The Referendum Lock

When Cameron executed his infamous 'U' turn on granting the British people a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty he said, at the beginning of November 2009:

"We will give the British people a referendum lock to which only they should hold the key......."

With the publication of the "Referendum Lock Bill" it now seems that Ministers will decide what constitutes a "transfer of power". This means that the key to the lock is not held only by the British people, so yet again Cameron has gone back on his word.

Much is made by Cameron and his 'toy government' of what constitutes a transfer of power. Any ceding of a nation state's right to decide the laws - and any aspect of those laws - under which they live is a transfer of power and therefore the loss of a freedom.

Back in 1977 a rather precocious 16 year old, addressing his party conference, had this to say:

"......Half of you may not be here in 30 or 40 years' time, but I will be and I want to be free...... If we should fail now to reverse the progress of socialism, we can write off the future of this party and of the country."

That precocious 16 year old is now, a still precocious, Foreign Secretary and one has to ask him how free he believes he now is. Not only has his own party "veered left" (so yes, voters have "written off" his party), but he now believes it right that Britain should belong to an amalgamation of states who exhibit socialist tendencies and beliefs (so, contrary to what he said all those years ago, we must presume he is content to "write off" this country).

While there exists politicians who believe that they - and only they - have the right to decide Britain's fate and in so doing ignore the voices of those who they are supposed to represent, the British people will never be free.