The EU stitch-up

Vast swathes of coverage in the papers today about the EU stitch-up in Lisbon yesterday. Charles Moore in the Telegraph is especially good. Matthew Paris in The Times is also characteristically sound. But there is plenty more in this vein and you hardly need me to point you to it.

But there is one point that can never be stated enough. The government, now led by Gordon Brown, categorically promised a referendum on the EU Constitution/Treaty. It has reneged on this promise. In other words, it has lied.

Furthermore, it knows it has lied, just as parliament knows it has lied, the media knows it has lied and much of the public knows it has lied.

Needless to say, Brown is banking on the fact that sooner or later we will all become thoroughly bored by the whole question and that the most obvious political consequence will be only that, as with Maastricht, continuing controversy will highlight splits in the Conservatives.

I think he is wrong. It's only a feeling. But I have a strong sense that the whole business is going to blow up in his face. In short, that people are fed up with being pushed around by Brown and his smug ilk. Specifically, that they are fed up with being lied to.

I hope to God I am right.