"26 down just one to go for the Lisbon Treaty"

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Quote:

Quote:f you don't believe that this treaty will draw law makers across Europe inevitably towards unitiary actions, with that being one of the very purposes, no less! Then that's your thing.


How could I be so myopic!?!

Of course the Treaty will lead to ever closer political co-operation, and the next treaty will grant even more powers to the EU, and so on until something that looks very much like a Federal Europe is proposed. You seem to be inferring that this is something I am in favour of, if so then you are wrong. Given a vote on Lisbon, (which is highly unlikely in the UK unless the Czech President is going to hold out for another 7 months) I would vote no. However, I fail to see how misrepresenting the contents of the treaty advances the debate.

We'll I'm not relying on tea leaves. We'll just have to "wait" and see what comes to pass.

[TriWooOx]

'Too late' to stop Lisbon Treaty, concedes last EU leader left to sign

Quote:The only EU leader who has not yet signed the Lisbon reform treaty has conceded he will not be able to derail it.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus's admission has paved the way for the document to become law.

The treaty has already been signed by the leaders of the other 26 EU states but had been put in doubt by Mr Klaus's last-minute objection over World War Two property claims.

Some had speculated he wanted to delay signing until after a general election in Britain, in the hope the Conservatives would be victorious and call a referendum.

Mr Klaus said: 'I will not and cannot wait for the British election. They would have to hold it in the coming days or weeks.'

He had demanded an opt-out to shield his country from property claims by Germans expelled after the war.

The new hurdle raised concern it could require new talks and another agreement by all EU members, threatening to undo years of diplomatic work to create an acceptable treaty.

But eurosceptic Mr Klaus, an admirer of Margaret Thatcher, told newspaper Lidove Noviny that despite his opposition to the charter, it had gone too far for him to stop it.

He said: 'I do not consider the Lisbon Treaty to be a good thing for Europe, for the freedom of Europe, or for the Czech Republic.

'However, the train has already travelled so fast and so far that I guess it will not be possible to stop it or turn it around, however much we would wish to.'

His signature is the last missing from the treaty after Irish voters approved it in a second referendum and Polish president Lech Kczynski signed up last week.

The treaty has been designed to streamline the EU's decision making process following its expansion from 15 to 27 members.

Critics, including Mr Klaus, have described it as an attempt to create a European super-state that will rob nations of their sovereignty.

He must wait for a ruling by the Constitutional Court on a challenge to the treaty filed by a group of Czech senators before he can sign it. The court will hold a hearing on October 27.

Mr Klaus's defiant stance on an opt-out was criticised by sections of the Czech media who said he could cast the country into diplomatic isolation.

In the interview he said: 'I never said that is necessary that my 'footnote' would have to be ratified by all member states, along with the whole Lisbon treaty again.

'Similar to that, I have never said that guarantees similar to those that the European Council gave to the Irish ... would not be sufficient for me.'

Ireland's agreement was dependent on a guarantee its neutrality, taxation and abortion laws would not be compromised.

His last minute opposition resounded with Czech voters. A poll showed 65 percent backed him because they feared laws expelling Germans could be circumvented.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/...-left-sign.html