Where’s the Gain?
Miliband seems to think it is worthwhile ratifying the Lisbon treaty despite it having been vetoed by Ireland. Why?
1. The EU bigwigs have demanded 26 ratifications.
If everyone else signs up, it is easier to see the Ireland vote as a hiccough rather than a final breath. They will likely ignore the fact that 100% of the countries given the chance to decide to sign up decided to reject it.
2. It keeps the Tories in a sticky spot.
Cameron clearly opposed the Treaty, and gambled that the country would reject it in a referendum. He was denied the opportunity by the Labour and LibDem promise-breaking, so Ireland’s decision seemed like a gift. Labour hope to milk this for what it’s worth, though. Cameron avoided ripping his party up over Europe again, but he will soon find that sweeping difficult issues under the carpet is no alternative for tackling rebels. The damage this does Labour is nothing to the damage it does the Tories - at least Labour have an (almost) consistent policy on Europe, referenda aside.
What should Miliband do? If he won’t do as I suggested earlier, he should at least accept that the decision to break his referendum promise was wrong.
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