The EU conveyor belt

I've not made my feelings known about the EU yet, but the time has come to muse about this never ending process. The Lisbon treaty is just about to go through the House of Commons for its second reading.

The EU issue has been burning through Britain's psyche for years. The British public have been lied to, misled and treated with contempt year after year.

For a start, when Britain went into the EEC back in 1973, the general consensus was that this was to be a trading block more powerful and close nit than Efta. Maybe, if we'd studied the treaty of Rome more closely we would have known what to expect. Unfortunately, our politicians did not make it clear. Probably because they didn't know how far the integration would go and what they were letting themselves in for.

The referendum, the only referendum we've had on this important issue, did not state in the question that it would be for "ever closer union". It was "in" or "out", and so the public voted for it.

Since that referendum, every few years there is a new inter-governmental conference where further powers are ceded from national governments to Brussels. Although our Governments have been reluctant to whole heartedly support further integration, for they know that the British public are sceptical, they have been dragged further in. They also know that to put each treaty to the British public would effectively kill it, and harm the relationship with the other European countries.

At each IGC, the EU partners compromise a little bit to bring the British Government in on the act. The Government then jumps through hoops to get it ratified in Parliament, and the British Government becomes complicit in the stitch up.

When any country actually does have a referendum and decides to reject the treaty, the EU decides to do one of two things. Either it thinks that the public of that country have got it wrong and then they have the same referendum later. Alternatively, it re-words the treaty and removes some aspects of the treaty - just enough to get it passed. The referendum is then either put to the people again, or jettisoned and passed by the country's parliament. No matter, the controversial aspects will come back in the next treaty, only there will be even more controversial measures to be argued over.

The political class rules over us and ignores us, again and again. When we protest, we are told that we are wrong. When we ask for the facts, we are told lies. When we are promised something, the promise is reneged (the current treaty for instance).

I am nearly 35, and I have never had the chance to have a say on the never ending conveyor belt. Nobody under the age of 50 has had a say. It is wrong, plain wrong. I want the EU to return to a trading block, with a focus on fighting global poverty and climate change. Unfortunately the politicians at the centre want more power and to move the public as far away as possible, so that we can't get in the way of their plans.

So please, can someone allow us a say? A referendum with a question such as a) Never ending integration, b) Return to Economic trading and global issues and c) Out altogether.

Squiffy.