A golden opportunity

In a very welcome move, the Conservatives have today unveiled a new Bill paving the way for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

Sound familiar? A bill went through last year but of course the Government conspired with the Lib Dems to stop it from passing - despite the fact that all the main parties had promised voters a referendum in their 2005 election manifestos.

Leaving aside the inevitable questions about when the Bill will actually be introduced and whether it has a hope of passing, this seems like a very good moment to force it onto the agenda.

Politicians of all colours have spent the last few days and weeks talking about the urgent need to restore voters' trust in MPs, and to bring politics back to the people.

This is an opportunity for them to redeem themselves and show that they actually mean it. Goodness knows these people need a leg up right now. A poll for the Times at the weekend showed that 77 percent of people want more referendums. Let's start with the one we were promised.