I am getting a bit confused by this Treaty of Lisbon debate in the Commons. On the one hand, Labour say we don't need a referendum because its not a new constitution so they don't have to honour their manifesto pledge.
On the other hand, the Conservatives (who also promised a referendum on a new constitution) say the Treaty is, by any other name, the same as the former proposed Constitution that was abandoned by the EU after it was rejected in referenda by France and Holland.
On the other other (sic) hand, the LibDems, who had also promised a referendum on a new constitution, came up with the wheeze (under Ming Campbell's leadership) to offer one on whether the UK should remain a member of the EU.
I am running out of hands at this point! But it was very amusing to see the LibDems feigning mock outrage in the Commons today because they were not allowed to raise the issue of holding a referendum on our continuing membership of the EU. What a bunch of wallies! What a bunch of disingenuous obsessive EU-ophiles they are! And they can't even get that right, according to Iain Dale's blog: "The Pre-Planned LibDem Stunt That Went Wrong".
The real issue is that this Treaty makes fundamental and far-reaching changes to the UK's relationship with the EU and it needs to be properly debated in Parliament and then put to a referendum as all the three main parties promised in their manifestoes before the 2005 General Election.
The only party that has kept it's promise? The Conservatives, of course.
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