Thursday 15 July 2010

Tories Approve Of The Lisbon Treaty

Last night in effect the Tories officially agreed with the Lisbon Treaty by voting on a motion approving of the launch of the EU’s External Action Service. The Minister for Europe told the House:
The EEAS was established by the Lisbon treaty, which came into effect last year. As the House will know, my party did not support either the treaty or the creation of the EEAS, but, as my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary told the House in June this year, the EEAS is now a fact.
Hmm, so we don't agree with it but we will vote agreeing with it? All you need to know about the Tories right there. The motion was won by 321 in favour with 12 against. I think it's worth noting the 12 that voted against:

Bone, Mr Peter
Carswell, Mr Douglas
Corbyn, Jeremy
Davies, Philip
Dodds, rh Mr Nigel
Donaldson, rh Mr Jeffrey M.
Lucas, Caroline
Paisley, Ian
Reckless, Mark
Skinner, Mr Dennis
Tomlinson, Justin
Wilson, Sammy

Caroline Lucas of the Green Party the only surprise for me. Does she have reservations about the EU? If she does, going by the views of the Greens I've met including the candidate that stood against me in the General Election, she would be at odds with the rest of her party.

I did like this intervention during the debate by Denis Skinner:
Mr Skinner: Speaking as someone who voted against Nice, Maastricht, Lisbon and God knows what else, I may have made a slight error on the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. On reflection, I think IPSA should run the EEAS; that will cock it up.
My local Tory MP voted for the motion, another letter to him on its way then. Not that it does much good. I wonder where I can get some potassium nitrate from?

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