In early 2008 Parliament will begin debating the so-called Treaty
of Lisbon, signed in December in Portugal, which is simply a rehash
of the rejected EU Constitution. In a hugely dishonest process,
the euro-federalists are trying to reintroduce the rejected Constitution
in the form of a new treaty.
Although they have changed the name, the contents are almost exactly
the same. Only 10 out of 250 proposals in the "new" treaty are different
from the proposals in the original EU Constitution. In other words,
96% of the text is the same as the rejected Constitution. For example,
the new version of the Constitution no longer mentions the word
'Constitution' or the symbols of the Union, like its flag and anthem.
However, of course these symbols already exist and the Constitution
is still the same.
As the author of the Constitution, Valery Giscard d'Estaing, says,
"All the earlier proposals will be in the new text, but will be
hidden and disguised in some way". In the 2005 election the Government
promised to hold a referendum on the proposed EU Constitution. Now
Gordon Brown is refusing to honour that pledge. Lib-Dem and Labour
MPs in marginal seats must be made to understand that they will
lose their seats in the next election if they do not support the
manifesto promises they were elected on. Act now to defend democracy
here and across the European Union and tell your elected representatives
what you think.
What you can do
Write to your MP
Whether your MP is for or against a referendum, it's vital they
get feedback from their constituents to influence their view. In
the first instance, please write to them at the House of Commons,
London SW1A 0AA expressing your support for a referendum or your
opposition to centralised, undemocratic EU law-making and asking
what their view is on the issue.
Write to your local newspaper
Most local and regional newspapers have Letters pages and are
very keen to hear the views of local people, not just on local issues.
Surveys show that the local media is one of the most trusted sources
of information, and that the Letters page is often the most widely
read section of the paper. Just a brief letter on the issue can
take a short time to write yet, if published, can reach tens of
thousands of people in one go.
Take part in the lobby of parliament
The date will be announced in the January issue of the Democrat
and this and other websites.
Let us know any response or lack of response from your MP.