POLITICS: UK Postpones Referendum on EU Constitution Indefinitely

After the rejection of the proposed EU Constitution by both French and Dutch voters, Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that the UK would postpone the planned British referendum on the treaty indefinitely. According to the terms of the EU treaty, all EU nations would have had to approve it before taking effect. The Constitution faced almost certain defeat in the British referendum had it been held.



This only makes sense. Why would the Brits want to waste money holding a referendum on a treaty that is already dead? At this point, Europeans really need to do some reflection and determine whether or not they really want to give up their sovereignty to a true united EU government with a clear, readable constitution or have the EU remain a system of treaties between independent states.

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
NEWS: France Votes "Non" to EU Constitution, Calls for Chirac to Stand Down
POLITICS: Dutch Say 'Nee' to EU Constitution

[edit on 6/6/2005 by djohnsto77]

And Tony Blair is breathing a huge sigh of relief that it was the French and the Dutch and not the British that has caused this derailment.

Originally posted by hands
And Tony Blair is breathing a huge sigh of relief that it was the French and the Dutch and not the British that has caused this derailment.

you mean the mess isnt in his backyard.

by by EU constitution, you wont be missed. All we need is for Italy and Gremany to withdraw from the Euro and the EU dream is as good as dead...

Originally posted by rustiswordz

you mean the mess isnt in his backyard.

by by EU constitution, you wont be missed. All we need is for Italy and Gremany to withdraw from the Euro and the EU dream is as good as dead...

From what I read over the weekend - Italy looks like a prime candidate for being the first to pull out of the Euro.

And yes - Tony Blair can smugly say it isn't my fault that the constitution fell. What I find highly amusing and if true - worthy of political respect - is that the French only announced a referendum after TB announced the intention to hold one in the UK and held it now just so that Chirac could say to Blair - 'now you deliver your electorate' :-)

What i wonder is if the British uncertainty over the euro had an effect on its demise. Had the British participated then maybe it would have been a different story.

Its certainly going to be interesting to see how things proceed from here. This particular turn of events will press the pause button on a lot of Biblical end time predictions regarding the EU constituting the reformation of the Roman Empire.

Personally I think the ratification of the EU is an inevitability. And in the words of the Project for the New American Century, "the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event – like a new Pearl Harbor."

[edit on 2005/6/7 by wecomeinpeace]

I have to agree there.

But hopefully, it won't come about until it is a "real" constitution. One designed to protect individual liberties and promoting growth of more than the pocketbooks of big manufacturing and financial cartels. Something on the order of what the American constitution was designed to be, before lawyers and lawmakers found ways to pervert and twist it to their own ends.

A proper EU constitution will cause a coalescence of it's own accord, and won't require partisan politics and massive propaganda to force it to work.

What's going to happen to the Euro? Will the currency still be around or will that fail as well? A lot of ultra-rich who made fortunes on the creation of the Euro won't want to lose their cash cow.

Originally posted by wecomeinpeace
Its certainly going to be interesting to see how things proceed from here. This particular turn of events will press the pause button on a lot of Biblical end time predictions regarding the EU constituting the reformation of the Roman Empire.

Personally I think the ratification of the EU is an inevitability. And in the words of the Project for the New American Century, "the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event – like a new Pearl Harbor."

[edit on 2005/6/7 by wecomeinpeace]

I hope the European Union is finished, it has been nothing than a money box for people who are supposed to be in power. The corruption has been massive , Governments do not take any notice or EU rules if its against them , ie France. People in Britain have to live with Kilos instead of pounds and meters instead of miles. I cant deal with this and hope it all collapses in a heap. Lets get back to being a Sovereign state and just trade with each other.

Originally posted by Bulldog 52
People in Britain have to live with Kilos instead of pounds and meters instead of miles.

The UK should just ratify the U.S. Constitution, you'll get your pounds and miles back

I'm sure you'd love that idea Bulldog!

No way you have to much debt but keep on making 24 on tv im hooked.

Originally posted by djohnsto77
The UK should just ratify the U.S. Constitution, you'll get your pounds and miles back

We've got our pounds and our miles! (only just though!)

If we ratify the US Constitution we'd have to accept the dollar ... :-)

However, it is interesting that there have been a few noises in the press that have put forward the alternative of becoming a part of the United States of America than any further leanings towards Europe...

Originally posted by hands
If we ratify the US Constitution we'd have to accept the dollar ... :-)

However, it is interesting that there have been a few noises in the press that have put forward the alternative of becoming a part of the United States of America than any further leanings towards Europe...

It's probably unlikely, but it could happen over the long term future if the EU fails to unite...

It would mean big changes to both the UK and the U.S., you'd have to adopt the dollar, abolish the monarchy and all titles of nobility, form republican state governments and repeal all treaties with foreign nations to join. The U.S. would be changed by the influx of new states with a lot of new voters with quite different political views. British people could run for the office of U.S. President.

There was a link posted on ATS months ago to a site that advocated that the UK, Canada and Australia all become part of the U.S. under its Constitution, but I can't find it now.

Here's the U.S. Constitution, though it did have some problems most have been fixed by Amendment. It's a rare case where law and poetry came together to form one document: U.S. Constitution

Well, while we're delving into complete, unadulterated fantasy, why not consider the other way around and have the U.S. become part of the United Kingdom. You'd have to adopt the pound. Governors and Presidents would become MPs and Prime Ministers, and would actually represent the people in parliament. You'd have to gossip about the royals, drink tea & biscuits, get drunk at the pub instead of a bar, learn to play cricket, soccer or rugby, and watch lots of crappy soapies from Australia.

Yes, what a glorious transformation it would be.