Ireland says 'No'

The BBC are reporting that the Irish have voted 'No' in their referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

Good for them!

Let's hope that buries the plan and allows a new relationship between the countries of the Union to be negotiated. Let's also hope that the negotiation is carried out by a Conservative Government which will stand up for the UK's rights and ensure a repatriation of our eroded sovereignty from the EU.

I'm voting, are you?

Estonia's General Election is on March 4th. This advert is appearing to encourage people to vote. The people are the well known Estonians in different fields (yes, they do exist).

The message on the shirts means 'I will vote, and you?'.




Perhaps we should organise similar adverts for the next local or general elections. Who would you choose? For me: Johnny Wilkinson, Dame Judy Dench, Cliff Richard, Richard Branson and Lord Coe.

Useless fact and Eurovision Link: Ines (laulja - which means singer) sang the 2000 Estonian Eurovision entry 'Once in a Lifetime', it came fourth.

Another EU Constitution

The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, (right) proposes placing the reintroduction of the EU Constitution at the heart of the German presidency of the EU over the next six months.

Her Europe Minister justified the move on The World at One by saying that while France and the Netherlands had rejected the Constitution in referenda, eighteen countries had ratified it.

From memory, 15 or 16 of these countries, including his own, had ratified the constitution with no public vote nor any real debate. Where the Constitution did come under public scrutiny it was voted down decisively.

The EU Constitution was killed off eighteen months ago, that's where it should stay in my opinion, dead and buried.

A parliament for England?

This may be a strange topic to raise on the 300th anniversary of the treaty that lead to the Act of Union. However, my attention was drawn this evening to this report on the BBC.

Apparently Tony Blair believes that an English parliament, in whatever form it might take, is "unworkable" and "unnecessary". The first word that comes to mind reading that is "inequitable". Continuation of the current system is unfair and unless it is dealt with the possibility of dissolution of the Union becomes more rather than less likely.

I'm totally with the Prime Minister when he comments that keeping the Union with Scotland is crucial to both national security and our economy.

However, continuing to allow Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish MPs to vote on matters that only effect England must in the long run be untenable.

I'm not in favour of a separate English Parliament, there are already enough layers of bureaucracy and government. I don't see however why the House of Commons can't sit as an English chamber when it decides purely English policy.

Yes, this may prove problematic on occasions when the UK parliament and the English Chamber have different parties with a majority. The Government, Prime Minister and Cabinet would of course be drawn from the majority party in the UK Parliament. Allowing only English MPs to vote on English issues must however be good for democracy and, ultimately, for the continuation of the Union.