DUP and SNP play down talk of Treaty poll

Britain: The SNP and the DUP have played down suggestions that the Scottish and Northern Ireland executives might hold consultative referendums on the EU Reform Treaty.

Senior Conservatives at Westminster have floated the idea that the devolved administrations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales might be disposed to hold such a vote in order to embarrass Gordon Brown over his refusal to hold a UK-wide referendum.

The minority SNP administration at Holyrood is opposed to the treaty as currently drafted and favours a referendum. And the Northern Ireland Executive's support for a referendum - agreed at a meeting in late September - was conveyed to a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee (involving UK ministers and their devolved counterparts) in London last month.

The SNP is primarily opposed to the treaty because it makes fishing "an exclusive competence", in its view making future reform of fisheries policy difficult. The DUP's opposition is on "sovereignty" grounds. However, senior DUP sources yesterday confirmed that they regard the referendum issue as one for the British government and parliament to decide.

© 2007 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times