Let the People decide!

Speeches at Westminster Central Hall

(i) The case for a referendum

The case for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty is quite simple. We were promised a referendum on the Constitutional Treaty by the Labour Party in the 2005 Election Manifesto - and indeed by the LibDems. The Lisbon Treaty is, in all but name, the Constitutional Treaty. Many leading continental politicians & analysts have said this. For example, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel said "The substance of the Constitution is preserved. That is a fact." Therefore, we should have a referendum.

There are two sets of arguments that seem to be used for denying us our right.

The first is that the Lisbon Treaty is fundamentally different from the Constitution - well no, see above. Additionally the Government claims that it has negotiated the "red lines" which will uniquely preserve Britain's national interests. These "red lines" cover the Charter of Fundamental Rights, Foreign and Defence Policy, and Police and Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters. But we know that these red lines are little better than red herrings, mere distractions from the real significance of the Treaty. And the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee (ESC) Reports have comprehensively shown that the red lines are most unlikely to be effective in protecting the UK from EU intervention in these areas - the red lines will leak like sieves.

The second is that referendums are not British. Parliamentary Democracy is British. But the Labour Government has held an unprecedented number of referendums since 1997. And they promised a referendum in their Manifesto on this issue.

The Labour Government should not renege on its promise to give us a referendum on the Treaty, which is of such huge significance & importance. All our polling shows that a huge majority of people want one. Global Vision's last poll showed 74% in favour, 17% not in favour and 10% didn't know.  

(ii) Significance of the Lisbon Treaty: "the Treaty matters"

I'm sure you are all au fait with the main provisions of the Treaty and the awesome transfer of power from national parliaments to the centralised institutions of the EU.

The EU's powers will be significantly increased:

• The Charter of Fundamental Rights will become legally binding;
• The EU's scope in shaping common foreign & defence policy will be hugely extended;
• Police & Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters will cease to be intergovernmental and becomes a mainstream competence.
• There will be the creation of the notion of "shared competences" across a wide range of issues (including social policy, the environment, transport etc), where the EU can legislate as it wishes, restricting the scope of the member states to unilaterally do so.

There are many other significant features of the Treaty, for example:

• There are major institutional changes including a permanent President of the European Council (which is formalised as an EU institution) and a Foreign Secretary in all but name.
• There's a huge extension of QMV, with 60 odd national vetoes disappearing.

(iii) The evolution of the EU as a sovereign power

The Lisbon Treaty is, of course, but the latest treaty in the progressive evolution of the EU as a sovereign power, with increasing political and economic integration:

• From the Treaty of Paris in 1951 (which created the European Coal and Steel Community).
• Through the 1957 Treaty of Rome (which created the European Economic Community) and the 1986 Single European Act.
• And the crucial 1992 Maastricht Treaty, which created the European Union.
• And, more recently, the 1997 Amsterdam Treaty & the 2001 Nice Treaty.
• And now the Lisbon Treaty which potentially all but completes the building blocks for full political and economic union.

Suffice to say the EU is a very different organisation from the EEC this country joined in 1973 and voted on in 1975. The cumulative impact of these Treaties amounts to a fundamental shift in the nature of the EU & our relationship with it. Surely this is another reason for letting the British electorate a chance to have a vote on the EU.

(iv) Post Lisbon Treaty ratification

The Treaty is being disgracefully currently being rammed through the Commons at and then it will be rammed through the Lords. We have to face up to the prospect of the Treaty being ratified in this country and indeed in all of the 27 EU Member States. And then it will be enforced. We must think and look beyond the Lisbon Treaty.

And this is why we set up Global Vision last year. Global Vision is a campaign group promoting a new, looser more modern relationship with the EU based on trade and mutually beneficial cooperative relationships, whilst opting out of political & economic integration. This sort of relationship is necessary to give us the necessary freedom and flexibility to respond to the ever-changing circumstances of the 21^st century world.

By comparison, we believe that the current situation - inside a heavily regulated, protectionist, customs union in which we cannot negotiate free trade relationships with key up & coming countries (including India & China) - is not in our best interests in the 21^st century. Indeed such a close customs union relationship is simply old-fashioned, harking backwards not looking forwards.

We are convinced that this is the right way forward for this country. And we know from all our polling that it is popular. And we believe it is economically & politically feasible.

(v) Conclusion

But, in the meantime, we must continue to embarrass Gordon Brown. If he were a man of honour he would of course give us our referendum. If he does not give us our referendum, he is not a man of honour.