Forked tongue warning

Coments by Margaret Beckett and 'Buff' Hoon about the summit are gloriously decietful. Holding out the prospect of a referendum whilst knowing full well that they have no intention of dong any such thing.
Even better we have Hoon, buttering up Brown (who of course is not invited to Brussels) and speaking for him rather than Blair.

Gordon Brown could still hold a referendum on the future of the EU if the continent's leaders agree significant constitutional changes to the way it is run, Europe Minister Geoff Hoon has said.

As European foreign ministers gathered in Luxembourg ahead of this week's crucial leaders' summit in Berlin, Mr Hoon said that the prime minister-in-waiting had not ruled out a referendum on any new treaty."Clearly a judgment has got to be made in terms of what is in the final package,"

Which will suprise Patrick Wintour, and Number 10 who only yesterday were announcing, "Britain will not hold a referendum on Europe's future".

Of course the difference between these positions is pretty semantic, nothing that happens in Brussels bar the implementation of a Catholic hereditary monarchy on all 27 countries will ever pass the bar for the Labour Government. The name Constitution has gone, therefore it isn't a Constitution, therefore there is no need to get the consent ofthe people. Simple.

However I suspect that Mr Brown may find that hoodwinking the British public will be a lot harder to do in reality than it currently seems to those who pour the wormwood of flattery in his ears.