After the magnificent votes against the EU Constitution in France and Holland, those here who want to try to save the tatters of a Treaty are desperate to deny a similar vote to British workers. So Kinnock, on behalf of Brussels as ever, immediately declared the Constitution dead, seeing this as the best way to try to salvage it by bringing it in some other way. But the Treaty — signed by Blair — is still there. Straw followed Kinnock's lead, telling Parliament that the British referendum would be put on hold.
A British vote would kill it. Now we want our say. A year ago Blair smirked as he signed the Treaty establishing the Constitution — a constitution which would hand over British sovereignty to a European state to decide our affairs. He did this in our name, without asking us what we thought (because he knew). We should never have permitted it. That signature remains on the document, until we undo the treachery. We want our referendum. If they are set to deny us, then why not run one ourselves?
Where was the voice of the British unions after the French and Dutch votes? Are they ashamed of so many in the ranks who have willingly echoed Blair's betrayal — or just hiding from the sight of those jubilant crowds of workers, young and old, black and white, town and country, celebrating the overwhelming No votes in their countries? We should demand of our organisations, the trade unions, that they organise for us to kill off this fascistic constitution.
The ruling class wants the constitution badly — because it would lock us in to a system which would take apart the nations and working classes of Europe, turning us into itinerant, rootless wage slaves for easier exploitation by a declining and ever more vicious and warlike capitalism. For Constitution read profits, pure and simple. Capitalism unconstrained by nations. They are now desperate to find a way to keep the Treaty alive.
The utter disarray in their ranks following the votes should show us what power we have when we decide to assert ourselves. The French and Dutch voted no in their millions in spite of all the weapons of the state deployed to persuade them otherwise, including vast sums of euromoney. Now the euro's possible demise is openly discussed — remember how we were told this could never happen?
The people of Britain must demand their referendum. The Constitution is not so much dead as undead — we must put a stake through its heart and finish it off.