By Jeffrey Titford MEPUK Independence PartyTHE contents of Giscard d'Estaing's proposed Constitution for the European Union came as no surprise to me.

By Jeffrey Titford MEP

UK Independence Party

THE contents of Giscard d'Estaing's proposed Constitution for the European Union came as no surprise to me. I have known all along that this was the inevitable endgame the EU was steadily working toward. The only real surprise was how surprised so many politicians and journalists professed themselves to be after reading it!

The Constitution is merely confirmation of what many EU-sceptics have been saying so consistently and for so long – i.e. that the EU is a giant single state in the making.

What is a Constitution and why is it so deeply disturbing that the EU should want one? A political constitution, such as this, is a super-law, which governs the making of other laws. It sets out the structure of government and the distribution of powers within a country and defines the nature and extent of the "freedoms" of the people bound by that constitution. How many people would have voted "yes" in the 1975 referendum had they known that in 2003, the EU would be seeking to define and control their freedoms?

Many politicians have attempted to mislead the British public into believing that the EU Constitution is merely a tidying up of the various EU treaties. This is dangerous nonsense. Make no mistake; this document is not about 'tidying up' anything, it is a dramatic shift of governmental power away from those we elect in Westminster to Continental politicians and bureaucrats we do not elect and cannot dismiss from office. It is designed to establish the EU as a fully-fledged political state. Inevitably, it would replace the democratic member states in international organisations such as the UN Security Council.

Article 9 reads: "This Constitution shall have primacy over the law of the Member States." It sets out the areas that will come under Brussels's control. These are: foreign affairs, economic policy, trade, agriculture, fisheries, immigration and asylum, employment policy, industrial policy, research and development, defence, environmental protection, justice and home affairs and civil emergencies. In short, just about everything! If this Constitution goes through, what will our politicians have left to talk about in future General Election campaigns with all the major policy decisions being taken in Brussels?

Mr Blair wants to allow this huge transfer of power, which will mean the end of Britain's long history as an independent nation, on his own authority. He has refused to countenance the idea of holding a referendum, despite the fact that more than 7 of the other 14 member states have indicated that they will seek a mandate from their electorates. His arrogance is simply staggering and he must be challenged.

One national newspaper labelled this new Constitution "a blue-print for tyranny." They did not exaggerate.

jtitford@europarl.eu.int