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The
Rally for a Referendum
Friday 7 November 2003
Church House, Westminster
The Congress for Democracy held a Rally
for a Referendum
at Church House, Westminster, on Friday 7 November. This event
brought together individuals and groups from across the political
spectrum who are campaigning for a referendum on the EU Constitutional
Treaty.
Recent British governments have
accepted that any legislation which is of constitutional significance
and which binds present and future governments must be approved by the
British people in a referendum. The aim of the Rally for a Referendum
is to demonstrate that the Constitutional Treaty fully meets these
criteria, and to call for an early referendum.
The View
from Britain
At the Rally we launched our new publication, A
CONSTITUTION FOR EUROPE - A Legal Assessment of the Draft Treaty,
which examines the Treaty in detail
and gives, in effect, a Counsel’s Opinion on its constitutional
significance. This publication is invaluable in refuting the
claim that the Treaty’s provisions constitute a mere tidying-up of
existing legislation. It was introduced by its author, Martin
Howe QC, the distinguished barrister specialising in
European law.
The Rt
Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP, made the political case against the EU Constitution and for a
referendum. (full speech
here)
Annunziata
Rees-Mogg, Chairman of Trust
the People
will spoke campaigning for a referendum. (full
speech here)
The View
from France
William
Abitbol MEP, Head
of Référendum-France, chaired the
discussion. The Rally was addressed by two
party leaders from France: Philippe de
Villiers, President of Le Mouvement pour la France (full
speech here) and Nicolas
Dupont-Aignan, President of Debout la République (full
speech here).
Finally a panel of MEPs
gave their views on the proposed
Constitutional Treaty. This will be followed by a general discussion.
It has been accepted by
governments across Europe that the Treaty is of sufficient
constitutional significance to require a referendum. We must ensure
that the British electorate is not denied the voice on their
country’s future which has been given to the citizens of other EU
countries.
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