The post you are reporting:
You can see though why so many people get so hot and bothered over the EU.
The Minister for Europe, a second rate Blair babe called Caroline Flint, admitted yesterday that she has not read the Lisbon Treaty.
It was during a European Committee meeting when the treaty was key to the documents they were debating. She was being very vague with her answers and was challenged, hence her admission. She did say she had been briefed on some it it. Not really good enough for a Minister, discussing their own ministerial brief when facing a Committee debate.
To recap, this is the 'Treaty' that was originally called a Constitution, which was rejected by several countries in referenda, only to be brought back renamed a Treaty to avoid all but Ireland having to have more of those annoying referenda. The Irish, bless 'em, then rejected it in their referendum but are going to be forced to vote again because they did not give the EU the answer it wanted.
We, of course, were promised a referendum too in the election by the Government, but then they reneged on that.
Flint's admission is even more astonishing therefore given just how controvercial this is.
It is not as if its not an important issue, look at what it covers:
A new EU president
An EU foreign minister
An EU diplomatic service
The European Court of Justice having jurisdiction over key elements of criminal legislation (including arrests and sentencing)
More powers for Europol
The EU setting uniform standards for asylum seekers
Legally binding status for the Charter of Fundamental Rights
The abolition of national vetoes and new areas where no veto will apply
And probably worse of all a ratchet clause allowing the EU to abolish any non-defence national veto without a new Treaty.
What is extraordinary is that not having read it she offered opinions on it and appears in Hansard as saying the Lisbon treaty is good for the United Kingdom and good for Europe. I suppose then she was told to say that and not to bother her pretty little head about why, I can just picture Mandelson saying that.
OK, Ken Clarke also made a simular blunder in admitting he had not read the Maastricht Treaty but at least he was not the Minister responsible for it. Even so he rightly got into a lot of hot water at the time.
Is this really the way to govern? Blind leading the blind, not quite, those being led know a damn site more than those doing the leading.
