Dr Cooper's letter to The Times

The link is here: Sir, The massive rejection of Labour on May 1 must lay to rest any idea that the present House of Commons is the true representative of the British people. So it is clearer than ever that parliamentary ratification of the Lisbon treaty, without the promised referendum, would be devoid of democratic legitimacy. The people would be under no moral obligation to accept such an outcome. Governments across the EU should reflect on this iron rule of the British constitution: “No Parliament may bind its successors.” This unrepresentative Parliament may pass the Bill to ratify the Lisbon treaty, but other EU member states would be wise to regard that as no more than a provisional ratification, which may later be revoked after a retrospective referendum — even if the treaty had come into force by that time. Dr D. R. Cooper Maidenhead, Berks