Thatcher renews demand for Maastricht poll

As the Lords debated the second reading of the Maastricht Bill, Lady

Thatcher said that to refuse a referendum would be a ''disgraceful

betrayal'' of the British people -- and she stated that she would never

have signed the treaty.

She went on: ''I believe that to hand over the people's parliamentary

rights on the scale of the Maastricht Treaty, without the consent of the

people in a referendum, would be to betray the trust they have placed in

us as guardians of the parliamentary institutions and of the courts.''

She won support from former Cabinet Minister Lord Parkinson, who

warned that the treaty was ''a major preparation for trade wars and

protectionism, not a step towards an open system and internationalism''.

But she was openly criticised by Lord Howe, former Chancellor and

Foreign Secretary, who, sitting directly behind her, argued that the

Euro-sceptics had ''moved from practical politics to ideological purism

into a position which now, alas, is approaching deep hostility to the

essence of the Community itself''.

Lady Thatcher said: ''No elector in this country has been able to vote

against Maastricht. It has been impossible to do so. When one looks at

the extent of the powers that are being handed over, it is disgraceful

if we deny them that opportunity.''

She said that fewer than half of all MPs -- 292 out of 650 -- had

actually supported the Bill in the Commons, and warned that Maastricht

centralised power in the hands of Brussels bureaucrats at the expense of

democratic accountability.

The debate continues today, and while the Bill is expected to have a

relatively smooth passage through the Upper House, Lady Thatcher and

others are determined to have their day in court.

The debate was opened by the Government Leader in the Lords, Lord

Wakeham.

He told peers: ''Those who find the arguments (for a referendum)

attractive in this case might, I suggest, inadvertently contribute to

undermining the very system of parliamentary democracy which it is their

professed aim to protect.''

While the Maastricht Treaty was important, there were many other

equally important issues on which the case for a referendum could be

argued -- the death penalty, the role of the Church of England, or even

the role of the House of Lords.

For Labour, Front Bench spokesman Lord Richard accused the Government

of pursuing a ''begrudging and defensive'' strategy on the Bill, which

had eroded Britain's position in Europe.