Comments on: Let’s face it, we’ve lost… http://bucf.wordpress.com/2007/11/02/lets-face-it-weve-lost/ This is the Birmingham University Conservative Future Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:18:11 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: The EU Treaty / Constitution: 20 Weeks in Parliament (?) | The Wardman Wire http://bucf.wordpress.com/2007/11/02/lets-face-it-weve-lost/#comment-6987 The EU Treaty / Constitution: 20 Weeks in Parliament (?) | The Wardman Wire Tue, 06 Nov 2007 10:57:00 +0000 http://bucf.wordpress.com/2007/11/02/lets-face-it-weve-lost/#comment-6987 [...] An interesting article about how the Conservatives should react to the Reform “Treaty” over at the University of Birmingham Conservative Future Blog: [...] [...] An interesting article about how the Conservatives should react to the Reform “Treaty” over at the University of Birmingham Conservative Future Blog: [...]

]]> By: Dan http://bucf.wordpress.com/2007/11/02/lets-face-it-weve-lost/#comment-6923 Dan Fri, 02 Nov 2007 21:02:55 +0000 http://bucf.wordpress.com/2007/11/02/lets-face-it-weve-lost/#comment-6923 I have to agree with Daniel. The Conservatives need to face the fact that we are an OPPOSITION party we simply do not have the strength to force a referendum... nor should we when we can watch the government sign its own suicide note. We should voice our oppositiion to the treaty and emphasise our belief that a referendum should be held. We have done this. However we cannot let this one issue eat away at our policy platform and dominate our media coverage. The public know we oppose what brown is doing in regards to the treaty and when all this blows up in his face at election time we will have a nice little weapon up our sleave... we opposed the treaty... Brown sold us out... If we continue to obsess over this issue we will never convince the people we have changed. There are far more important issues to focus on.... issues that really matter to the British people... Yes we as a nation are inclined to be skeptical of anything to do with the bureaucratic bog known as the European union... however the people are far more interested in the issues that affect them on a daily basis... such as tax, immigration, education, health, law and order! I have to agree with Daniel. The Conservatives need to face the fact that we are an OPPOSITION party we simply do not have the strength to force a referendum… nor should we when we can watch the government sign its own suicide note. We should voice our oppositiion to the treaty and emphasise our belief that a referendum should be held. We have done this. However we cannot let this one issue eat away at our policy platform and dominate our media coverage.

The public know we oppose what brown is doing in regards to the treaty and when all this blows up in his face at election time we will have a nice little weapon up our sleave… we opposed the treaty… Brown sold us out… If we continue to obsess over this issue we will never convince the people we have changed. There are far more important issues to focus on…. issues that really matter to the British people… Yes we as a nation are inclined to be skeptical of anything to do with the bureaucratic bog known as the European union… however the people are far more interested in the issues that affect them on a daily basis… such as tax, immigration, education, health, law and order!

]]> By: James Laurenson http://bucf.wordpress.com/2007/11/02/lets-face-it-weve-lost/#comment-6922 James Laurenson Fri, 02 Nov 2007 18:52:53 +0000 http://bucf.wordpress.com/2007/11/02/lets-face-it-weve-lost/#comment-6922 Oh please. Firstly, the treaty doesn't create the post of EU President, it merely transforms it from a 6 month rotating post to a two and a half year appointed post. So the person in charge actually gets picked based on merit and not on who's turn it is, and has enough time to set more than fleeting agenda. Secondly, much in the same vein, the representative for foreign affairs is not a new post but really an amalgamation of two existing ones with overlapping duties. Because God forbid the EU actually gets more efficient. Thridly, your problem with qualified majority voting is... what? Fourthly, we can tolerate a ratchet clause as long as it never gets used. And if it does get used, we always have the option of refusing to recognise the change. Such is the voluntary nature of international (albeit the special character of EU) law. The only real problem with the Reform Treaty is that it gives the Charter of Fundamental Rights legal effect, which is just absurd because all the Member States have to ratify the ECHR anyway. Oh please. Firstly, the treaty doesn’t create the post of EU President, it merely transforms it from a 6 month rotating post to a two and a half year appointed post. So the person in charge actually gets picked based on merit and not on who’s turn it is, and has enough time to set more than fleeting agenda.
Secondly, much in the same vein, the representative for foreign affairs is not a new post but really an amalgamation of two existing ones with overlapping duties. Because God forbid the EU actually gets more efficient.
Thridly, your problem with qualified majority voting is… what?
Fourthly, we can tolerate a ratchet clause as long as it never gets used. And if it does get used, we always have the option of refusing to recognise the change. Such is the voluntary nature of international (albeit the special character of EU) law.

The only real problem with the Reform Treaty is that it gives the Charter of Fundamental Rights legal effect, which is just absurd because all the Member States have to ratify the ECHR anyway.

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