European Union (Amendment) Bill

Let me take a step back to what I was saying. Tony Blair, the then ““dear leader””, made the announcement on 20 April. Why did we make the announcement then? The answer is simple and straightforward: because we wanted to park the issue out of the way in the run-up to the general election. We wanted to have the referendum after the general election, so that the forces of darkness on the other side of the Chamber would not have that weapon to beat us with during the general election. I welcomed that; I saw it as a great advantage to us, as it prevented us from giving the forces of darkness a weapon that they would have used against us. I was also strongly in favour of a referendum. Let us be absolutely clear that it was not the case that the Prime Minister agreed to have a referendum on the basis of detailed knowledge of the exact wording of the constitution. It was an evasive tactic, which I am glad to say was successful, and we went on to win the general election. From that arose the commitment in our manifesto. I am glad to say that I have my copy of that little red book with me today. Unlike some hon. Friends on the Labour Benches, I was never a Maoist or a Trotskyist, so it is the only little red book that I have. People can usually spot the former Maoists and Trotskyists, because they become the most extreme exponents of new Labour.