In 1825 Russian Decembrist revolutionaries in St Petersburg tried to inspire the peasant masses with the slogan ‘Constantine i constitutsia’ (Constantine and a constitution) as they pressed for Tsar Nicholas I to abdicate in favour of his brother Constantine. Unfortunately, their pre-spin audience simply assumed that Constitutsia was Constantine’s wife, and failed to see the advantage of a different Romanov and his lady over the one already reigning. Here today, Britain is about to get its first ever written constitution, drafted by the obliging Eurocrats of the Convention on the Future of Europe, and binding on us all. Yet ‘we the people’ in whose name this document is being produced have not been asked for the slightest whisper of a comment. Our Dear Leader Mr Blair seems to be hoping that the British are as ignorant and uninterested as the Russian peasants of 1825.
Agreed, the British people are more likely to vote on Pop Idol than to debate the latest directive from Brussels about the Eurobanana. It would be remarkable, though, if a whole new system of government were to be implemented without any reference to their views. But that is what our national leaders seem poised to do. Asked if the government would hold a referendum to ratify the new European constitution, Foreign Office spokesman Neill Sharp hedged that, ‘In the UK the government is committed to the existing system of parliamentary democracy, rather than public referenda.’ According to my cereal-box decoder ring, that means ‘No way, José.’ Mr Blair seems determined to ratify whatever nonsense the Convention produces without so much as asking the people of Britain their opinion.
We should not be surprised. The two sentiments heard most often among the peace marchers in London on 15 February were: ‘The government lies to us, and it doesn’t listen.’
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