Strasbourg, 21/04/2004 (Agence Europe) - Calling a referendum in the United Kingdom on the European Constitution will force the British to "reflect on realities and not just on myths. They will be obliged to look at interests and not just emotional populist arguments. It will be a tough debate but a winnable one", Pat Cox said on Tuesday (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.7). "For the British people to make a clear and clear-sighted choice about where Britain's interests lie will require a deep engagement by those of conviction on both sides and it will require cleaning the fog of prejudice and excessive scepticism", the president of the European Parliament said. He insisted that "tabloid logic" must be "confronted with real substance" and, he went on, "I refuse to be pessimistic about the potential outcome". As an "Irish European, I am a seasoned referendum campaigner", Mr Cox recalled in a press release, noting that he has already fought six referendum campaigns.
In answer to questions put to him by reporters, the German president of the EPP-ED Group, Hans-Gert Pöttering, considered the announcement that a referendum would be organised as a positive step. In his view, this shows that final adoption of the Constitution will take place before the end of the Irish Presidency. President of the Liberal Group Graham Watson said one should ask: "Do you approve of the Constitution or would you prefer the United Kingdom to withdraw from the Union?".