In its attempts to wriggle out of its manifesto promise to hold a referendum on the EU Constitution, the Government has argued that the Lisbon Treaty is a completely different beast to the document rejected by the French and Dutch in 2005.
Gordon Brown and David Miliband repeatedly insisted that the EU Constitution “has been abandoned.” Brown even brazenly claimed that if it “were the old constitutional treaty, we would be having a referendum”.
This has been one of the most widely disbelieved, but oft-repeated claims in recent British political history.
A YouGov poll for the Telegraph in October 2007 showed that 94% of people don’t believe the Government’s argument that the Treaty is different to the original EU Constitution.
Even Ken Clarke, (no raging eurosceptic) seems infuriated by this Brownie. In a moment of exasperation when the Commons debated the referendum he asked the Foreign Secretary:
“Will you stop all this nonsense about it being different from the constitution, because it is plainly the same in substance, and explain why it is better not to have a referendum but have it decided in parliament.
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