|
Blair faces clash over move to kill EU treaty
 Tony Blair was on a collision course with fellow European leaders last night over Government plans to kill off the EU constitution if, as now seems almost certain, the Dutch follow the French and reject it in their referendum tomorrow. As Mr Blair's counterparts abroad demanded no let-up in the drive to ratify the document, the Prime Minister called for "a time for reflection", while Whitehall began preparing the ground for a full-scale U-turn on the commitment to put it to the vote in Britain. Bertie Ahern, the Irish prime minister, confirmed that his country would soldier on with plans to hold a referendum on the text. He is one of a number of leaders still trying to save the constitution from destruction. However, Foreign Office sources said that a second No vote in four days from a founding member state, this time the Netherlands, would make it impossible for the ratification process to continue in Britain and across the continent. Such an outcome seemed almost guaranteed as the latest opinion polls indicated that the Dutch majority against the constitution would be even bigger than the French - and might approach a landslide.Posted by: Fred 2005-05-31 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=120401 |