Caroline Lucas On The Lisbon Treaty

Caroline Lucas was recently quoted on BBC Politics Online regarding the Lisbon Treaty. Below is the full text of the unedited quote which Caroline gave to the BBC:

"The Green position demonstrates that it's perfectly possible to have a progressive pro-European perspective which is at the same time opposed to the Treaty of Lisbon. I voted against the Corbett and Mendez de Vigo report on the Treaty to register my objection to the arrogance and disregard shown by political leaders throughout the EU towards the wishes of EU citizens, and to state very clearly that I believe the people of the EU should be given a referendum on this issue.

"The Treaty of Lisbon is essentially a repackaging of the old Constitution, which was rejected by France and the Netherlands - two countries where referenda have been allowed. As key architect of the original text, Valery Giscard D'Estaing, himself has said: "The proposals in the original constitutional treaty are practically unchanged. They have simply been dispersed through the old treaties in the form of amendments."

"I don't oppose the principle of a constitution. But I oppose this
particular one (and the Treaty which reproduces it) because EU citizens deserve better. While the Treaty of Lisbon includes some positive measures, in my view these are outweighed by negative ones - the further militarisation of the EU, for example, as well as measures to promote greater economic liberalisation and privatisation. Worse, it squanders a unique opportunity to put sustainability and climate security genuinely at the heart of the Union, and fails to bring the EU institutions closer to
European citizens.

"The Green Party's vision of the European Union is one based on peace, democracy, and social justice. We have a vision of a Green Europe, which enforces ambitious policies for a more sustainable future, and which allows for rich cultural and social exchange between nations and regions."

Not sure I 100% agree with all of that, but it is at least ten times more honest than most of the guff on the subject coming from the politicians of the three largest parties. I would prefer a confederal Europe which cooperates on agreed policies, rather than a federal Europe which enforces them. Representative democracy is flawed at the best of times and on the smallest of scales. When we get to European level, even a really representative democratic system where the elected reps held real power would be questionable in terms of accountability and connection of reps to their constituents, and that is not what we are being offered at the moment. The whole direction of travel in Europe with the Lisbon Treaty is towards an inflexible and authoritarian, bureaucratic and centralised corporate vassal state.