Trust the People
January 15th, 2008A very wintry Friday evening saw about seventy to eighty people come to a public meeting on the EU Treaty organised by North Swindon Labour MP Michael Wills. South Swindon’s current MP was also speaking, and both Justin Tomlinson and I were invited to take part. A representative of UKIP was also on the platform. The meeting was largely hostile to the notion that the Lisbon Treaty should be ratified by the UK Parliament without a referendum.
Michael Wills made the argument that referendums should only be held for issues of genuine constitutional significance. The novel twist he added to it was that because referendums cost £100m, then they should be used sparingly. As someone in the audience pointed out, this was small change compared to the baling out of Northern Rock. I took issue with this assertion, upon the basis that the North East and Welsh referendums, although important to the areas concerned, did not affect the powers of Parliament to any great extent.
The fundamental problem that the Labour MPs had to deal with, however, was the Labour Manifesto commitment in 2005 to hold a referendum upon the former constitutional treaty. Things have changed, they said, and the protocols in the new treaty meant that the necessary safeguards were now in place. The differences between the treaties, however, are minor, and it was upon this particular point that their arguments failed to convince the majority of the audience.
As someone who is a positive and practical European, I have regarded the last few years of debate about the “constitution” as a complete diversion from the task of the EU, which is to facilitate economic prosperity and therefore political stability amongst its member states. As a Conservative, naturally suspicious of such things, the concept of “nation building”, with its reliance on lofty documents setting out universal “rights”, has always left me rather cold. The question “does Europe work” has always been the most important in my mind. Despite its numerous organisational and financial failings, the concept of nations working together where necessary has always been a sound one.
I am not convinced that the protocols on the European Charter of Fundamental Rights or on criminal justice and home affairs are worded well enough to guarantee Labour’s so-called “red lines”. The language of Britain being “isolated ” in Europe as a result is no longer good enough. People are seeing through Labour’s sleight of hand on this issue, with the result that the failure to hold a referendum will have the effect of further undermining any faith they may have in the EU or representative government more generally.
My final words to the meeting were a call to the Government to “Trust the People”. In an internet age, when detailed information about a myriad of topics is now available in our homes, the Government can no longer treat people like fools.
January 31st, 2008 at 7:18 pm
It would be nice for those of us too young to vote in the 1975 referendum on membership to be able to vote in one now. But I guess whatever our qualifications and experience may be we are considered too stupid to know what we are talking about if we oppose membership.
February 3rd, 2008 at 9:52 am
Hi Wayne,
Although I do not oppose membership of the EU, I think that it is unwise of EU supporters to trash their opponents by suggesting that they are ignorant or stupid. I have taken part in debates hosted by the Democracy Movement as a pro-EU speaker in the past and have found that a constructive debate is what is called for, rather than the sort of name-calling that some people indulge in.
It seems to me that the argument that people are too stupid to understand the details is being used by some to justify the Government’s refusal to give us a referendum on the EU Reform Treaty. I made the point at the public meeting that the internet now allows members of the public comprehensive access to detailed information on loads of subjects, so the old assumptions about public ignorance can no longer hold sway.