Wrong to call for a referendum

The Spectator is wrong to call for an EU referendum

Jim Murphy

19 September 2007

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The Europe minister responds to our editorial of last week

‘If someone in the UK is calling for a referendum, that is not because the text we have in front of us is a Constitution.’ Not my words. They belong to Giuliano Amato, vice chairman of the Convention that drafted the old Constitutional Treaty.

Last week in the Spectator the government was accused of being dishonest regarding the European Reform Treaty (‘Vote for honesty’, 15 September). We are not.

We did indeed promise a referendum on the old Constitutional Treaty. But the Reform Treaty is not a Constitution. In June, all 27 leaders of the Member States of the European Union took the same view, declaring ‘the Constitutional concept has been abandoned’. Nine EU Member States either held referenda on the old Constitutional Treaty or were planning to do so. But only Ireland intends to hold a referendum on the Reform Treaty — because it is required to do so on any EU Treaty.

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John Campbell

October 1st, 2007 9:44pm Report this comment

Rubbish.

bymasson

October 2nd, 2007 1:52pm Report this comment

Regardless of the content, Labour insist that they listen to the people. Even if the reasons people are calling for the referendum are wrong (your opinion, 100% NOT mine) then at the very least you should allow us to vote on it because that is our wish. How can you say you listen to the people but then tell us you won't let us have our say?

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