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One in four Labour voters less likely to vote for Brown if denied referendum on EU Constitution
An ICM poll for the Mail shows that 24% of Labour supporters would be less likely to vote for Gordon Brown at the next General Election if they are denied a referendum on the EU Constitution. Some 13 per cent of Labour voters would even consider switching to the Conservatives. The poll also showed that more than eight out of ten of the wider public want a national vote on the treaty, and more than half say the EU already has too much power over their lives. A leader in the Mail argues. “It is widely recognised that the changes to the treaty are mainly cosmetic. It would have a profound and damaging influence on this country’s future. That is why the failure to hold a referendum would present such a danger for the otherwise sure-footed Mr. Brown.”
Sir Menzies Campbell was interviewed on Westminster Hour on Sunday. On the question of a referendum on the revised EU Constitution, he said it was “much less likely” that the treaty merited a public vote. However, he emphasised that “we can’t make a final decision on that until we see the final document”, and said that “line by line scrutiny” would be necessary for a ratification through Parliament. He concluded that the decision on a referendum “cannot be taken until the document has gone through the IGC”.
Comment:
As a result of the Government’s shabby handling of the issue, and the fact that when MPs return they will have just eight working days before the final agreement in October, there will be a good liberal angle of attack on Brown’s undemocratic stance. But
A Lib-Dem u-turn on a referendum would be major strategic mistake – it would be a gift to David Cameron, allowing the Conservatives to stand up the idea that the Lib Dems are in Brown's pocket and will do anything for seats in the cabinet...
Open
Amato group welcomes revised version of EU Constitution
The Times reports on the assessment of the so-called Amato group (led by the former Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato, and including Lord Patten, the former Conservative minister and European Commissioner) on the revised EU Constitution, which judged that “The proposed new treaty and supplementary protocols take over almost all the innovations contained in the constitutional treaty. They only leave aside the symbolic changes which were introduced by the constitutional treaty – such as the title of the treaty or the symbols of the union.”
The article quotes Neil O’Brien, Director of Open Europe, as saying: “Amato’s group consists of the people most intimately involved in the constitution process. They say that the new treaty is basically just the rejected European constitution in disguise, and they would know. The Government’s attempt to pretend that this is a different document has been exploded by other EU leaders admitting that it’s exactly the same. Now they are falling back on a ludicrous claim that
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said "There will be no transfer of power away from the
Meanwhile, Open Europe's "Guide to the constitutional treaty" was reported in Saturday's Telegraph. The report argues that the supposed
Times Telegraph Sunday Telegraph
Failures of EU Emissions Trading Scheme
The Sunday Telegraph reported on Open Europe's recent research on the failures of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), noting that the report "is also critical of the decision to allow cheap credits from outside the EU to be traded in the scheme. This will only help peg the price of carbon credits to the floor." The article also notes that "The Carbon Trust, an agency set up to combat climate change, has not minced its words about the way
The EU Transparency Directive causing confusion
The FT notes that the EU’s Transparency Directive, which requires companies to issue reports, known as interim management statements, mid-way between their half-year and full-year results, are causing confusing among companies as to how finance teams are meant to meet the standards that are set out.
Sub-prime crisis used to strengthen EU’s economic governance?
In the Telegraph, former EU Commission economist Bernard Connolly looks at the global financial turmoil triggered by the sub-prime crisis in the US, arguing that “the EU quite deliberately created the most dangerous credit bubble of all: EMU. And, whereas the mission of the Fed is to avoid a financial crisis, the mission of the ECB is to provoke one. The purpose of the crisis will be, as Prodi, then Commission president, said in 2002, to allow the EU to take more power for itself. The sacrificial victims will be, in the first instance, families and firms (and banks and investors) in countries such as
EU biofuel policy “a mistake”, new study says
The BBC website reports on a new study, published in Science, which criticises the EU’s target of having10% of petrol and diesel coming from renewable sources by 2020. The study, which is written by several different researchers, discards the goal as an ineffective way to curb carbon emissions, instead suggesting that reforestation and habitat protection is a better option. They note that forests could absorb up to nine times more CO2 than the production of biofuels could achieve on the same area of land. The researchers also claim that the policy actually could lead to more deforestation as nations turn to countries outside of the EU to meet the growing demand for biofuels.
Hugh Pope of International Crisis Group has a comment piece in the WSJ arguing that "the EU-Turkey accession process is not, as one French politician has portrayed it, a breakable flirtation or engagement. Like two towns that have grown into each other,
German coalition parties shift focus
In the FT, Bertrand Benoit looks at the German grand ruling coalition consisting of SPD and CDU, noting that memos prepared by the two parties’ electoral departments have revealed that more focus now will be put on the domestic agenda and on fighting each other for poll ratings.
The front page of Le Monde reports on a "morose return" for Nicolas Sarkozy from his holidays with financial crisis and rising bread prices - a cartoon on the front page depicts Cecilia Sarkozy as Marie Antoinette.
World
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has made a surprise visit to Baghdad to demonstrate solidarity with the Iraqi government, a move welcomed by Washington.
The Conservatives plan to return to their “soft” agenda, focusing on the elderly, the environment and public services, after last week’s focus on tax-cutting measures.
The Times reports that Gordon Brown has shelved controversial plans to change the
At age 20, Sylvania couple Allan and Anne Marillier saw their native country disappear from the African map.
