Riding roughshod over our opinions

8:12am Saturday 17th May 2008

IT is little wonder that people cannot be bothered to vote when politicians so blatantly ignore our wishes.

In Bolton West, the vote to request a referendum on the EU constitution, euphemistically named the Reform Treaty, attracted a larger electoral turn out than the local council elections.

Yet the governing party, including Ruth Kelly MP, chose to insult our intelligence by pretending that the Reform Treaty was not really the constitution by another name.

On that basis she maintained a vote was not necessary.

What is worse, a vote was promised by Labour in their manifesto before the last election, yet they refused to allow us a vote in spite of the clear message from the people that we wanted one.

The Lib Dems were as bad. They, too, promised a referendum in their manifesto and reneged on the promise. Their behaviour was shameful.

As for the Conservatives, they have done more to get us embroiled in the EU than any other party.

Until they apologise for the Maastricht Treaty; they will not get my vote.

Promising us a referendum after all that has gone before cuts no ice with me.

Now that 85 per cent of Britain's laws originate in Brussels the question we should be asking is why we need over 646 MPs to make laws for us.

In so many areas, Westminster merely provides a rubber stamp on EU diktats.

An unemployed school leaver could wield a rubber stamp.

Our real government is in Brussels.

Our laws, both local and national, are made by people we have not elected.

Until we get out of the EU, our votes are wasted.

David Lonsdale Benalmadena Pueblo Malaga Spain

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