European Union (Amendment) Bill

I certainly believe that it would send us to the margins of Europe, which would be very damaging to the national interest. At every stage the Lisbon treaty amends existing treaties instead of replacing them, contrary to what was done by the constitutional treaty. The constitutional treaty restarted the EU from scratch. It abolished previous treaties, and created a new one. The constitutional treaty did not make special provision for Britain in respect of justice and home affairs. The reform treaty does, in inordinate detail and in respect of all JHA measures. The constitutional treaty left open the opportunity for the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks to advance specious arguments about a European superstate. Those are the reasons why the Law Society of England and Wales says that this treaty"““does not have the same ambitions as the previous Constitutional Treaty””." It is why eight European Governments who promised a referendum on the constitution no longer consider it necessary. It is why the Conservative Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mr. Balkenende, has said:"““We are not talking about a Constitution. The Constitution has gone.””" It is why Giuliano Amato, who was prayed in aid by the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks, says that what was agreed was ““a cluster of amendments””, not ““a new constitution””. It is why Professor Damian Chalmers, a leading authority at the London School of Economics, says that this is"““probably the most limited reform, with the exception of the Treaty of Nice, that we have seen in the last twenty years.””" So the content of the treaty does not justify a referendum, and the comparison to other treaties does not either. The Single European Act—which was piloted through the House by the Conservative party—set out the terms for the creation of a single market, created the concept of the convergence of economic and monetary policies, and provided for co-operation on foreign policy. No referendum was required; I wonder why. [Hon. Members: ““Why?””] The reason why is that it did not shift the balance of power in this country. The treaty of Maastricht—