EU-Turn

‘TONY Blair may have no reverse gear, but he doesn’t need one when he can change direction with a nifty little handbrake turn whenever required.

No reverse gear, no brakes

Having insisted that he would not hold a referendum on the proposed new European constitution, the Times claims the Prime Minister is planning to, er, hold a referendum on the proposed new European constitution.

The paper says he is being urged by senior ministers and officials to perform ‘one of the biggest policy U-turns of his premiership’ by agreeing to some kind of poll as part of June’s European elections.

By not holding a referendum, the Times says the Government opens itself up to – Heaven forbid! – ‘charges of arrogance’.

By holding a referendum, the Government hopes not only to wrong-foot the Tories, but also to put French president Jacques Chirac in a bit of a pickle.

He has promised that there will be a vote over the constitution in France, but is said to be reluctant to call one in the present political climate.

The British government, meanwhile, is confident that it will be able to persuade the people that they have nothing to fear from the new constitution.

A hard enough prospect as anyone who has ever had the misfortune to read the Daily Mail will understand, and one that is not made easier by the EU itself.

Today, the Times reports that under a new EU law due to come into effect in a couple of years children as old as 11 will have to sit in booster seats when they travel by car.

From May 2006, children under 1.5m (4ft 11in) tall and 36kg (5st 9lb) will have to sit in one of five types of official car seat.

At the moment, 63% of parents stop using child car seats when their kids are six or younger. Around the age they start joyriding…’

Posted: 15th, April 2004 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink