Lisbon Strikes! (sort of)

The BBC is reporting that the Government has attempted to prevent MPs, (from both parties) to scrutinise the decision to 'opt in' to the controversial EU-US anti-terrorism data-sharing deal, for the eight week period allowed under the Lisbon Treaty. (Allowed? how nice of them!)

It looks likely that MEPs will throw out the proposed deal; it's not popular in other EU countries. But not only is Britain's special relationship with the US at risk because of our obsession of being part of the 'normally anti-American' French EU, there's a clear desire from this Government to ride roughshod over Parliament.

Michael Connarty, the Labour chairman of the Commons European scrutiny committee, is right when he said:

"It's quite clear that someone is treating this Parliament with disdain and contempt, we are worried that the EU will push these things aside and the government will just fall over and let them do what they wish."

Where are the UK voter's wishes in all of this? What's evident yet again is that part of Britain's problem is not just that it's subservient to the EU but the willingness of MPs and British bureaucrats to bend over and accept whatever the EU throws at us, as some kind of compensation for the rest of the country being Eurosecptic and not being part of the Euro like the good EU citizens that we should be.

Will the Tories be any different? History suggests not.