[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Sign-in] [Mail] [Setup] [Help]
Status: Not Logged In; Sign In
|
Dead Constitution See other Dead Constitution Articles Title: Brown under pressure as more than 100 Labour MPs back EU referendum Gordon Brown is under growing pressure over the revived EU constitution after senior Labour MPs told him: "Tear it up or hold a referendum." A hard core of 40 backbenchers are drawing up a list of up to 15 sweeping amendments to the controversial new treaty - condemned as a carbon copy of the abandoned constitution. They claim to have the backing of around a third of Labour MPs. Dissenters insist the Prime Minister must make major changes - or honour a Government promise to let people vote on the Brussels power grab. Labour MPs are upset at being duped by ministers who offered assurances the treaty was significantly different even though on closer inspection it was "pretty much the same". Changes demanded by the group, led by Eurosceptic Ian Davidson, could include Britain regaining the power to deport criminals - including Learco Chindamo, who murdered headteacher Philip Lawrence - and hand out aid to deprived parts of the country. Mr Davidson, who represents Glasgow South West, said he believed more than 120 Labour MPs - or one in three of the Parliamentary Party - would support calls for a referendum. He said: "The Labour Party had a clear, unequivocal commitment for a referendum on the constitution. "The constitutional treaty is essentially the same thing and in those circumstances we have an obligation to honour those manifesto commitments. "The changes include items such as the title of the document, taking out things about the flag, anthem and a Europe Day, calling the foreign minister something else. But other than that it's essentially the same. "We had over 120 MPs supportive of a referendum when the constitution was drawn up. I'm optimistic we would get a similar show of strength this time." Ministers had claimed the new treaty, which surrenders a raft of British powers, was "substantially different" to the constitution. But confronted with mounting evidence the two documents were virtually identical, they backtracked and said a referendum was unnecessary because Britain would keep control of its four "red lines" - human and social rights, foreign policy and tax and benefits. Tony Blair signed up to a draft of the treaty in June as one of his final acts as Prime Minister. EU leaders will be asked to agree a final version in October. It will be ratified by Parliament by June at the latest - unless campaigners can force Mr Brown to let the public vote on the sovereignty snatch. Mr Davidson said if Mr Brown accepted the 15 or so amendments, to be decided over the next couple of weeks, he could "avoid the sterility of a yes or no vote on the constitution". He said: "We want to make sure those powers that don't need to go to Europe stay here and those that don't need to be there come back. "What we are saying is we have got to have amendments which would make the situation better." One amendment would be to an EU directive covering freedom of movement, which was signed by then Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in 2004. The law sparked outrage this week when it was used to prevent the UK from deporting Chindamo, who will be released from prison next year after serving a 12-year sentence for brutally stabbing Mr Lawrence to death in December 1995. Mr Davidson said: "It is not clear why rules on deportation should be decided by Brussels rather than by Britain. We don't need to import EU criminals , we have enough of our own." Mr Davidson warned a referendum defeat would stall important reforms of the EU. But he said it was vital Mr Brown stood up to an EU elite trying to rob him of the power to block European interference in dozens of areas of national life. He said: "We have a new Prime Minister, a new government, he is entitled to say - as he did with super-casinos - we want to examine matters afresh and not necessarily stick with previous problems." "He has got to say to European colleagues, 'I have got a problem, I have promised a referendum'. He has to explain the situation Tony Blair has left him in and tell them, 'The bad boy did this and ran away'." Mark Francois, the Tory shadow Europe minister, said: "At the General Election MPs from all the main political parties were elected on manifestos promising a referendum on the EU constitution. "Now that it has become blindingly obvious that this document is effectively the revived constitution, just under another name, I hope that MPs from all parties will honour their pledge to their constituents and allow them the vote which they promised." Mr Brown is under pressure from union leaders who are making the referendum campaign a key issue at their annual conference next month. And despite the PM rejecting calls for a vote, a Daily Mail poll this week showed more than 80 per cent of people want one.
Poster Comment: As Mark Twain saud, we have the best Congress money can buy so I doubt that many will object when AIPAC and the CFR insists on a treaty creating a NAU which just happens to abolish the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
|
||
|
[Home]
[Headlines]
[Latest Articles]
[Latest Comments]
[Post]
[Sign-in]
[Mail]
[Setup]
[Help]
|
||