| Gisela Stuart – what she said then…
On the substance of the Constitutional Treaty
May 21st 2003 (Daily Telegraph) - "In terms of the change of the sovereignty relationship of member states to the union, it is nowhere near as significant as Maastricht or the Single European Act. But, in terms of the way the union works internally, it's more important."
"The case for a referendum comes when it involves transfer of sovereignty. The internal structural changes will actually strengthen the member states."
At the conclusion of the Convention in July 2003 Gisela said:
July 11th 2003 - "This text is an excellent base (...) We have done our best. History will tell us whether we could have done better but I beg history to look kindly upon us".
June 21st 2003 (Birmingham Post) - Gisela insisted the federalists had suffered a major defeat over the past 15 months. 'They are the ones who have been most disappointed by the outcome of this convention. 'They feel an historic opportunity to create a United States of Europe has been missed.'
On the need for a referendum
May 17th 2003, (BBC Radio 4) - In a debate with Tory Boris Johnson on whether a referendum should be held on the Radio 4 Today programme, Gisela said that the Constitutional Treaty amounted to “change and simplification of the way the EU operated" and stated that Mr Johnson was exaggerating in that defence and foreign policy “would not be subject to the (European) court” .The fundamental changes to the EU had come with the Maastricht Treaty, she added.
In the same interview Gisela Stuart said that there should not be a referendum because the UK was "a parliamentary democracy".
In a Commons vote on March 30th 2004, Gisela Stuart voted against a motion that stated:
"That this House believes that the draft European Constitution constitutes a fundamental change to the relationship between the European Union and the Member States and should only be ratified if the British people have freely consented to it in a referendum".
During the Convention:
On 11 November 2002, she told the UK Embassy in Sofia (http://www.csd.bg/en/euro/artShow.php?id=12064):
“Institutionally, I think that the EU of 2007 will look considerably different from the EU we have today. I believe we will have a constitutional treaty, which will probably give the EU a legal personality. It will very likely be an integrated treaty, without the current pillar structure. Instead there will be a streamlined, more clearly defined set of legislative procedures and legal instruments, which themselves will clearly divide intergovernmental policies from community policies.”
“ I would like to see considerable reform of the European Council, with an elected President to replace the current rotating system, which I believe undermines efficiency, as there is no follow-up on priorities that are reset every six months by a different country. If, by producing a constitutional treaty, we are hoping to settle constitutional debates within the EU for at least 20-30 years, to provide a more stable existence, then the entity we create has to give itself a more strategic vision for the future. I believe a President of the Council would be able to do this.”
The Reform Treaty addresses each of these points. What she says now:
15th October 2007 (London Evening Standard) - "Sticking to your guns in defence of a patently dishonest position is not leadership but the soft option and a cop out from a specific promise made to voters.
"The path adopted by the Government is neither honest nor coherent."
16th October 2007 (Various press) - "The red lines are red herrings. It's a matter of trust and integrity. A referendum was promised. It should be delivered. If Labour can't trust the people, why should the people trust Labour?"
"It's a matter of trust and integrity. A referendum was promised. It should be delivered. If Labour can't trust the people, why should the people trust Labour?"
What they say…
17th October 2007 Kevin Maguire (Daily Mirror) - "Dumped by Blair, ignored by Brown, Euro-gob Gisela Stuart is proof that bitterness is unattractive in a Labour MP as she allies herself with Tories by querying the Premier's integrity."
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