Tony Blair was forced into agreeing to allowing the UK electorate a referendum on the EU constitution before its rejection by the French and the Dutch.

He has said that we will not have a referendum on the EU treaty as it's an amending treaty.

Well, Mr Blair, this so-called amending treaty has given yet more powers to the EU, will allow an EU president, will allow an EU foreign affairs minister (although they changed the name in the hope no-one would notice) and has given the EU its own legal identity.

In the Germans' draft proposal for the treaty it stated that "we should simply remove the word constitution so as not to need a referendum''.

All recent opinions polls have shown by a huge majority that the British people want a refendum on the EU treaty. Unfortunatly for our government the same opinion polls show the the treaty would be rejected by another huge majority which is probably why our government have back-tracked over the issue.

Come on, Mr Brown, show us what PM you are going to make give the British people their say or will you run and hide like Blair?

RYAN NEWELL, chairman, UKIP Southampton,