Parliament is sovereign and no EU treaty which is in the contemplation of anyone, other than crazed Federalists in the Commission, would involve surrender of this sovereignty. As such, there is and would be no problem for Parliament to pass an Act which repeals, as a whole or in part, any previous Act which binds us into the EU.

Hence, if we wish to leave the EU we can and will be able to do so at any time. It is our own politicians whom we should castigate for the UK's surrender to the EU. In particular, the Conservatives must never be forgiven. For it is under Conservative administrations that the first and all the most significant subsequent sell outs have taken place.

In short, our own politicians are complicit in the this grotesque confidence trick.

Ultimately, the EU will fold up or shrink because it impoverishes its peoples. When China and Russia start to turn the screw economically there will be rebellion. Meanwhile don't expect anything new from Gordon Brown.

Iain Cassie, London,

which part of we don't want the e.u. doe's goverment not
understand I will say it if no body else will the UK people
are an island race and very proud and that's the way its
going to stay ,the goverment tell the world we are part of
Europe well did Europe side with us on Iraq NO NO NO
well Mr brown and his party may think that we the
middle-class under dogs of the UK are stupid and fools
but as you all know at the next general election we are
going to commit you to the history books.

george william taylor, hull, uk

One would have assumed, that after the entire Iraq-thing, the first, second and last thing on Brown's to-do list would be to reclaim at least some smallish fraction of the UK's sovereignty from the US...
Silly me! Crapping on the Continentals is SOOOO much more fun, isn't it?

Roel, Leuven, Belgium

Blair is tiresome . He has still to answer for his arrogant mismanagement and ego based decisions that cost so many lives .

eric courtney, sarasota, USA

I detect the apologists already beginning their spin. Having tried "tidying up exercise" It now appears we are being offered a choice between "minimum" and "minilist"
Nonsense Mr Riddell we are being sold the same old pack of lies.
As for a "troika" with France and Germany : Get real !

Peter Bolt, Redditch, UK

There is no doubt that the EU is in need of reform, there are many of aspects of institutional reform that must be tackled to allow for more accountable, transparent, democratic decision-making. This includes clarifyinging the relationship between people and the institutions. There are many forms of citizen participation, as well as a referendum, this should include a deliberative forum of citizens to define ordinary people's priorities. Only by giving citizens direct involvement can trust be restored.
See for example the Power Inquiry's recent European Citizens' Consultation - UK

Oli Henman, London,

"Britain is seen yet again as the awkward laggard" - I seem to remember the French and the Dutch voted it out - we never got a shout in the matter.

The ONLY problem is that any constitution will undoubtedly be written by the gang of career politicians who infest our European countries living at public expense having never made a contribution to society.

Constitutions are too important to be left up to politicians who will only ever write rules that keep themselves in power.

KR, Stockport,

It's hardly necessary for Hague to restrict his demand for a referendum to "any new treaty that transfers power from Britain to the EU". There'd be little point in a new treaty if it didn't transfer power from the member states to the EU, just as all the preceding treaties have done. It's just a pity that the Conservatives didn't see the need for referendums on those earlier treaties, because if they had we (and the rest of the EU member states) would certainly not have got into such a mess. Still, there is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repenteth ...

Denis Cooper, Maidenhead,

I simply do not understand the new for yet more debate and argument on this issue. The EU knows what it wants, and is determined to get it.

The British people know what the EU wants, and reject it by a large and growing majority.

What else does anyone need to know? We should get out now, while we can, before we are sucked even deeper into this mess and before we find that the EU have sneaked through a Treaty change which removes our current right to leave on an unilateral basis.

Idris Francis, Petersfield, UK

It shouldn't be a case of worrying about the constitution, what is needed is a reduction in the democratic deficit which the eu has already, the constitution only serves to enhance that problem. The UK government should either stop the flow of power to the eu, or have a referendum on when we should distance ourself from the political aspects of this entity. There is no value for the people of the UK to be ruled from an unelected body which only has one UK member, Mandelson. We need the democratic governance of our country to be returned to the national government, rather than the inherently corrupt eu.

Barry Davies, Stafford, UK

Better off out than having mendacious politicians selling our sovereignty cheaply do they can granstand at EU summits.
I don't give a toss what is acceptable to Frau Merkel or can be sold to Sarko. What counts is the views of the British people whos' views should be heard in a referendum.

Mike, Brighton, UK

Why the hell should we have to worry about what is 'acceptable' to peole in other countries with a completely separate history of social development?
Membership of the EU is dragging us down to a point where we will not even recognise ourselves any more. Why on earth have we become so frightened of being ourselves? Well I think the answer is that we haven't really - we are simply too passive as a people to stand up to the posturing idiots in parliament who are leading us down this ridiculous path.
If the people in Europe can't trust each other not to invade or declare war that should be a matter for them to sort out. The best thing for us to do is to stand well apart from their mess and keep our own defences well up to the task of repelling their incursions when they lurch in our direction.
As things are, they are being enabled to emasculate us through EU law. Our politicians have a duty to stop that in its tracks: And who wants Brown leading us anyway? Very few if any! Monstrous!!

D. O'Rorke, Farnham, Surrey

Every new EU agreement, whatever more modest goals it pursues, has a (usually tacit) aim of increasing the scope of EU power and influence. This is true even when it purports to limit central power - remember subsidiarity?

Can we please have an answer from a competent consitutional lawyer to one short question: what options remain open to preserve and if possible extend our areas of independence?

As a layman, I am very much afraid that our only realistic choice is to denounce the Treaty of Rome and leave the Union. This would be a sad thing, but perhaps necessary.

Michael Bruce, Selby, Yorkshire