"Today's multi-nation EU is such a small threat to the nation state."

That's rubbish.  The LisbonConTreaty is self-amending.  Once that is ratified, the EU Politburo can change the relationship between the nation states and the EUSSR to suit itself.  Any nation which falls out of line, like Ireland, will be bullied and threatened to get back in place.  The EU Politburo are bent on federalism - which is why they are so incensed at the Tories' new anti-federalist party in Brussels.

UKIP started a hare about Cameron breaking his promise with a selective and curtailed quote!  In fact he has broken NO promise! 

On the Conservative website has been the statement for some time in the section of "Where do we stand on - - Europe"

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If the Lisbon Treaty is not yet in force at the time of the next general election, and a Conservative Government is elected, we would put the Treaty to a referendum of the British people, recommending a 'no' vote. If the British people rejected the Treaty, we would withdraw Britain's ratification of it.

But if the Treaty is in force we will be in a different situation. In our view, then, political integration would have gone too far, the Treaty would lack democratic legitimacy in this country and we would not let matters rest there.

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THAT has been the official position for ages

Succinctly and accurately put!  Nothing could be more clear. 

I've waited 13 years to get rid of the current disgusting shower and it is beginning to look like the old French adage   'Plus ca change .... '

Cameron is, after all, a smooth-talking liar and we still get no referendum - and who will rid us of this creeping totalitarianism?

As with everything in our relations with Europe, it is balmy.

Did you mean "barmy" or do you approve? ;-)

I think Cameron has the right idea. It is high time this poison that is the EU was lanced. This is a way to do it, but the results of any renegotiation should be for us the people to decide. We should be able to reject the whole deal and if we wish instruct our leaders to withdraw from the EU. Blair/Brown lied and were dishonest, and so have the LibDems. It is time WE had our say and if they all believe in this project they should have the courage to argue their case before us, the people. It is time they realized that it is our rights, our liberties and our parliamentary democracy they are busy destroying. We never gave them permission to do this. Like the expenses argument they seem to have forgotten they are our servants, not we are theirs. Time to remind them all.   

New labour promised a referendum and weaseled out of it, the tories promise one and weasel out of it, looks like the big two parties dont want any votes.

All that the British people want, I believe, is to have a say in the way they are governed ...  and particularly BY WHOM. Denied this basic right by Gordon Brown and his shabby hangers-on, we are at last going to be paid attention to.

Whatever the Tories' history, this man David Cameron stands head and shoulders above Mr Brown, or Mr Blair for that matter. Whatever the result of the manifesto referendum, it will be a joyous victory for our once-great democracy.

If we then choose to be governed by Europe, so be it. It would have been OUR choice, not that of a shadowy "elite" hiding away in Brussels while playing fast and loose with our country, our lives, our future.

Head and shoulders above brown and blair? Still puts him firmly in the gutter! and on this showing, if he can renage on a 'cast iron promise' then why should any member of the public believe a word he says in the future?

When he reneges on his referendum promise who does he think will trust him certainly not the people who supported him because of that promise and who is going to vote for someone you don't trust, not me,from what I see in the comments on the blogs lots of others also.

You summed it up by saying that 69% of politicians, journalists, strategists, think tank leaders etc support this treachery. I would like to bet that the same percentage of the people that actually matter, the voters, the people that actually pay the wages of the politicians, will be angrily against such cowardice.

Lord Ashcroft has wasted all that money. Try investing in UKIP.

There is no point UKIP and sundry ranting and venting their spleens against D.C. He has been perfectly transparent all along. He has been the only honest Party leader. he is following his promise. Lisbon has been ratifies by all and now a different tact must be followed.

Remember it was unelected Brown who signed the Treaty, it was the hypocrite Brown who betrayed our democracy. The traitor  Brown's obfuscation has led the British people blindly into this hysterical situation.

D.C is now constrained by the legal ramifications contained in the Treaty and must navigate a positive course for the benefit of the British people.