From Is There More to Life Than Shoes:
In the court case brought against him for breach of contract over a referendum on the EU Constitution, Brown's personal barrister has just told the court that "manifesto pledges are not subject to legitimate expectation".
Given the content of most political manifestos, isn't this a welcome relief? Imagine a world in which they actually did what they promised? Scarcely bears thinking about.
Just when you thought the EU Constitution was deader than dead, back it roars to life. Well if that's what people want, they might as well get it, even if there seems little pressing need for the constitution. Still, as an example of our lords and masters' determination to thwart the will of the people, the EU constitution barney bears watching.
The BBC's Mark Mardell reports that Tony Blair is keen that a revised treaty not really be, like, a treaty thingy at all. Britain wants to suggest:
The idea that this is “a consolidating treaty” - Blair wants it to be "an amending treaty". This sounds technical but is politically vital because the government will argue that no Conservative government ever gave a referendum on treaties amending existing texts.
Indeed. That nice Monsieur Sarkozy seems to be on board already. As Downing Street confirmed:
"The Prime Minister and President Sarkozy did discuss the EU Treaty. There is broad agreement in the sense that they both think that any treaty must be an amending one rather than a constitutional treaty."
In this respect at least - ignoring the clearly expressed will of the people who want nothing to do with Giscard's constitution - Blair would demonstrate that he really is a true european., capable of putting Britain at the heart of the continent.
Beware the spin however. This will all be talked up to sound very, very bad. Britannia will be sold to Brussels and the like. That way Brown can "bat for Britain" and win some last-minute, meagre concessions from the euros who will mutter, helpfully, about bloody British intransigence and suggest that it's about time that foggy island made up its sodding mind.
The new treaty is Angela Merkel's idea:
A leaked letter from Mrs Merkel revealed last month that the treaty would have much the same "legal substance" as the failed constitution, but that it would make "presentational changes" and use "different terminology".
In other words: business as usual and shiny democracy in action. When Blair was bounced into declaring that the EU constitution had to be approved by a referendum he declared: "Let the people have the final say". How times change, eh?
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