I want a Referedum

From Iwantareferendum.com

1) Referendum battle starts as Gordon Brown signs Britain up to EU Constitution

Gordon Brown travelled to the EU summit in Lisbon last Thursday, where EU leaders reached a final agreement on the revised EU Constitution.

Despite being warned by the Labour dominated European Scrutiny Committee of MPs that its so-called "red lines" were not met and would "leak like a sieve", the UK Government did not push for any further changes to the text before signing up.

The revived Constitution - now to be called the "Treaty of Lisbon" - will be formally signed at a ceremony in the Portuguese capital on 13 December. The Government will then try to rush it through Parliament as quickly as possible.

The Prime Minister hopes that by giving the subject little time for discussion, he will be able to quell growing demands from Labour MPs for a referendum.

In reality the "Lisbon Treaty" is the same as the rejected EU Constitution. It would mean the same huge transfer of power to the EU, and if signed it would be irreversible.

Ten Reasons Why It Matters:

(1) Our right of veto given up in over 60 new areas - on everything from employment law to criminal law we will be able to be outvoted and forced to accept EU laws we don't want. Giving up the veto in just one area - energy - would let the Commission force through a directive which the UK opposes which would cost Britain £6 billion pounds.

(2) Britain weaker in Europe - Our voting power to block legislation is also cut by 30% - which could allow through a raft of EU laws we are currently blocking - costing us billions more.

(3) A powerful new EU President - Nicolas Sarkozy says Tony Blair should be the first President of the EU. The new post means yet more powers will be taken away from elected national Governments and given to the unelected EU President in Brussels.

(4) A de facto EU Foreign Minister - who will now be called "high representative" to try and fool people - but he or she will have all the same new powers - including the automatic right to speak on our behalf at the UN on issues where the EU has taken a common position (which is something the UK Government tried hard to block, but failed).

(5) Further moves towards a common defence - Many European leaders see the plan for the blandly-named "structured cooperation group" in defence as a significant step towards ambitions for a single European Army. Angela Merkel called for a "common European army" in an interview in German newspaper Bild earlier this year.

(6) The European Court of Justice gets power over UK home affairs for the first time. The Government itself admitted that giving it power over criminal justice and policing would "raise fundamental issues relating to national sovereignty". In October last year Geoff Hoon warned it would cause problems for our immigration system as many applicants would appeal to the European Court, causing a huge backlog of applicants waiting for hearings. However, the PM has signed up anyway.

(7) Charter of Fundamental Rights made legally binding - the European Court of Justice will be able to strike down UK law if it thinks the rights enshrined in the Charter are not respected by UK law. Under the Charter the Court will will have power to rule over everything from industrial relations to the rights of criminals, the right to free speech and the rights of migrants.

(8) The EU can define criminal offences and sentences by majority vote. The new "treaty", like the old Constitution also includes a ban on "disproportionate" prison sentences.

(9) EU powers over our public services. It would give the EU important new powers over health and education, over rules on how much is spent on public services, and how those services should be run.

(10) In the future the EU will be able to get more powers without the need for any new treaties. It provides that our right to say no can be gradually abolished in new areas without a new treaty and without the Government necessarily having to consult Parliament - reducing the accountability of the EU even further.

And, last but not least:

Because the Government promised us a referendum. Gordon Brown has said "The manifesto is what we put to the public. We've got to honour that manifesto. That is an issue of trust for me with the electorate." Well, the Labour Manifesto at the last election said: "We will put it to the British people in a referendum".

2) Help us make politicians listen - make them stop lying

As EU politicians at the summit toasted the agreement with champagne, I Want a Referendum positioned a giant ballot box in front of the building where the meeting took place. Chairman Derek Scott and other spokespeople gave interviews to broadcast and print media from across Europe. Scott said, "The message to Gordon Brown is to stop trying to deceive the British people." The stunt received continent-wide media coverage, as well as appearing on all the BBC news bulletins, Newsnight and Channel Four news on Thursday.

Labour MP Kate Hoey, a member of I Want a Referendum's advisory group, had an article in the Mail on Sunday following the summit. She said "The overwhelming majority of the people of the United Kingdom demand a referendum. If Gordon Brown refuses, his failure to keep his promise will haunt him throughout the rest of his time as Prime Minister. Think again, Gordon, and do the right thing."

Another of our advisory group members, Gisela Stuart MP, had an article in the Evening Standard arguing that "Sticking to your guns in defence of a patently dishonest position is not leadership but the soft option and a cop-out from a specific promise made to voters."

How you can help

Many thanks to all of you who have already written to your MPs, and for passing on their replies to us. This has been a great help to the campaign.

For those who haven't yet done so, you can help us by writing to your MP and asking them whether or not they are in favour of a referendum, explaining why you think they should be. The more people who write, the more MPs will feel inclined to pressure the Government into holding a referendum.

To make your life easier we've come up with some suggestions for your letter and how you can quickly send an email to your MP:

Read more about sending a letter to your MP

To help our campaign build up a picture of which MPs are in favour of a referendum and which are against, we would be grateful to receive any responses you get. Please email them to susannah@iwantareferendum.com or post them to Susannah Prins, I Want a Referendum, 7 Tufton Street, London, SW1P 3QN.

2) Regional Campaigns for a Referendum kick off

I Want a Referendum launched its regional campaign in the North-West with events in Liverpool and Manchester last week. Regional Chairman Alan Halsall was quoted in articles in the Manchester Evening News and the Liverpool Daily Post , and was interviewed by BBC Merseyside and Manchester and other local TV and radio stations. He said "I think it is essential the people of this country get over to the politicians that they can't just offer a referendum and then take it away."

Next Monday, the launch of the "Yorkshire for a Referendum" campaign will take place at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds. Victor Watson, Chairman of the Yorkshire campaign, had a comment piece in the Yorkshire Post trailing the launch, arguing that for Gordon Brown, "keeping his promise and calling a referendum on the EU treaty is an opportunity for him to turn things around and prove he is serious when he talks about listening to people and restoring trust in politics".

How you can help

We will be organising further events and publicity stunts across the country and will target anti-referendum MPs in their local constituencies. To get involved in your region, visit our website here.

3) Britain's largest village joins parish referendum movement

Britain's largest village, Broughton Astley in Leicestershire, has become the third to decide on holding a parish referendum on the EU Constitution. With a potential turn-out of 7,000, the vote (to be held on November 1) could be the biggest yet on the revised EU Constitution.

Get involved: organise a referendum in your parish

The 1972 Local Government Act allows you to organise a referendum in your parish. Parish referendums are not only an excellent way of boosting local awareness of this important issue, but are also an effective way of increasing the pressure on the government to keep its promise of a national referendum - the local referendums held so far have all received wide coverage in the national media.

I Want a Referendum has compiled a step-by-step guide to organising parish referendums. To find out how to set up your own referendum, click here.

4) Referendum campaigners across Europe join forces

27 leading politicians, academics and commentators from across Europe have launched the European Referendum Campaign , based in Brussels. In a letter to the Telegraph, supporters called for a referendum to be held in each member state, and for "a real and unbiased debate on the EU reform treaty." Among the signatories was I Want a Referendum Chairman Derek Scott.

5) 25,000 people sign up to support Britain's fastest growing political campaign

Over 25,000 people have already registered their support for I Want a Referendum, making this Britain's fastest growing political campaign. We have also received considerable media coverage . This is a great start, but there is a long way to go.

If we are to put real pressure on the Government it is important that as many people as possible sign up. To do this we need your help.

How you can help - email your friends

If you haven't already done so, please encourage your friends, family and colleagues to support our important campaign. Visit our send to a friend page for a quick and simple way to increase awareness of the campaign for a referendum.

Thanks again for your support. We cannot win without it.

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