Let me just go on record here by saying that I am very much in the pro-europe camp, if only for the simple matter than more countries that I can go to without pissing about with visa's can only be a good thing (pay attention Russia).
However...
This nonsense over the European constitution - sorry - Lisbon treaty - has really got to stop.
I understand that Europe is the California to our Texas, but really. The Irish said no. Get over it.
What bugs me about Europe is that it is far from democratic. Right now we have a large body of the laws that affect us made by people who are not directly elected. This is a problem.
In addition to this they need to do more to show they're not entirely evil. For example:
If they want us to vote for a constitution they need to sell it right... because at the moment it looks like this: They failed with the initial constitution because it was defeated by everywhere which actually put it to the people. So, rather than take a step back and think about why the people don't want it they instead go... "The people are stupid, when we ask them to vote for our constitution they say no... I know... lets just not give them a choice!".
Which brings us on to the Lisbon treaty (which isn't a constitution so we don't get a vote) and the Irish... who save us by putting it to the vote. And it gets shot down. Again.
So, rather than take their defeat and go home - as is what happens in a democratic system - they are instead rather cynically looking at ways around it.
Which rather makes the constitution look like what people are saying it is - a way of concentrating power with a group of unelected officials controlled by big business. Totalitarianism 2.0 (because an authoritarian system is the system that Capitalism works best in).
I rather hope that this isn't the case, however it doesn't look that way given the evidence.
The Lisbon treaty may indeed offer Puddings For All, but right now its looking pretty sick. The nature of democracy is that the final choice over what happens is down to the people. If the people say no then its irrelevant how fantastic your proposal is, its over. If you try and overrule them, then sorry.. that's not democracy.
Concentrate on convincing us that its really a good idea, and to do that you need to be transparent, open and accountable... as well as declare your motives and interests.
