Feature - UK
The "I want a Referendum Campaign" is a cross-party campaign for a referendum on the EU’s new Reform Treaty.
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The Democracy Movement are also campigning for a referendum in the UK. For more information about their campaign visit their website at: www.democracymovement.org.uk
The Telegraph (newspaper) is running a campaign with a petition.
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The Sun (newspaper) is also running a campaign with a petition.
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Britain's Promised Referendum
A comprehensive overview on the situation in the United Kingdom
Summarised by Gayle Kinkead, European Referendum Campaign, erc2.org
History
During 2003, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair repeatedly refused to hold a referendum on the EU constitution. However after pressure from pro-referendum campaigns, oppositional parties and the press he finally announced in April 2004 to hold a referendum on the EU constitution. The announcement was portrayed as a significant U-turn on the part of the Blair government. Blair viewed the constitution as nothing more than a "tidying-up exercise" a consolidation of existing treaties. However Blair claimed that what he regarded as myths about the European Union, were so prevalent that "it is right to confront this campaign [of Euro-myths] head-on". Thereby quietening the Euro-sceptics with a referendum. (Guardian 21 April 2004)
On 9 February 2005 British MPs voted strongly in favour of the EU Bill, a British law which aimed to ease the transition of the constitution into the UK and also to pave the way for a referendum on the constitution. The EU Bill gave parliamentary approval to the Constitution, but made clear that the UK could ratify the treaty only if it won the support of the public in a referendum. (BBC News 27 January 2006)
After the French and Dutch votes rejecting the constitution, former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw officially said that the government had dropped plans to hold a British referendum on the EU Constitution stating that "We reserve completely the right to bring back the bill providing for a UK referendum should circumstances change. But we see no point in proceeding at this moment." (Guardian 6 June 2005)
Post Summit 2007
Tony Blair agreed to the new Reform Treaty during the European IGC in June 2007. Despite the Labour Party promising a referendum over the UK's ratification of the constitution, the government announced that the new Reform Treaty would not be subject to a referendum due to the Reform Treaty differing considerably from the previous constitution.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has repeatedly argued that there is no case for a referendum on the new treaty. During the Labour Party conference in September 2007 he stated that "If we were making a decision on the euro, there would be a referendum. If we had the same constitutional treaty that was abandoned, we said there would be a referendum," he went on to say, "But we said before negotiations took place in Brussels a few months ago that if we secured all our objectives, in other words there were opt-outs for Britain in a range of areas, there wouldn't be a need for a referendum" (Reuters 26 September 2007).
Pressure for a Referendum
There have been calls for a referendum on the Reform Treaty from across Britain. The “I want a referendum” campaign has brought together people from across the political spectrum who believe that Britain should hold a referendum. Many Labour MPs have gone against the party line and are campaigning for a referendum together with the British Conservative Party, the UK Independence Party and several MPs from the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats as well as members of the TUC. (Telegraph 28 August 2007). There are many other organisations campaigning for a referendum across the UK including the Democracy Movement, and the British daily newspapers the Telegraph and the Sun.
Red Lines?
Gordon Brown, claimed that the treaty would not require a referendum so long as certain 'red lines' were not crossed. These 'red lines' included the maintenance of the UK's vetoes over collective foreign policy, common law (so the Charter of Fundamental Rights would be without legal effect) and social security and tax laws.
The Daily Mail has reported that the British government has admitted to the new EU treaty being 'substantially' the same as the scrapped constitution. In an extraordinary U-turn, the British government has conceded for the first time that the two documents are virtually identical. The Prime Minister's spokesman explained the admission by saying that for countries who had not secured special deals the treaty was 'substantially equivalent' to the constitution. He insisted Britain was different because ministers had negotiated to protect key 'red lines' (Daily Mail 10 October 2007).
This U-turn has come after a report by the Commons European Scrutiny Committee which said the treaty was 'substantially equivalent' to the constitution. The findings from the report declare that only 2 of 440 provisions in the Reform Treaty are different. The report went on to warn that the red lines were worthless. The committee chairman Michael Connarty said the treaty would give the European Court of Justice more power to ignore Britain's opt-outs. He continued saying that "The red lines will not be sustainable. We believe these will be challenged bit by bit and eventually the UK will be in a position where all of the treaty will eventually apply…If they can't get these things firmed up, we think they will leak like a sieve." (Daily Mail 10 October 2007).
It is hoped that the parliament will have the chance vote on whether the treaty will be put to a referendum. However it is not known when or even if this vote shall take place.
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