Blair should not have been negociating on behalf of a givernment he no longer leads.
We the people MUST have a referendum

Garry Laine, Maryport, Cumbria

So, Michael London LSE, what was the need to put this declaration into the new constitutition (er sorry treaty) if it is 50 years old? Do us all a favour and keep taking Brown's research shilling, but quietly. This is a massive stitch up, totally unwanted, a Weberian management structure rooted more in fascism than Anglo Saxon democracy - and you know it (if you are some sort ofacadmic that is)

Ib, Homerton, UK

It is ironic that the "sell out" is causing such anger and demands for a referendum etc. - surely, had such an EU "high representative" have been in post 4 years ago Britain would never have been able to invade Iraq alongside Bush?

Similarly, many of the trade union rights given in this EU consitution-by-another-name should be welcomed considering "New-Labour" has stalwartly refused to alter any of the Thatcherite anti-union laws that created our "flexible workforce".

K P Mawer, Kingston upon Hull, United Kingdom

There's only one answer - leave the EU. It has become a self perpetuating dynasty rather than the 'Common Market' we favoured at the outset. It can't manage its finances, it favours France and Germany, as the two strongest players, opting out of agreements as it suits them.
It will never have an 'all for one and one for all' corporate identity as it consists of a patchwork of compromises and half promises.
Get out of it while the going is good and use the considerable saving to improve the lot of UK citizens.

trevorjd, Torbay, UK

Typical Blair.
Says one thing and does another.

The man can't be trusted.

K. Urban, London, UK

Not only is Blair the poodle of the USA .but now it seems he is the poodle of France and Germany as well.

Reg Horne, Aylesbury, england

We would love to leave the Political Union EU (as it has become versus the 'Common Market' EU some still living people voted for in 1974), but our Labour government will not allow us to vote on this via a referendum.
Unfortunately for the rest of Europe, they need our net EU budget contribution and our UK market since they export more to us than we export to them, otherwise they would have kicked us out already.

George, London,

Agree this monstrosity must be put to a referendum and Brown will do it if he is serious about retaining a British voice in world affairs. His ratings would go up enormously if he allowed one and gave a wink that he would not be bothered by having it thrown out. At a flash he would have broken with Blair's soiled and tainted legacy.

oldasiahand, Manila, Philippines

The last act of treachery by self-serving weasel.

John Salkeld, Sheffield, England

Very Good: This is excellent if true: This would mean that Britain can't again launch a war because the US wants it to.

We are European not American.. and as such share the European responsibilitry: it works both ways stoping another EU country acting in a stupid "go it alone" fashion.

Who are these war mad idiots who find this a problem?

Peter GODDARD, EPSOM, England, EU

If the ability to defend ourselves and others is being reduced then of course that affects our independence and must be subject to a referendum.

Next step EU replaces France and UK as permanent members of UN?

Why don't MPs represent the public's wishes and insist on a referendum? They are becoming little more than local councillors.

Mike Ansell, Reading, United Knigdom, England

I can never understand why we cut Australia, New Zealand and Canada adrift.
Most of these people are our direct descendants.

These people came to help us during the last European based WW2 and and a great proprtion of their young men laid down their lives to save us from European Domination .

Now they have to queue at the customs to enter our country whilst others virtually have free access.

Let us hope that we never again expect them to fight for what many believe is still their MOTHER COUNTRY.

Bernard Parke, GUILDFORD,

Labour still seem enemy of the working class council estate people who studied through Univ and relied upon NUS etc.
They are all for the rich socialist cheats and public school or church but starve out the modern scientists and English believers.
It is bad that our great talent as a people over the last millennium is being squandered by the people themselves and how they have cornered sport and industry with negativity is horrible.
Very little change seems likely and the Cons. are now back in the Eton, Capitalist fold so little chance of shadow voting giving us an improvement.
It seems a Party suicide and the UK GPFQR Balance sheet is way down from expectations as is proper distribution of incomes and Capital values.

Dr MI Barton MA. MBA.PhD, Oxford, UK

Denis from Dublin. I don't think the UK wants to disrupt the workings of the EU. People want a referendum - they want consultation and choice ! Ireland has had its referendums on EU matters like enlargement, for example . Despite being a major financial contributor to the EU project - the UK voter has been dragged into the heart of Europe by stealth. Our leaders do not want votes on EU issues because ' we may make the wrong decision'. (Quote from a Tory MP re Maastricht Treaty.)

Let's face it - the EU is a government looking for a country to govern. It looks creaky and jaded - and so what if its accounts are not signed off by the auditors !! The UK staying in or out will not make any difference to this relic of yester-century !

dave l, Swindon, Wiltsthire

New Labour would make a car salesman look ethical.

There is a smokescreen of irrelevancy to hide the real condition of the deal. There is a lot of fast talking and fine phrases. The devil, as always, is in the fine print.

The worst of this deal is, we can't choose whether or not to sign. Brown and Blair have sold us the banger, and then signed on our behalf.

The salesmen must be green with envy.

Michael Bruce, Selby, Yorkshire

The problem we have is a lot of people in the UK are tabloid reading backward thinking people.

It's about time people stopped believing all the rubbish that tabloids print and start taking an active involvement in the EU and all it has to offer.

C Parkes, West Midlands,

So Blair has gone. And he went as we may have expected him to - with another broken promise and, I suspect another lie.

There will be a referendum on Europe before we sign a treaty he said.

So what happened this weekend. Not a treaty he says. Everyone else thinks so Mr Blair.

Gene Saunders, London,

There is far to much comfortagle tete-a -tete diplomacy in Europe and is time that the citizens of the UK were allowed to express there feelings about the EU. I, personally, want to see it returned to a free trade zone and far less federalism

Ian Stray, Galhampton,

The Queen Mother lived past 100 years and is reputed to have had her gin daily. Truly a good show!! In the interest of longivity, could you please tell me her prefered brand of the juniper berry. Thanks, Tommy W.

T. Westhafer, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA

Denis, I agree. you obviously like the EU because its put so much into other countries like Ireland. That money comes from "richer" countries like England. Let us get out and save plenty of money. Then lets see if everyone else is happy !

Anthony Harpis, Neasden,

How exactly did these changes slip past our Foreign Office sleuths? There seem to be two options. First, they were spotted but TB was so far into the negotiations that he could not walk away. Second, they were not spotted, and we relied on the Hungarians to see the changes. Either way, we could do with some improvements in this area. No more last-minute surprises engineered between France and Germany. No more incompetent negotiating over important issues.

Colin , Shrewsbury, UK

You Europeans have no idea how much the British people despise the EU organisation. Most of us don't even consider ourselves to be part of Europe. Unfortunately our government is lead by selfserving europhiles who daren't give us a say on continued membership of the EU - they know that we'll reject it with a massive majorty.

kris, Kirkaldy, Fife

Denis from Dublin may be right, ie it's time for the UK to leave the EU, but if that were to happen what would happen to all the subsidies to Irish farmers which British taxpayers have contributed to over the past 20 years? The Republic of Ireland is second only to France in the amount of subsidies it receives from the profligate Common Agricultural Policy which is not due for review until 2013. Ireland has also done well out of EU support for its education programmes, again financed in large part by the UK and it was Ireland which initially opposed the entry of Cyprus and Malta into the EU. Ireland must now hold another referendum on the mini-treaty and it will be interesting to see how Dublin businessmen react to Sarkozy's sleight of hand in bringing in state subsidies by the back door. In doing so it is he, Sarkozy, not the UK who has
condemned the EU to death by a thousand state subsidies. There's no way Ireland will be able to compete with the big three in state subsidies.

Dr David Green, Athens, Greece

Is the protocol which Mr Blair arranged to be appended to the "Treaty" which supposedly protects the UK, legally binding or not? Lets have a referendum when we find out!

N Reed, Truro, UK

Blair is a good example of what happens to a nation when a glamorous leader with no real judgment arrives at the day when his luck runs out.

George Mazzei, St Petersburg, Florida, USA

Peter Vernunfit you are spot on. I don't understand why Britain wants to stay in and disrupt all EU forward movement. The EU would function much better without the UK and also satisfy, judging from the amount of anti-EU rhetoric coming from both the media and commentaries such as this, all UK citizens. A win win all round.

Denis, Dublin, Ireland

It goes against all instinct to ask this, but would it necessarily be such a bad thing if the EU had an increased role in foreign policy? I ask this simply because Britain´s involvement in Iraq has been condemned by large sections of her electorate, whose views are shared by the majority of EU member states. So, in this at least, isn´t the EU actually representing the views of the British people better than the British government?

Toby, Malaga, Spain

The 'new diplomatic service' you are referring to has existed for over 50 years. The delegations of the European Commission, which became EU delegations with the Amsterdam treaty have been in place since the 1950s and multiplied since. International protocol states that the head of delegation must be referred to as Ambassador (even though the European Commission asks them to refrain from referring to themselves in that way), and places delegations in the list of state representations, not among international organisations. They incidentally do an excellent job helping our companies and citizens.

The change will place them under the control of the states' foreign policy representative instead of the Brussels Commission and replaces EU civil servants by national professional diplomats. As for the opt out protocol, it is perfectly legally binding and the normal format for opt outs. Should you not hail these changes?

An LSE academic.

Michael, London, UK

Can it be only a few weeks since Gordon Brown was telling us that when he becomes Prime Minister he would govern in a different way, rebuilding public trust in democracy? Yet here he is, about to be appointed Prime Minister without an election, telling us that there should be no referendum on the European Constitution. He’s starting out behaving just as outrageously as Tony Blair has for the last 10 years.

RichardW, Chippenham, England

It is all very easy:
UK should simply leave the EU.

Would be good for those inside and those outside.

Peter Vernunft, Berlin, Germany

This is now Gordon's real chance to settle his score with TB - and if he's as Euro-sceptic as I think he is, he should take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to raise his standing with the 'British' people.

Go on Gordon - have a referendum!!

MarkS, Leeds,

Enough with this euroskeptic nonsense. The days of the British empire are over. We are a small island nation in a world of big players. If we want to have a say, we got to have it within a united Europe. No single European nation matters on its own.

Mr A Hershko, Maidenhead, Berkshire