Friday, March 07, 2008

Day of Infamy: Britain's Political Class Betrays Its People

The Daily Mail has a grim outlook for the future of Britain: [emphases are mine - D]

Yesterday will go down in history as the day our politicians surrendered most of what was left of Britain’s sovereignty and trusted the nation’s future to a European superstate.

It will also go down as one of the blackest ever for our democracy.

With honourable exceptions - though far too few to affect the result - both Government and opposition MPs deliberately broke the solemn pledge they made to the electorate in 2005.

- - - - - - - - -
Every Labour candidate went into that election committed to an unequivocal pledge to call a referendum on what was then called the EU Constitutional Treaty - now known, after a few cosmetic tweaks, as the Lisbon Treaty.

Their manifesto said: “It is a good treaty for Britain and for the new Europe. We will put it to the British people in a referendum and campaign wholeheartedly for a “Yes” vote to keep Britain a leading nation in Europe.”

Not much room for misunderstanding there, was there?

Yet last night, the great majority of Labour MPs trooped through the division lobbies to vote against a referendum.

What hope is there for democracy, when MPs pledge one thing to get elected - and then do the exact opposite when the voters have given them their trust?

The LibDems’ official position, under their pathetic new leader Nick Clegg, has been every bit as morally contemptible - perhaps even more so.

Here, verbatim, is the party’s 2005 election pledge: “We are therefore clear in our support for the constitution, which we believe is in Britain’s interest - but ratification must be subject to a referendum of the British people.”

That didn’t mean, as Mr Clegg now pretends, the LibDems would demand a referendum on whether or not Britain should remain a member of the EU. It meant a commitment to a national vote on the constitution.

Yet last night, Mr Clegg ordered his MPs to abstain - thereby ensuring the treaty would be ratified without voters’ consent.

Breathtakingly, Mr Clegg tries to convince us he’s behaved honourably by demanding a referendum he never promised, while refusing to vote for the one he unmistakably did.

If he finds himself in big trouble today, after the rebellion by his less abject MPs, he richly merits it.

As for the Tories, most deserve credit at least for keeping their pledge and voting for a referendum. But, oh, what a half-hearted campaign they ran to persuade wavering MPs to back them.

As every opinion poll shows, there is huge support for a referendum. Yet the Tories totally failed to exploit it, while ducking the question of whether a Conservative government would call a national vote after the treaty has been ratified.

What we witnessed last night was the political class ganging up against the voters who gave them power.

The result - barring a miracle - is that Britain will now surrender its veto over 60 important areas of policy to the unelected bureaucracy in Brussels.

Meanwhile, we will be obliged to take orders from an unelected President of Europe - who, God forbid, may even be Tony Blair.


As the pettifogging regulations flood in from Brussels over the years ahead, there will be absolutely nothing we can do about it. And all because, on Wednesday March 5, 2008, British MPs decided en masse to break their word to the people - and surrendered the national independence for which their forefathers laid down their lives.

Is it any wonder that more and more Britons are losing their faith in the political process?

This betrayal is too sad for words, and all for the chance to get in on the money to be made by individual politicians who get to divvy up EU treasure without having to account to anyone.

I wonder what the future holds for Britain now? Whatever it is, it won’t be pretty and it will last a long, long time.


Hat tip: Fjordman

13 comments:

heroyalwhyness said...

It doesn't much matter whether a referendum takes place as it appears MP's can undermine at will:

DE ROSSA VOTES AGAINST “RESPECTING THE OUTCOME OF IRISH REFERENDUM” IN EU PARLIAMENT

Witness as Democracy is relegated to the dustbin of history.

livfreerdie said...

Doesn't the issue go to the House of Lords next?

Tom

nikolai said...

"Doesn't the issue go to the House of Lords next?"

Yes. There's a legal challenge too.

VinceP1974 said...

If the Queen doesn't prevent this from happening, then Britian should just abolish the monarchy.

If the Soverign of the Kingdom wont prevent the loss of soverignity to a foreign entity then it's nothing.

Of course I know Britian won't do that because obviously if they cared so much about the soverignity of thier nation they wouldn't have given it to the EU to begin with.

johnCV said...

Well at least the citizens can resort to arms against a tyrannical government....

oh wait...

the doctor said...

As a Brit who is ashamed of my Country and it's "leaders" , may I enquire as to how much 400 15feet lengths of hempen rope and a ladder would cost ? The lampposts are already there .

the doctor said...

johncv, please do not think that we could not , you would be surprised how many men have arms here . More than enough .

Zenster said...

What we witnessed last night was the political class ganging up against the voters who gave them power.

American translation: Z Visa

Zenster said...

The Doctor: The lampposts are already there.

Isn't it remarkable how such antiquated technology still manages to serve in even the most modern applications? Fortunately, despite its vast wilds America, too, contains sufficient numbers of this sturdy fixture to service even the biggest of Big Governments.

eatyourbeans said...

I keep waiting for the spark that will start the fire. Russia turning a tap in Siberia to literally and figuratively put a stop to the mugging of Christian Serbia. That might do it. Queen Elizabeth summoning her people to the defense of the realm and liberty. That might do it.

Certainly the combustibles are in place. We just need the spark.

johnCV said...

doctor-
I truly hope you are right. It has been deeply troubling to watch the last 10-12 years or so (coincident with New Labour perhaps?) and the rapid decline of GB into some kind of PC madness.
From over here, it seems everyone just acquiesces whenever the government (or grievence group) demands another freedom be surrendered.
Should rope go the way of firearms and pointy knives, I'd be glad to send a 'care' package. Shall I address it to John Bull then?

Unknown said...

I wonder what the future holds for Britain now? Whatever it is, it won’t be pretty and it will last a long, long time.

I disagree with this last sentence. I'm not psychic but I predict lots of violent upheaval and monumental changes in quick succession. That could be what you mean depending on how the sentence is understood.

Al-lat said...

well, by golly, reading the headlines in this section, what with Ireland, France, the UK, -I smell a New World Odor.(You people should riot. That way you'd get your way.

Same thing is happening here with Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. The thing is, Mexico's government is now the Drug Cartel.

P.S. As to the upheaval, the news about Serbia: when I was "young and gay" - I was aghast and indignant that Isabella the Visigoth, should have thrown out the Moslems from Spain. Poor moslems, I used to say. How could they!!.....Now I know why. Find moslems, find trouble.