This Is How It Happens, Folks: The EU Treaty: Brown Surrenders Britain's Sovereignty
DriftingByTheStorm
Posts: 8,684
The EU Lisbon Treaty: Gordon Brown Surrenders Britain's Sovereignty
March 7, 2008
Prime Minister Gordon Brown's decision to reject a referendum on the new European Union Reform Treaty (Treaty of Lisbon) should be viewed as one of the biggest acts of political betrayal in modern British history. Despite a rebellion by 29 of its own backbenchers, the Labour-led government defeated a Conservative proposal to hold a popular vote on the Lisbon Treaty by 311 votes to 248 in the House of Commons on March 5. Brown's refusal to support a referendum represented a stunning reversal of the government's 2005 manifesto pledge to hold a plebiscite on the European Constitution.
The Commons vote flew in the face of fierce public opposition to the Lisbon Treaty and mounting calls for the British public to have its say. In a series of unofficial mini-referenda held across several marginal seats in early March, 89 percent of the more than 150,000 voters who took part voted against the treaty, with just 8 percent in favor.[1] These votes reflected consistently high levels of opposition to the treaty in virtually all major polls on the issue in the U.K. in the past few months.
Most British voters have already concluded that the Lisbon Treaty is almost identical to the old European Constitution, which was emphatically rejected by electorates in France and Holland in 2005. If ratified in all European capitals, the treaty will come into force in January 2009, and the implications for the future of Europe are immense. So far, only the Irish government has been brave enough to stand up to Brussels and insist on a popular vote by its citizens.
The new Treaty poses the biggest threat to national sovereignty in Europe since the Second World War, would threaten the future of the Anglo-American Special Relationship, and would significantly weaken the transatlantic alliance.
A Blueprint for a European Superstate
Like the rejected constitution, the new Reform Treaty is also a blueprint for a European superstate dreamt up by unelected bureaucrats in Brussels. This time around, however, most of Europe doesn't get to vote, as democracy is too dangerous a concept for the architects of this grand vision of an EU superpower.
Originally envisioned as a single market within Europe, the EU (formerly European Economic Community) is morphing into a gigantic political entity with ambitions of becoming the world's first supranational superstate. Already, major strides have been made in the development of a unified European foreign and security policy as well as a supranational legal structure. With the introduction of the euro in 1999, the European single currency and European Central Bank became a reality.
Drafted in 2004, the European Constitution was a huge step forward in the evolution of what is commonly known as the "European Project," or the drive toward "ever closer union." With its 448 articles, the constitution was a vast vanity project, conceived in Paris, Berlin, and Brussels, that dramatically crashed to Earth three years ago. Since then, European Union apparatchiks have worked feverishly to resurrect the constitution, coming up with a cosmetic makeover that would make a plastic surgeon proud.
The new treaty contains all the main elements of the constitution, repackaged in flowery language. According to the European Scrutiny Committee, a British parliamentary body, only two of the treaty's 440 provisions were not contained in the original constitution.[2]
The Reform Treaty paves the way for the creation of a European Union foreign minister (high representative) at the head of an EU foreign service (with its own diplomatic corps) as well as a long-term EU president; both positions are trappings of a fledgling superstate. As European Parliament member Daniel Hannan has pointed out, the treaty will further erode the legal sovereignty of European nation-states, entrenching a pan-European magistracy ("Eurojust"), a European Public Prosecutor, a federal EU police force ("Europol"), and an EU criminal code ("corpus juris").[3] In addition, countries such as Britain will sacrifice their veto right over EU decision-making in 40 policy areas.
A Democratic Deficit
Europe doesn't need a constitution. The European Union is not the United States of Europe. The EU is a grouping of 27 independent nation-states, each with its own culture, language, heritage, and national interests. The EU works best as a single economic market that facilitates the free movement of goods, services, and people. It is far less successful as a political entity that tries to force its member states to conform to an artificial common identity.
The European Constitution and its successor treaty are all about the centralization of political power in the hands of a gilded ruling elite in Brussels, not the protection of individual liberty. They are also based on the principle that sovereignty should be pooled by nation-states for the "greater good" of Europe, a concept that goes against the grain of modern history, as witnessed with the break-up of the old Soviet Empire.
The notion that the people of Europe should not have a vote on a treaty with huge implications for the future of the continent demonstrates the utter contempt that the Brussels bureaucracy has for the average man or woman on the street. There is no doubt that if the treaty were put to a popular vote, the electorates of several countries would reject it. The whole "European Project" is fundamentally undemocratic, unaccountable, and opaque. If subjected to referenda across the EU, it would almost certainly be consigned to the dustbin of history.
A Threat to the Special Relationship
For both sides of the Atlantic, the Lisbon Treaty is bad news. The treaty poses a massive threat to the future of the Anglo-American Special Relationship as well as the broader transatlantic alliance. It will further entrench Europe's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP), both major threats to the future of NATO, and will seriously impair the ability of America's allies in Europe to stand alongside the United States where and when they choose to do so.
An America without Britain alongside it would be far more isolated and friendless and significantly less able to project power on the world stage. For Washington, there is no real alternative to the Special Relationship. Its collapse would be damaging to America's standing as a global power and would significantly weaken her leadership of the war against Islamist terrorism.
A Future British Government Must Hold a Referendum
The next British government, which must be elected by 2010 at the latest, should listen to the growing calls of the British people for a vote on the Lisbon Treaty. The public should have the final say on an agreement that will dramatically undermine the U.K.'s ability to shape her own destiny. If, as is highly likely, the public rejects the treaty, Britain should withdraw from its provisions and seek a broader renegotiation of its relationship with the European Union.
The next Prime Minister, if Brown is replaced, should heed the words of Lady Thatcher, who wrote in her seminal book Statecraft: "That such an unnecessary and irrational project as building a European superstate was ever embarked upon will seem in future years to be perhaps the greatest folly of the modern era."[4] The Iron Lady's instincts are right: Common sense must prevail, and the British people should have the freedom to reject an Orwellian vision of Europe's future in favor of the principles of sovereignty and freedom.
Nile Gardiner, Ph.D., is the Director of, and Sally McNamara is Senior Policy Analyst in European Affairs in, the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, a division of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies, at The Heritage Foundation. Erica Munkwitz assisted with research for this paper.
THIS IS HOW IT HAPPENS FOLKS.
ALL YOU EYES-WIDE-SHUT TYPES WHO THINK IT CAN'T AND WON'T HAPPEN: YOU WILL NOT BE GETTING A VOTE ON IT
Your fucking piece of shit SHILL leaders will SELL YOU DOWN RIVER WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT.
READ IT. BELIEVE IT.
ITS NOT A CONSPIRACY.
[oh wait, it kind of is]
:rolleyes:
March 7, 2008
Prime Minister Gordon Brown's decision to reject a referendum on the new European Union Reform Treaty (Treaty of Lisbon) should be viewed as one of the biggest acts of political betrayal in modern British history. Despite a rebellion by 29 of its own backbenchers, the Labour-led government defeated a Conservative proposal to hold a popular vote on the Lisbon Treaty by 311 votes to 248 in the House of Commons on March 5. Brown's refusal to support a referendum represented a stunning reversal of the government's 2005 manifesto pledge to hold a plebiscite on the European Constitution.
The Commons vote flew in the face of fierce public opposition to the Lisbon Treaty and mounting calls for the British public to have its say. In a series of unofficial mini-referenda held across several marginal seats in early March, 89 percent of the more than 150,000 voters who took part voted against the treaty, with just 8 percent in favor.[1] These votes reflected consistently high levels of opposition to the treaty in virtually all major polls on the issue in the U.K. in the past few months.
Most British voters have already concluded that the Lisbon Treaty is almost identical to the old European Constitution, which was emphatically rejected by electorates in France and Holland in 2005. If ratified in all European capitals, the treaty will come into force in January 2009, and the implications for the future of Europe are immense. So far, only the Irish government has been brave enough to stand up to Brussels and insist on a popular vote by its citizens.
The new Treaty poses the biggest threat to national sovereignty in Europe since the Second World War, would threaten the future of the Anglo-American Special Relationship, and would significantly weaken the transatlantic alliance.
A Blueprint for a European Superstate
Like the rejected constitution, the new Reform Treaty is also a blueprint for a European superstate dreamt up by unelected bureaucrats in Brussels. This time around, however, most of Europe doesn't get to vote, as democracy is too dangerous a concept for the architects of this grand vision of an EU superpower.
Originally envisioned as a single market within Europe, the EU (formerly European Economic Community) is morphing into a gigantic political entity with ambitions of becoming the world's first supranational superstate. Already, major strides have been made in the development of a unified European foreign and security policy as well as a supranational legal structure. With the introduction of the euro in 1999, the European single currency and European Central Bank became a reality.
Drafted in 2004, the European Constitution was a huge step forward in the evolution of what is commonly known as the "European Project," or the drive toward "ever closer union." With its 448 articles, the constitution was a vast vanity project, conceived in Paris, Berlin, and Brussels, that dramatically crashed to Earth three years ago. Since then, European Union apparatchiks have worked feverishly to resurrect the constitution, coming up with a cosmetic makeover that would make a plastic surgeon proud.
The new treaty contains all the main elements of the constitution, repackaged in flowery language. According to the European Scrutiny Committee, a British parliamentary body, only two of the treaty's 440 provisions were not contained in the original constitution.[2]
The Reform Treaty paves the way for the creation of a European Union foreign minister (high representative) at the head of an EU foreign service (with its own diplomatic corps) as well as a long-term EU president; both positions are trappings of a fledgling superstate. As European Parliament member Daniel Hannan has pointed out, the treaty will further erode the legal sovereignty of European nation-states, entrenching a pan-European magistracy ("Eurojust"), a European Public Prosecutor, a federal EU police force ("Europol"), and an EU criminal code ("corpus juris").[3] In addition, countries such as Britain will sacrifice their veto right over EU decision-making in 40 policy areas.
A Democratic Deficit
Europe doesn't need a constitution. The European Union is not the United States of Europe. The EU is a grouping of 27 independent nation-states, each with its own culture, language, heritage, and national interests. The EU works best as a single economic market that facilitates the free movement of goods, services, and people. It is far less successful as a political entity that tries to force its member states to conform to an artificial common identity.
The European Constitution and its successor treaty are all about the centralization of political power in the hands of a gilded ruling elite in Brussels, not the protection of individual liberty. They are also based on the principle that sovereignty should be pooled by nation-states for the "greater good" of Europe, a concept that goes against the grain of modern history, as witnessed with the break-up of the old Soviet Empire.
The notion that the people of Europe should not have a vote on a treaty with huge implications for the future of the continent demonstrates the utter contempt that the Brussels bureaucracy has for the average man or woman on the street. There is no doubt that if the treaty were put to a popular vote, the electorates of several countries would reject it. The whole "European Project" is fundamentally undemocratic, unaccountable, and opaque. If subjected to referenda across the EU, it would almost certainly be consigned to the dustbin of history.
A Threat to the Special Relationship
For both sides of the Atlantic, the Lisbon Treaty is bad news. The treaty poses a massive threat to the future of the Anglo-American Special Relationship as well as the broader transatlantic alliance. It will further entrench Europe's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP), both major threats to the future of NATO, and will seriously impair the ability of America's allies in Europe to stand alongside the United States where and when they choose to do so.
An America without Britain alongside it would be far more isolated and friendless and significantly less able to project power on the world stage. For Washington, there is no real alternative to the Special Relationship. Its collapse would be damaging to America's standing as a global power and would significantly weaken her leadership of the war against Islamist terrorism.
A Future British Government Must Hold a Referendum
The next British government, which must be elected by 2010 at the latest, should listen to the growing calls of the British people for a vote on the Lisbon Treaty. The public should have the final say on an agreement that will dramatically undermine the U.K.'s ability to shape her own destiny. If, as is highly likely, the public rejects the treaty, Britain should withdraw from its provisions and seek a broader renegotiation of its relationship with the European Union.
The next Prime Minister, if Brown is replaced, should heed the words of Lady Thatcher, who wrote in her seminal book Statecraft: "That such an unnecessary and irrational project as building a European superstate was ever embarked upon will seem in future years to be perhaps the greatest folly of the modern era."[4] The Iron Lady's instincts are right: Common sense must prevail, and the British people should have the freedom to reject an Orwellian vision of Europe's future in favor of the principles of sovereignty and freedom.
Nile Gardiner, Ph.D., is the Director of, and Sally McNamara is Senior Policy Analyst in European Affairs in, the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, a division of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies, at The Heritage Foundation. Erica Munkwitz assisted with research for this paper.
THIS IS HOW IT HAPPENS FOLKS.
ALL YOU EYES-WIDE-SHUT TYPES WHO THINK IT CAN'T AND WON'T HAPPEN: YOU WILL NOT BE GETTING A VOTE ON IT
Your fucking piece of shit SHILL leaders will SELL YOU DOWN RIVER WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT.
READ IT. BELIEVE IT.
ITS NOT A CONSPIRACY.
[oh wait, it kind of is]
:rolleyes:
If I was to smile and I held out my hand
If I opened it now would you not understand?
If I opened it now would you not understand?
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
Is this article too legitimate to comment on?
Makes you realize what i've been screaming down your throat isn't bullshit?
Presidents & Prime Ministers signing away soverign statehood on behalf of their citizens without the consent of the governed -- in fact under heavy protest -- and yet no one wants to step up and tell me i'm an idiot this time huh?
Please.
:rolleyes:
If I opened it now would you not understand?
This is a fucking news article!
Its a GODDAMN CURRENT EVENT!
Its not some "crap" i posted.
What is crap is what constantly comes out of your mouth as an alleged counter-argument to my posts.
You have no fucking position based on ANYTHING substantial, only insults and mudslinging.
"No one wants to read your bullshit?"
Man fuck off then!
[i swear to god Kat, i fucking swear to god, if you try to pin this fucking shit on me!]
If I opened it now would you not understand?
Go outside... get some air... the paranoia is getting to you.
Pretty sure he's just trying to ( in the kindest way possible) point out that the way you present and carry yourself usually buries your message.
You're like the chick screaming the sky is falling, or the boy who cried wolf, and yet wonder why few take you seriously.
Not to mention the patting yourself on the back when you eventually are "right". Careful, a pat on the back isnt too far from a kick in the ass.
But I'd like to thank you for the entertainment you provide many of us. And the interesting reads.
www.myspace.com/jensvad
You're even worse, no one reads or answers your post most just pass by with 0 post. :(
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
"Free Shipping" SPEEDY MCCREADY
My friend was going to see Eddie last night. Since he was in Vegas, I gave him 5 Grand to gamble with. I told him I wanted it all to go on Black. Bastard! PhillyCrownOfThorns-11-2-12
Difference is I could give a fuck if people respond or not... I dont post things like
"what? nothing to say? HA! I knew I was right" :rolleyes:
That's interesting we shall see.
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
Love ya, man.
Better stay away form this forum though.
You might change your mind.
We need some fooking tour dates, damn it!
I was just talking to my friend about this a few hours ago.
Its funny how when the shepherd boy is standing on the hill screaming "Wolf Wolf!" and everytime, sure enough a fucking wolf comes creeping up and eats one of his sheep, then sneaks back off ... the fucking ignornat townsfolk say, "now what is your problem sonny? there is no wolf!"
Bwhahahah.
Take this thread.
It is PERFECTLY LEGITIMATE.
There is a REAL issue to be discussed here.
The PM is GIVING away Britain to the EU, and yet what have we accomplished so far in this "discussion"? Two or three people calling me an idiot, telling me i speak "bullshit" and saying that i am "the boy who cried wolf".
Truth is, this article is backed by 100% fact, and yet all you can do is shoot the fucking messenger.
If i didn't have to repeate myself 1000 times to get anyone to notice, maybe i wouldn't be yelling.
But whether i start out "soft" or come out screaming and swinging, its always the same, so i may as well just lead with an uppercut, and not fucking pussyfoot it.
Why not?
The inevitable is that the only people who respond will be "one line" supporters (GunderP, Nevermind, Roland) or they will be beligerant swills who come out telling me i'm a fucking moron without a brain for beliving this shit.
Well this shit is fucking real.
Its fucking documented.
You now have a world leader on tape saying "Yay" world government (hillary, see other post), and this one, PROVING that they WILL NOT ASK YOU FOR YOUR FUCKING VOTE.
And yet i'm still some crazy fucking loon huh?
Yeah fucking right.
If I opened it now would you not understand?
How does that saying go? Repeating the same action over and over again expecting a different result... yeah that's you man, its sad you don't see it.
Maybe you should just take a break?
I'm sure come monday morning Kat will grant me a nice vacation.
I'm more than willing to bet she gives you one too though.
:rolleyes:
If I opened it now would you not understand?
Typo Man: "Thanks kidz, but remembir, stay in skool!"
Why, you going to report me? I didn't call anyone any names... I sure as hell am not going to report you...
like I said... take a break. The world is not ending. Go outside and actually spend some time in it instead of screaming here so much.
Guh?
Do What?
If I opened it now would you not understand?
If I opened it now would you not understand?
The sad fact above everything is that condoned torture is going on....that is not to be underestimated or under spoken in the least, even in the most casual forms... All the torture crap they are pulling in Iraq and elsewhere oin a regular basis as ongoing policy was banned in Britain over 30 years ago...
society is regressing...
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg
(\__/)
( o.O)
(")_(")
People also don't get that our vote tomorrow is probably even MORE important than the US elections coming up... this is the biggest thing I'VE yet had the opportunity to vote on... and some people are taking it so lightly. I told my brother at the weekend 'if you read up on it and THEN tell me you're voting yes, I won't argue with you... but don't tell me you don't know much but you're veering towards yes' and he agreed!
Verona??? it's all surmountable
Dublin 23.08.06 "The beauty of Ireland, right there!"
Wembley? We all believe!
Copenhagen?? your light made us stars
Chicago 07? And love
What a different life
Had I not found this love with you
This post would have been better served if it had been posted within the Lisbon Treaty thread.
This is the type of support the people from Ireland need to see. They need to know that many people and lawmakers WISH they could have voted.
This is what the people of Ireland need to see so that they know just how important their vote will be and that yes, this LITTLE NATION's vote will have a GLOBAL impact down the road. Hell, you don't think Bush is in Europe to talk about Iran. There is no Europe-Iran issue if there is no Lisbon Treaty.
The whole - see, I told you so - attitude only takes away from the importance of what is being posted. You have to give people time to read and digest the information of any post. Just a thought.
Although TBH I'm glad the likes of the French foreign minister are coming out saying things like 'Ireland will be the first victims if there is a no vote' or that Sarkozy and Merkel have said they will give a joint response to the result... cos Irish people don't tend to stand for threats like that and I think it will push many people to vote no. Even our Health Minister told him that comments like that will not help.
Verona??? it's all surmountable
Dublin 23.08.06 "The beauty of Ireland, right there!"
Wembley? We all believe!
Copenhagen?? your light made us stars
Chicago 07? And love
What a different life
Had I not found this love with you
Especially when France were perfectly okay with shooting down the original idea a few years back. Hypocrisy, bullying, and shadowy treaties... and then they wonder why we want no part of it.
Actually the treaty was refused by referendum. The government just took it on itself to revote it without asking the population a second time. It makes you wonder what kind of a democracy it is that asks your opinion only if you agree with it. Shameless shit. I just hope Ireland rejects the treaty so that EU policy makers actually comprehend that constructing the EU is a great idea but doing it considering the will and demands of its people would be better.
(I would like to apologize on behalf of our foreign minister and president. Considering a majority here voted against the treaty I'm guessing everyone's happy you still have a chance.)
Cheers, guy.
Stop by:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=14678777351&ref=mf
I'm not surprised by the move itself... I'm surprised by the near-complete lack of democracy involved in it. It's unbelievable that we're the only country in the EU who even gets to vote on this. And judging from our government's obnoxious pushing for a Yes vote, it's a damn good thing we get to.
Ignore the silliness of Farmer (and the others), Drifting.
It isn't a big deal merging with other nations, it should be a good thing, just ask countries like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania how things were before 1991.
Verona??? it's all surmountable
Dublin 23.08.06 "The beauty of Ireland, right there!"
Wembley? We all believe!
Copenhagen?? your light made us stars
Chicago 07? And love
What a different life
Had I not found this love with you