Quote:
Originally Posted by shakermaker
Getting back on thread...
I would put forward that the vast majority of people who want a referendum have not read or at least understood the Treaty. How can you have a referendum for public opinion on something when the majority haven't a clue about it?
I believe Greg Pope was entirely correct in commenting that it is wrong for people who have a negative view of Britain in Europe to use a referendum on a quite separate issue to bash Britain's European stance by proxy. It devalues the idea of a referendum and in my opinion is extremely petty.
On Question Time last night (07/03/08), Marcus Brigstocke put forward the point that it is politicians' job to understand and act upon treaties such as the one in debate on our behalf. It does not mean you do not have a voice. As Greg Pope said, if people in Hyndburn or in any other MP's constituency told their MP of their outright dislike for the treaty, then the MP would represent that in parliament.
However seeing as all this business about referenda is entirely centred around point scoring by the idiotic opposition parties; no one properly understands what they want a referendum on!!
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Why did Labour tell us we were going to have a referendum if they never planned to give it us because we're too stupid to understand it?
You think a treaty which hands over powers to the EU is a completely separate issue to whether we should further integrate with the EU? This is nothing to do with bashing Europe by proxy, if the people all vote in favour of the treaty in a referendum then so be it, but the people should at least get their say like they were promised.
It's about holding our MP accountable to their election pledge. If we had a Conservative or Liberal MP and they promised a referendum then voted against having one once elected, I would still have created this very same thread.