Portugal Chickens Out

[Ambiorix]

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2008
Portugal Chickens Out
http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2008/01/portugal-chickens-out.html#readfurther
by Baron Bodissey
Maria José Figueiredo, a reader in Portugal, wrote several weeks ago in this space about the chance that his country’s government would submit the Treaty of Lisbon to a referendum. It seemed that there was a slim hope that the EUSSR freight train was not entirely unstoppable.

But now, alas, we learn that Portugal will be no impediment to the consolidation of European power in the hands of the unelected tyrants in Brussels.

Here’s the latest news, sent to us today by Maria José Figueiredo via email:

You may recall that a few weeks ago I wrote to tell you that José Socrates, the Portuguese prime-minister, was still considering the possibility of ratifying the Treaty of Lisbon through a referendum.

Well, he is not anymore.

His party has decided, and he plans to tell Parliament today, that the Treaty is going to be nationally approved only in Parliament.
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He is going to give four reasons for that, two concerning internal politics, two others rather peculiar and telling: first, that the Treaty of Lisbon is a different document from the one he has repeatedly committed himself to ask the people’s approval to — namely, the European Constitution — so he is not bound by any promises to consult the people about this one; and second, that going for a referendum would inevitably create a “contamination effect”, likely leading to the non approval of the Treaty, e.g. in the United Kingdom — and we don’t want that, do we?

I’m sorry about all the false hopes I have helped to create, none less in myself, believe me.

The fate of Europe now hangs on the slenderest of threads: ratification by the Danish parliament (all but certain), and a promised Irish referendum. Labour earlier promised the UK a referendum, too, and we saw what happened to that idea.

Gates of Vienna has plenty of European readers, so I’ll put the question to them: what else is left that could possibly stop the EUSSR train wreck?