Taking full advantage of the opportunity made for him by one of the last of Tony Blair’s lies (in office), Gordon Brown today has signed Britain up for the EU ‘non-constitution’ constitution without, of course, having bothered to have held the referendum that the Labour party had promised. Unsurprisingly enough, there’s an angry round-up over at EU Referendum. The best comments, however, come from two veteran parliamentarians, one Conservative, and one Labour. Here’s the Conservative, Richard Shepherd:
This House is at the lowest ebb of my lifetime. People’s contempt for our institutions and our Parliament is at a level that I have never perceived before. Why? Because we are not trustworthy. That is the truth. People do not believe what we say.
And from Labour’s Austin Mitchell there’s this on the ‘debate’ that is to come:
What is the use of discussing something that we cannot change? It is important to amend this constitution, because it will be our constitution if it is passed – it will say what we can and cannot do, and it will take powers away from this place. It is thus important that we are able to have our say on it. It will make us part of a larger entity – a larger state – and it will close the door on that. That is what it is about. If we cannot change that and if we cannot put it to the people, we are futile and useless.
Mitchell is right. They are. They should turn out the lights, and all go home. It’s over. Done. Finished.