Topic: | Re:Text of the Treaty of Lisbon | |
Posted by: | Guy Lambert | |
Date/Time: | 12/03/08 22:02:00 |
This referendum debate has little or nothing to do with the Treaty of Lisbon or its contents. It has everything to do with anti-European factions complaining about the fact of the EU, as is evidenced by the majority of "pro-referendum" postings which actually take issue with the EU in general, rather than the treaty. It is perfectly obvious from the BBC link provided above that there is nothing very revolutionary about this treaty: it seems to be aimed partly at just making an alliance of 27 states function slightly less clunkily, partly at moving forward our common European agenda where every country agrees a Europe wide initiative is appropriate. I have read elsewhere that the Treaty also sets out a specific right and procedure for member states to leave the EU. I don't know if this is correct but if it is it makes some of the rubbish put about (including briefly on this website) by the likes of EUTruth even more laughable. It's perfectly respectable to take the view that UK should be out of the EU. However, we did vote to go in (all right I know, stay in) by a convincing majority and recent polls suggest a convincing majority would vote the same way if asked again. As for David Giles, he appears to be turning into a Right Wing equivalent of Dave Spart (for Private Eye lovers) |