The UK has completed the ratification process for the Lisbon Treaty according to today’s Independent. Apparently, “under the UK’s ratification process, both houses of Parliament must pass the treaty.

The Queen then gives Royal Assent, and signs goatskin ‘instruments of ratification’ along with the Foreign Secretary.

These are then sealed, bound in blue leather, and deposited with the Italian ministry of foreign affairs in Rome.”

Which all raises an interesting question - can the reigning monarch be guilty of treason? What is treason in a so-called modern democracy anyway?

I suppose, in general terms, it is any act which will in any way weaken the integrity of the nation state. The BBC defined it as “the crime of betraying one’s country,” when discussing the possibility of prosecuting Islamic “radicals” a few years ago.

There is no question that the Lisbon Treaty weakens the integrity of the nation state of Great Britain, and it certainly looks like a betrayal of the country to me. But does the Queen’s ratification of that Treaty constitute treason against the nation state and the Monarchy itself?

I’d really like to know the answer to that …

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 17th, 2008 at 12:46 pm and is filed under Britain. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.