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Business of the House (Lisbon Treaty)

Of course it is, and I did refer to this issue in passing while my right hon. Friend was briefly out of the Chamber. I am one of those who are midway between the party’s official position and his. I find much of this treaty acceptable, and some of it I do not. However, the fact is that if it is going to be debated in a parliamentary forum, and if the people are not to be given the chance to have a say—as I believe they should, because of the precedent that has been set—there must be the fullest possible debate and scrutiny. The right hon. Member for Leicester, West talked about people becoming disillusioned with Parliament. They are disillusioned, not mainly for the reasons to which she alluded, but because Parliament has indeed been emasculated. We are a minor talking shop on the fringe of British politics—that is what we have become during the last decade.