UK ratification of Lisbon halted by Courts

BREAKING NEWS: The High Court has "invited" the Government to delay ratification of Lisbon until Stuart Wheeler's case is heard.  Gordon Brown, speaking in Brussels, has agreed to the delay.  If he hadn't accepted the "invitation" there was a likelihood that Mr Wheeler's case would have been heard over the weekend in emergency session - rather than next week, as planned.

Speaking to Radio 4's World at One Mr Wheeler said that he was open to appealing the High Court should it rule against his claim that Labour is bound to honour its manifesto commitment to hold a referendum on the EU Treaty/ Constitution.

3.15pm: Statement from Mark Francois MP, Shadow Europe Minister:

“It is absolutely typical that Gordon Brown thought he could just barge ahead and ram this Treaty through while ignoring the High Court. He has been brought up short.  Of course, given that he’s broken his election promise to the British people, Gordon Brown has no moral or democratic right to sign Britain up to the renamed EU Constitution at all. It would be the height of arrogance and incredibly undemocratic if the Irish people were made to vote twice when the British people haven’t even been allowed to vote once.”

Comments

[Andrew Ian Dodge]

What is that sound? Oh its the swearing in Whitehall and Brussels. Wheeler is a true hero.

[Roger Watson]

Excellent - things just get worse for GB. He should have just held a referendum in the first place and let the people decide, the way things are going that would have been the less damaging option whatever the outcome. He now either pushes ahead regardless of public opinion (assuming the High Court case failes) or has to give in to a referendum.

Whenever GB tries to pick himself up from the last crisis another one comes along and knocks him back down again. It is scary to think we have two more years of this to go!

[Edward Huxley]

Have just heard this. Well done Stuart!
Can`t recall the exact words of the interview, but he appeared to say that in any future negotiations with the EU, David Cameron would need to use the threat of withdrawal.

And so say all of us!

[Peter_M]

Yeeees!

[Robert Eve]

With the Irish result, the Czech possibilities and Stuart Wheeler's court case we may just have enough to finish the whole thing off!! Here's hoping!!

[Alan S]

You need to add Mr Wheeler to ConHome's list of people deserving a peerage!

[Pisaboy]

Seconded Alan. And that Irish chap who organised the No campaign (if that's legal!).

[RichardJ]

Excellent, more sand in the wheels of the EU Project!

[johnC]

According to the BBC, Gordon's exact words were:

'Ratification will not take place of course until we have the judgment'.

Of course. Of course Gordon always intended to wait for the judgment on the case which he has never taken seriously or even mentioned until now. Does he really expect us to believe that ?

[Jim Carr]

Well done, Stuart Wheeler.
Not just on Lisbon, but also on the attempted forced indoctrination of schoolkids with Gore's film of lies.
EU deceptions #1 and #2.
If only Windmill Dave could have shown a little bit of his knowledge of the AGW hoax, along with his courage and indefatiguability, to coin a phrase.

[johnC]

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/newsroom/latest-news/?view=News&id=3827854

Well, according to President Sarkozy, as reported on the Today programme via the Foreign Office website, it's all Mandy's fault.

Good to know he's as popular with his colleagues as ever.

[Up with Euro unity]

The tories are the enemies of Europe. They should learn that Europe is most vulnerable to enemies of freedom when it is weak and divided. Both extrenal and internal enemies of europe demand the EU be destroyed.

Hitler said once "Should one State preserve its national strength and its national greatness the empire of the Jewish satrapy, like every other tyranny, would have to succumb to the force of the national idea.". So swap the words Jewish Satrapy with NWO and you see this is a conspiracy of Hitler invention.

[Tim Roll-Pickering]

Up with Euro unity: I invoke Godwin's Law.

[Michael Heaver]

Stuart Wheeler is a legend. Hopefully his hints at changing allegiance to UKIP are going to become fact in time for 2009's European Elections. :)

[christina Speight]

Up with Euro unity - Where you been lately. The Franco-German axis is trying to dominate Europe just as Hitler did with the aid of vVichy France. Not a good idea.

And haven't you noticed the vituperative bullying from Schultz, Poettering (Krauts both) as well as Sarkozy and his foreign minister of the Irish.

[Malcolm Dunn]

Good news but remember the courts are highly unlikely to go gainst the will of the government. We must kep the pressure on.

[RichardJ]

"The tories are the enemies of Europe. They should learn that Europe is most vulnerable to enemies of freedom when it is weak and divided. Both extrenal and internal enemies of europe demand the EU be destroyed.

"Hitler said once "Should one State preserve its national strength and its national greatness the empire of the Jewish satrapy, like every other tyranny, would have to succumb to the force of the national idea.". So swap the words Jewish Satrapy with NWO and you see this is a conspiracy of Hitler invention."

So you're saying we're part of a Hitler conspiracy to stop the NWO. Or you're saying that Europe should defeat the NWO by uniting.

Either way, go back to the funny farm.

[Richard Calhoun]

Congratulations to Stuart Wheeler, he needs all the support we can give him.

[nigel syson]

Great news !

On the assumption that the Irish can hold out until the General Election Cameron should at the very least promise to repeal the treaty.

It should be clear to that all membership of the EU is incompatible with Parliamentary Democracy, the Commom Law & free trade.

[Robert Eve]

Looks like the Czech's realise No means No

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7465848.stm

[Rod Sellers]

You need to add Mr Wheeler to ConHome's list of people deserving a peerage!

Posted by: Alan S | June 20, 2008 at 14:10

He should get the Order of the Garter awarded personally by the Queen. He may have saved her (and ours) bacon.

[Jim Carr]

Well done, Stuart Wheeler.
Not just on Lisbon, but also on the attempted forced indoctrination of schoolkids with Gore's film of lies.
EU deceptions #1 and #2.
If only Windmill Dave could have shown a little bit of his knowledge of the AGW hoax, along with his courage and indefatiguability, to coin a phrase.

[Dave J]

Political manifestos are not binding contracts: they're enforceable at the ballot box, not in court. As much as I admire the cause here, it's inviting judicial overreach and judicial supremacy.

[Iain]

"Political manifestos are not binding contracts: they're enforceable at the ballot box, not in court. "

Well they should be, for a manifesto is no different from any other service or product we are being sold, and as we expect a commercial operation to meet their part of the contract, if they don't we can sue them for recompense , and not buy any more of their products, I don't see why our politicians shouldn’t be made to meet same contractual integrity. So if they seek to renege on their manifesto promises we should be able to force them to honour their contract through the law, and like all the other producers of services and products, then exercise our consumer choice to no longer buy their product, in the case of politicians not buy their next product at the ballot box.

[Edward Huxley]

Iain is right. What`s the point of a manifesto if they don`t adhere to it?

[Dave J]

That's not my point. My point is that is that if the courts make political questions into justiciable legal issues, there's no reason to have legislative and executive branches of government at all: just have the judges decide everything. Now maybe you think that's actually a good idea, but as someone who's in court almost every day, I'm inclined to think otherwise.

[Margaret Cook]

I have joined this movement a bit late, but I believe in the right of the people to have their say; that's what most of our history has been about. Where have Gordon Brown and his party been lately? WE do NOT want this treaty and we do NOT want to have hundreds of years of hard won rights wiped out of our lives. Keep up the fight, Stuart, please.