Was only 25 days ago that the home secretary John Reid said “The constitutional treaty is no more – it is a diseased dead parrot,” less than a month later now we have Europe minister Geoff Hoon saying in the FT“In the UK it had been assumed that the constitutional question was moribund after the Dutch and French voted No in referendums in 2004. But the “important politics” in those member-states that have ratified the treaty should be recognised, we have got to find a way forward that respects both the obvious problem of those countries that have held a referendum where it has failed, but equally acknowledges that some countries have held a referendum and succeeded. That is an important context. We tend to see it solely from the perspective of a country that has not ratified. But trying to find a solution involves countries that have as well.”

So after all the diseased dead parrot is still sitting on its perch, but Mr Hoon has not finished yet, after making a clown of John Reid he then goes on to suggest that when Gordon Brown becomes Prime Minister he should renege on the promise to hold a referendum on the EU Constitution he said “that moves to streamline decision-making in an enlarged EU could be agreed by the government without being ratified directly by voters”

A decision on a vote would be taken once the outcome of negotiations was clearer “bearing in mind that no previous government has held a referendum on the detailed processes that have been involved in treaty change”

Just a couple of further points Hoon suggests we should recognise those countries the “obvious problem of those countries that have held a referendum where it has failed, but equally acknowledges that some countries have held a referendum and succeeded” that makes only four countries with problems, France and Netherlands voted no Spain and Luxembourg voted yes, all other countries who are holding a referendum have postponed the vote and Britian has suspended the ratification procedure altogether.

In any event as this treaty is being ratified according to the previous agreements, is matters not one jot what other countries have done, it still needs to be ratified by all of the nation states separately before it can be introduced.

In order to ague that no other government has called a referendum on treaty change Hoon calls the document “a treaty” which it is, but it is a “Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe” a Constitution moreover which applies directly to the citizens it is not longer just a treaty between sovereign nations, it is once it is ratified our constitution, hence the need for a referendum it cannot be within the power of one government to simply replace the British constitution without regard to the wishes of the people.