What does this mean for the Lisbon Treaty?
Peter Hoskin 12:30pm
To sign or not to sign? For the past week or so, we've been hearing reports about how the Czech President, Václav Klaus, has decided, reluctantly, to accept the Lisbon Treaty. But a story in today's Times suggests that he's still holding out against ratification. Here's the key passage:
"Václav Klaus, the Czech President, who is the last hurdle to full ratification of the Lisbon treaty, has made a final attempt to derail the agreement.In a submission to the Czech constitutional court, which will decide tomorrow whether the treaty is compatible with the country’s constitution, Mr Klaus has suggested that it should be subject to a referendum.
...
The court will hold a one-day public hearing tomorrow in a case seen as the final legal obstacle to the treaty in the Czech Republic.
President Klaus has vowed not to sign until after the court’s verdict, which is expected in a week’s time. He added a further condition to his signature earlier this month by demanding an opt-out from the treaty’s Charter of Fundamental Rights."
Given the noises that are coming out of the Czech Republic, and the recent concessions that the Swedish Presidency of the EU has made towards Klaus, it's still looking as though ratification will go ahead. But many folk over here – including the Tories, who would prefer that it isn't ratified before the general election – will be hoping that there's another twist in the story this week.
Previous
oldrightie
October 26th, 2009 12:35pm Report this commentWe can but hope freedom will win the day!
Liz Brown
October 26th, 2009 12:35pm Report this commentlet us hope there are many more twists to come - NO to the Lisbon Con/Treaty being implemented without a referendum here, in the once, Great Britain
Vulture
October 26th, 2009 12:37pm Report this commentKlaus is a hero - the last man in Europe - but rest assured that the Czechs will be bullied, blackmailed and browbeaten into submission - just as they were in another October - 1938.
The onus will then be firmly on the Tories to come out of the closet where they have been hiding their EU policy all this time and let us know whether - finally- we will be allowed to vote on whether we remain a free(ish) country or be subsumed into
an EUSSR run by President Bliar or some similar unelected stooge put up by our masters.
Over to you, Dave. (I'm not waiting up).
Verity
October 26th, 2009 12:40pm Report this commentThe genuine Conservative Party should headhunt this man instantly. A stout-hearted leader with acute intuition and a good head on his shoulders.
Sir Graphus
October 26th, 2009 12:58pm Report this commentIt seems that hard bargaining will win a country opt outs; The Czechs will be thrown a bone. Ireland received assurances on military neutrality. Why didn’t we at least do some of this? The least Brown/Blair could have done is say “the British people really won’t wear this; please give me something I can take back to them”. Why on earth not?
Ian Walker
October 26th, 2009 1:03pm Report this commentIn a rational world, Klaus would be the one getting the Nobel Peace Prize, not Obama......
Philip Walker
October 26th, 2009 1:04pm Report this commentHow many twists would Klaus need to generate in order to hold this out until a British general election? (And if he wins, will Cameron be able to rescind British ratification on the Friday morning, or does it take longer than that?)
Irene
October 26th, 2009 1:05pm Report this commentI think he is trying to hold out for as long as he can.
What a man, what a man, what a mighty fine man!
Frank P
October 26th, 2009 1:18pm Report this commentAbout bloody time you responded to the commentariat on this issue.
"But many folk over here – including the Tories, who would prefer that it isn't ratified before the general election –"
Implying that they will ratify it themselves even if they win the election? I suspect so!
In any case they know full well that's it's going to be ratified before the GE and that gives them the perfect excuse for what they want to do anyway, which is get their noses into Euro trough too. Rank hypocrisy!
Now - what about Neather??
Publius
October 26th, 2009 1:25pm Report this commentI'm beginning to ask myself not "What does this mean for the Lisbon Treaty?" but "What does this mean about the quality of the British MSN journalists who are trotting out these flaccid reports every couple of days?"
I am losing track of the number of Telegraph articles lately that have claimed that Klaus was about to thrown in the towel and sign. When you dig down, the articles are just flim-flam. Is this some kind of New Labour journalism? Report what you *want* to be true, and it will become true.
Frizby
October 26th, 2009 1:30pm Report this commentLoadsa pressure being dished out from Brussels. Just goes to show how very powerful these people are in the EU[SSR]. They bullied the Irish and now they'll start tugging at the fingernails of the Czechs. The Americans are also putting pressure on the Tories not to be so anti-Blair. Obama does his "I'll not be your friend and hold hands in public if you don't do what I say" trick and people fall into line.
A lorra lorra people out of the reach of the UK voters want this to happen and see us as a rather pathetic last stand.
Silliband keeps moving the rhetoric along as though an EU state was agreed by the wisest with our best interest at heart long ago and that people who don't see it that way are in someway degenerate.
Our world is changing so rapidly in such a short space of time with no caution as to where we are going that we all know the car crash is going to happen but have no idea how to stop it or even get out.
[Gunshot]
biggestaspidistra
October 26th, 2009 1:45pm Report this commentIt means, as was ever the case, that democracy is in the hands of just one man, whilst the media and politicians chatter on the sidelines.
Verity
October 26th, 2009 1:50pm Report this commentNeather.
Frank P and others, Melanie at her sublime best: http://tinyurl.com/yj3tv7a
Frank P
October 26th, 2009 2:08pm Report this commentC'mon, Pete. Rap out a rousing rallying call. I know you have it in you. Caution to the winds. Let loose the dogs of war!!
Frank P
October 26th, 2009 2:39pm Report this commentDon't worry fellow commenters: Melanie has raised the banner and charged, from her other platform on the Daily Mail:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1222977/MELANIE-PHILLIPS-The-outrageous-truth-slips-Labour-cynically-plotted-transform-entire-make-Britain-telling-us.html
Thank God for the metaphorical cojones of the only journalist in Britain with the ability to sock it to 'em. Invidious? You bethcha!
Have you still got an NUJ card, kiddo? Or have they expelled you? If you have managed to retain it I'll bet they are having a meeting about it right now.
Verity
October 26th, 2009 2:52pm Report this commentFrank P - I would be astonished if Melanie was a member of the NUJ. It's never been a requirement.
logdon
October 26th, 2009 5:14pm Report this commentFrank P
October 26th, 2009 1:18pm Report this comment
Now - what about Neather??"
Good question, Frank. As far as the Speccie is concerned it's not so much whether Neather as nether Neather.
They're in denial.
Eternal sage, Bob Dylan stated, 'You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows'.
It seems now that we do need a Neatherman and he certainly has alerted us to this political wind of huge change.
That other eternal sage, Melanie has sensed it. How long before the rest catch up?
denis cooper
October 26th, 2009 5:15pm Report this commentI don't know what it means for the Lisbon Treaty, because there are conflicting reports in the Czech media, let alone in the British media.
But I do know what this whole sorry saga means for our democratic system - that it is far too dependent on the integrity of politicians, who on the whole now have little or no integrity, and therefore it should be changed to give direct power to the people between general elections, legal mechanisms so the people can:
a) Insist that an issue must be put a national referendum;
b) Insist that their own MP must resign so there can be a by-election;
c) Insist that all MPs must resign so there can be a general election.
Of course we could try putting pressure on Cameron to include these measures in the Tory manifesto, but even if he agreed to do that we'd have no guarantee that he'd keep his word once he was Prime Minister.
logdon
October 26th, 2009 5:18pm Report this commentLet's hope he doesn't do to us what we did to them in 1939.
denis cooper
October 26th, 2009 5:32pm Report this commentAlso, there seems to be something a bit funny going on at the Times ...
I submitted this comment on the article early this morning, but it hasn't been published:
"Lubos Motl, there's a risk that you may confuse us with the facts ...
Incidentally I understand that a Latvian citizen, Olafs Brezinskis, has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights about the Latvian ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, challenging the verdict previously delivered by the Latvian Constitutional Court which permitted ratification.
It would clearly be wrong for the Lisbon Treaty to come into force while the Latvian ratification was subject to judicial review by the European Court of Human Rights, bearing in mind that under Article 48 of the present Treaty on European Union amendments to the EU treaties can only come into force "after being ratified by all the Member States in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements"."
It's not the first time that a relevant and perfectly reasonable comment has been blocked by the moderators.
logdon
October 26th, 2009 5:42pm Report this commentVerity/Frank P
Last year the NUJ voted for a boycott of Israel.
Somehow I can't see the redoubtable Melanie joining that racist rabble.
www.academics-for-israel.org/index.php?page=v6n8
logdon
October 26th, 2009 6:13pm Report this commentHeloo, heloo, heloo. (Echoing to infinity.)
Anyone home?
Noa Zrk
October 26th, 2009 6:13pm Report this commentAha! Melanie for Pope, er Archbishop, oh Chief Rabbie ah what.. I'll get my coat.
logdon
October 26th, 2009 6:14pm Report this commentYour comment will automatically go live on the website in a few moments.
Huh? Ditto prev.
2trueblue
October 26th, 2009 9:53pm Report this commentThe Lisbon treaty will be ratified, and the last real man standing has done his best. The rest of them have no balls, and have prevented the rest of us from having our say. Goodbye democracy.
General Zod
October 27th, 2009 9:01am Report this commentOnce the Czechs ratify it, the game is over. Brown had Parliament in the form of his vassal Labour MPs ratify it in breach of Blair's manifesto promise.
Cameron cannot "unratify" it. He will have to negotiate changes. That will take time. In the meantime some French tactics would be appropriate: simply stop paying the EU until we get what we want.
denis cooper
October 27th, 2009 1:21pm Report this commentCompletely wrong.
Cameron, as the Queen's Prime Minister, could revoke the instrument of ratification of this or any other international treaty, and Parliament could repeal its Act to give effect to the treaty in UK law, which was necessary prior to ratification.
It would mean a massive row with the UK's counter-parties to the treaty, but if there was no better alternative then it could be done.
General Zod
October 27th, 2009 10:42pm Report this commentWrong. We have ratified. Once the Czechs ratify, the rest of the EU will be entitled to treat the treaty as ratified in all 27 Member States. If we choose to revoke, that has no effect on the others.
denis cooper
October 28th, 2009 11:09am Report this commentWrong. By ratifying the Lisbon Treaty, the UK has announced to the world that it is willing to be bound by the terms of that treaty. By revoking its ratification, the UK would be announcing to the world that it was no longer willing to be bound by the terms of the Lisbon Treaty. Simple as that.
Back to top