Bertie Ahern the Irish premier has promised his country a referendum on the new EU Treaty. Mr Ahern believes that the Treaty contains 90% of the original constitution, and that signing up to the Treaty should be the peoples decision.
In the last election campaign Tony Blair said: “We don’t know what is going to happen in France, but we will have a referendum on the Constitution in any event — and that is a Government promise.”
Now Mr Blair is saying: “There was no tradition of holding votes on treaties. If it's not a constitutional treaty, so that it alters the basic relationship between Europe and the member states, then there isn't the same case for a referendum."
Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "What he (Mr Blair) is saying now sounds suspiciously like an attempt to introduce elements of it (EU Constitution) by the back door, despite its decisive rejection by the voters of France and Holland. This would go against the government's previous assurances and be totally unacceptable to the people of Britain."
Q. Should we have a national referendum on the EU Treaty?
In the last election campaign Tony Blair said: “We don’t know what is going to happen in France, but we will have a referendum on the Constitution in any event — and that is a Government promise.”
Now Mr Blair is saying: “There was no tradition of holding votes on treaties. If it's not a constitutional treaty, so that it alters the basic relationship between Europe and the member states, then there isn't the same case for a referendum."
Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "What he (Mr Blair) is saying now sounds suspiciously like an attempt to introduce elements of it (EU Constitution) by the back door, despite its decisive rejection by the voters of France and Holland. This would go against the government's previous assurances and be totally unacceptable to the people of Britain."
Q. Should we have a national referendum on the EU Treaty?
Click: HERE to view the results.
(The results are archived by the British Library)
No comments:
Post a Comment