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Business of the House (Lisbon Treaty) (No. 8)

The hon. Lady is of course entitled to her view, but if we had had an opportunity to debate a number of those amendments, powerful cases would have been made. Because of the way in which the debate was structured, it was not possible to do so. The Government's whole case against a referendum is based on the alternative of detailed parliamentary scrutiny. We have not had detailed parliamentary scrutiny. The Government do not deserve to get away with this, and on Wednesday, hon. and right hon. Members will have a vital opportunity to prevent them from doing so. I shall end, as I have taken quite a lot of interventions, with an editorial from The Times today, which is entitled ““Let The People Speak””. It says:"““Institutional subterfuge, such as that in which the Government has engaged, will do great harm to the reputation of Parliament, will increase the contempt felt for the EU by much of the electorate and make a mockery of the 'new', more inclusive, politics which the Prime Minister insists that he favours.””" We agree. We say that these debates have been rigged from start to finish for the Government's convenience. We say, ““Let the people decide””.