Sunday, October 04, 2009

Taking us for fools


"The best way for Mr Cameron to express his trust in the people and prove himself a leader of principle would be to hold a referendum on Europe." So says The Sunday Telegraph leader.

Elsewhere in the same newspaper, we read that David Cameron "is promising a radical agenda to take power away from government and return it to the people."

But Mr Cameron cannot do that without addressing the European Union issue. Our government is in Brussels and once the constitutional Lisbon treaty comes into force, it will acquire even more powers than it already has. And it already has too much power.

No one can talk sensibly and honestly about taking power away from government unless they are intending to roll back the powers of Brussels. And since the EU will never return voluntarily that which it has been given, any sensible and honest political leader has to set out his plans for taking back those powers.

Whatever else, though, we are not getting honesty. We are getting political fudge – and we are not the only ones getting a little tired of it. And, nor is it going to go away.

My esteemed co-editor sets out her views on this "fudge" in the lead letter in The Sunday Telegraph. She writes:

"That other countries should decide on whether major constitutional changes should be imposed on Britain ought to outrage everyone with an ounce of political sense. It is a sad reflection of our political class that this does not apply to them – not even the Conservative leadership."


The letter is published under the heading: "Our political class has failed us by not holding a referendum." This is more than a failure. Peter Hitchens in the Mail on Sunday says it all: "So, out of the smog of dishonesty that has long concealed it, we at last see the true shape of the thing that threatens us."

Our political classes are taking us for fools. Stop it! Stop taking us for fools. We want a referendum. You might like to e-mail David Cameron this message:

NO REFERENDUM ... NO VOTE

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