http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8340664.stm
News that the Czechs have signed the Lisbon Treaty is a massive blow to David Cameron. He will now be forced to confront the reality that a post ratifcation referendum is a null and void task, meaning he must make a decision now as to how to pre-empt ratification.
This means he will undoubtedly need to upset the right of the party BEFORE the election - giving Labour an opportunity to show voters the Tories aren't the cohesive unit they claim to be.
If, however, Cameron can keep control over both sides of his party until after the election, then he has earned his shot at power.
Will Labour be able to seize this opportunity to crank up the pressure on Cameron? All of a sudden, David Milliband has a chance to step back in to the spotlight and make amends for a poor 12 months in the mainstream political arena.
How Milliband performs could decide if he gets the chance for a David v David election battle next time round.
Now that Lisbon is an accomplished fact, surely it's better for concerned citizens to make use of those democratic avenues available to us instead of boycotting the serious debate on Europe? See for example this article, http://tinyurl.com/yhopcne - an online campaign hoping to be the first to utilise Lisbon's "Citizens Initiative" provision. Grassroots campaigns like this can and will make a difference in the new Europe, of that I am sure.
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt that engaging voters and enpowerng them through choice is the only way the EU can last in the long term - something short termist politcians never truly seem to advocate. I agree that people on both sides of the debate need to get involved and participate and the CI is a good place to start.
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