"We Will Not Let Matters Rest There"

The heading is the Conservative Party 'response mantra' when questioned on their position, if and when they assume power and the Lisbon Treaty has been ratified.

The Times has an article detailing the call by Lord Tebbit requiring David Cameron to 'clarify' the Conservative Party's 'position'. Lord Tebbit states:

"It’s perfectly clear that when David Cameron originally gave his undertaking it was nothing about the Irish vote at all. It was an undertaking that there would be a referendum. End of message. Full stop. And I think the party would expect that he would stick to that undertaking. My understanding is that they’ve reneged on that commitment and if the Irish vote Yes and the treaty is ratified throughout the community Mr Cameron’s only commitment is that he will not let the matter rest there. I don’t know what that means.”

Lord Tebbit is not the only person who does not know what 'We will not let matters rest there' means - and he and us, the electorate, would do well to recall this exchange which took place at a 'Cameron Direct' meeting at Stoke Hill Junior School, Near Exeter, on the 8th May 2009. Note both questions and answers are within quotation marks, meaning they are direct quotes.

Question:

"Mr. Cameron, you have promised the country a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty when you become Prime Minister. Unlike the Labour Party, who reneged on this promise, can we be assured that this is going to happen?"

Answer:

"Yes, I have always said that I will give you a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, as long as the Treaty is not in force by the time we get into office."

Question:

"If the Lisbon Treaty has been ratified by the 27 countries and is in force at that time - what will you do then?"

Answer:

"If the Treaty is in force by the time we get into office it will have already in place a President and other pieces of legislation, therefore we will have to live with that and try and change from within the areas that matter to Britain."

So there we have it - 'We will not let matters rest there' means the United Kingdom would have to accept a 'fait accompli', but it also contains another empty 'politician's promise', a promise which they haven't a hope - this side of hell - of fulfilling.

Yet another definition and enactment of 'democracy' - only this time from what is supposed to be a Conservative Party that 'trumpets' its belief in 'freedom' and 'democracy'.

Some 'freedom', some 'democracy'!