart. Clegg said that Eurosceptics lacked the ‘cojones’ to take a referendum on EU membership to the electorate. Hague replied that, in light of the Lib Dem leaders inability to enforce a whip across less people than the average rugby club, he mocked that ‘these unfortunate objects are now to be found, impaled on a distant fence.’ I do like a bit of Hague, now and then.
‘I bet that the local elections in May will revolve heavily around a national vote on a European Treaty’
Maybe, maybe not. But Labour certainly deserve a hammering for sticking two fingers up at the electorate.
I was actually beginning to miss you praguetory!
Should hear what I say on voter doorsteps…
The Lisbon Treaty does not merit a referendum. If Nice, Maastricht, Amsterdam and SEA didnt then why are people so adament that Lisbon does?
no body is adament. if cameron actually believes it does need a referendum then he’s more stupid than he looks. as praguetory has found, it’s incredibly easy to talk to someone on the street and tell them that the government is stopping them have a say on this issue and that issue and have broken promises. of course they haven’t, praguetory knows that, but it doesn’t matter because the tories will still try and out-trump us on the issue.
“no body is adament.” I could give you the addresses of Labour voters who we canvassed who are adamant. As I stand on their doorsteps emphasising that I am democrat more than a conservative their hearts melt and they wish me well and steel themselves (lol) to vote Tory just as the good people of Redditch voted for democracy in the recent referendum there.
Oh by the way, what’s your argument that a promise hasn’t been broken? Two countries rejected the constitution. Rather than going back to the drawing board, the EU changed the outer packaging on the constitution and called it a treaty. You’ve broken a promise… Deal with it.
I’ll respond to that in a blog at some point in the week, the evidence to denounce such a claim is too much for a comment.
The debate over this referendum is largely pointless. Not because of the democratic debate etc. But, considering just one country will hold a referendum, we have a good view of what might be. Ireland has to hold a referendum by Constitution, which they did over Nice. They rejected Nice, then a year later re-held a referendum and passed it. I dont think that would be an option here, if the Irish reject it, one would assume the EU would go back to the drawing board. Or would they? a proposed Amendment (32) to the Lisbon treaty stated that the EU should ‘respect the outcome of the referendum in Ireland’. This amendment was rejected by 499 MEPs. Only 129 voted in favour of this motion and 33 abstained. This to me makes this whole thing irrelevant. The Lisbon Treaty is a treaty that doesnt merit a referendum (and if we held one theyd probably ignore it anyway.
[...] prize for nagging goes to… Posted on 22 March, 2008 by tomguise Praguetory has been having a little go at me about not giving my arguments why a referendum on the EU treaty is not necessary. So here they are [...]