Friday, 1st May 2009
Conservatives launch campaign for a referendum
The government must grant the British people a referendum on the EU Constitution, Scottish Conservative MEP, Struan Stevenson, said following the launch this week of David Cameron’s new campaign demanding the government honours its manifesto commitment.
Mr Cameron launched a poster calling on the government to make its next u-turn an EU-turn.
In its 2005 manifesto, Labour said: “The new Constitutional Treaty ensures the new Europe can work effectively...We will put it to the British people in a referendum.” Despite Gordon Brown's assurances in June 2007 that honouring that manifesto was "an issue of trust for me with the electorate", he has failed to deliver on that pledge.
Struan Stevenson said:
"All main political parties promised the public a vote on whether we hand over more powers to the EU; but only the Conservatives have kept their promise.
"The Lisbon Treaty is significant because it fundamentally alters the way in which we are governed. Not only would the EU have a President and Foreign Minister, it would also have a legal personality enabling it to sign treaties.
"This campaign is important. It is about giving people a voice over the way they are governed and maintaining trust between politicians and the electorate.
"If elected Prime Minister, David Cameron will rightly hold a referendum on the Treaty if it is not already in force. However we should also continue to put pressure on Gordon Brown to hold one now. I urge as many Scots as possible to sign up to our campaign on Facebook to demand their voice is heard.
"Scotland will have an opportunity to tell Gordon Brown what it thinks of his broken promise on June 4th. Labour and the LibDems cannot be trusted and UKIP will not deliver nor are they ever likely to form a UK Government. Only the Conservatives will give people their say."
