So a Prime Minister is right to not hold a referendum (as promised through manifesto) on the grounds that he might lose it?

That is some democracy being advocated by an ex-diplomat.

Maz, Yorkshire, England

"...to reject a treaty regarded by every single EU government as sound and necessary would make us the pariahs of the union..."
This is the whole point, isn't it. The Treaty has been accepted by the member governments, but not by the actual citizens that these governments purport to represent.
If it is so obvious now that a referendum on the new Treaty is a bad idea, then why did all three parties promise one in their maniifestos in the 2005 General Election? (And don't give me any nonsense about the Treaty not being the same as the Constitution - it is!)

Anthony, London, EU-Region27 (Formerly the UK)

Since our Prime Minister and soon-to-be Lord Mayor has effectively handed
compulsory redundancy notices to our parliamentarians, shouldn't we be
looking towards a change of use for the Palace of Westminster, now that it
has virtually no use as the home for our democracy. Perhaps we could use it
" these are just some ideas" a Mime Theatre, an extension to the
Natural History Museum, a tourist information centre,or perhaps a
contemporary Art Gallery. We could even find a genuine social use for this
useless but expensive land by knocking it down altogether and using the
cleared area for social housing, which could be reserved for our essential
workers such as teachers and nurses. Whatever we do with it we need to be
looking now that applications to the European Union regeneration fund before
the cash runs out

Ron Baxter, Scarborough, north yorks